B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Sells 998 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 20.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,941 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 998 shares during the quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $249,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 6,270 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in Ventas by 3.7% in the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Ventas by 3.9% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 4.5% during the third quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 5,434 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE VTR opened at $58.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -345.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $63.36 and a 200-day moving average of $59.33.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,058.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VTR has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday. Mizuho dropped their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Company Profile

Ventas Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a leading S&P 500 real estate investment trust focused on delivering strong, sustainable shareholder returns by enabling exceptional environments that benefit a large and growing aging population. The Company's growth is fueled by its senior housing communities, which provide valuable services to residents and enable them to thrive in supported environments.