Wall St. Watchdog reveals information about companies for which stock analysts downgraded shares in the Financial sector for the week ending October 28th, 2011

• Sabra Healthcare REIT (NASDAQ:SBRA): JMP Securities downgraded its rating on this company from Mkt Outperform to Mkt Perform. About the company: Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. is a real estate investment trust. The trust owns nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, assisted living facilities, and independent living centers.
• Piedmont Office Realty Trust (NYSE:PDM): Stifel Nicolaus downgraded its rating on this company from Hold to Sell. About the company: Piedmont Office Realty Trust Inc. is a fully integrated and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The trust specializes in the acquisition, ownership, management and development of primarily office buildings located in major U.S. markets.
• NewBridge Bancorp (NASDAQ:NBBC): Stifel Nicolaus downgraded its rating on this company from Buy to Hold. About the company: NewBridge Bancorp. is a bank holding company. The Bank attracts deposits and conducts a commercial banking business, offering real estate, mortgage, commercial, and consumer loans, and trust and discount brokerage services. NewBridge Bancorp. operates through offices in North Carolina.
• Franklin Street Properties (AMEX:FSP): Stifel Nicolaus downgraded its rating on this company from Hold to Sell. About the company: Franklin Street Properties Corporation operates real estate businesses and offers investment banking services. The Company organizes real estate investment trusts (REIT) and syndicates them through private placements, acquires real estate on behalf of the REITs, and offers asset management and property management services for the REITs.
• Ventas (NYSE:VTR): Stifel Nicolaus downgraded its rating on this company from Buy to Hold. About the company: Ventas, Inc. is a real estate investment trust. The trust owns seniors housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and medical office buildings in the United States and Canada.
• Omega Health (NYSE:OHI): Stifel Nicolaus downgraded its rating on this company from Buy to Hold. About the company: OMEGA Healthcare Investors, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company invests in and provides financing to the long-term care industry. OMEGA operates healthcare facilities in the United States which are operated by independent healthcare operating companies.
• Heartland Finl (NASDAQ:HTLF): Stifel Nicolaus downgraded its rating on this company from Buy to Hold. About the company: Heartland Financial USA, Inc. is a holding company for banks that operate in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Mexico and Montana. The Banks solicit deposits and make commercial, agricultural, real estate mortgage, consumer and home equity loans. The Company also has consumer finance, fleet leasing and investment banking subsidiaries.
• Capstead Mortgage (NYSE:CMO): Wunderlich downgraded its rating on this company from Buy to Hold. About the company: Capstead Mortgage Corporation is a real estate investment trust and earns income from investing in real-estate related assets on a leveraged basis. The Company’s investments currently consist primarily of residential ARM securities issued and guaranteed by government-sponsored entities.
• United Bankshares (NASDAQ:UBSI): Stifel Nicolaus downgraded its rating on this company from Buy to Hold. About the company: United Bankshares, Inc. is a holding company that, through its subsidiaries, operates a network of offices in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. The Banks attract deposits from the general public and originates a variety of loan products.
• Fusion-io (NYSE:FIO): Stifel Nicolaus downgraded its rating on this company from Buy to Hold. About the company: iShares FTSE NAREIT Industrial/Office Capped Index Fund is an exchange-traded fund incorporated in the USA. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the FTSE NAREIT Industrial/Office Capped Index.

(Note: Selected financial data are sourced from Briefing.com via the Wall St. Journal. All data are assumed to be accurate.)

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