UMB Bank n.a. Raises Holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 220,038 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,552 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in Welltower were worth $27,731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Welltower by 37.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Welltower by 165.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower in the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Price Performance

WELL opened at $129.47 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $130.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.41. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $85.40 and a 12-month high of $140.75. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $80.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.18, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.22.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.31). The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 12.22%. Welltower’s revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is currently 176.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on WELL shares. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price (up from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho increased their price target on Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Raymond James increased their price target on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $147.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.63.

About Welltower

Welltower Inc (NYSE:WELL), a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) and S&P 500 company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is driving the transformation of health care infrastructure. Welltower invests with leading seniors housing operators, post-acute providers and health systems to fund the real estate infrastructure needed to scale innovative care delivery models and improve people’s wellness and overall health care experience.