Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Trading 2.3% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) shares were up 2.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $153.33 and last traded at $153.44. Approximately 1,540,386 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 2,801,345 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on WELL. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Welltower from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $146.00 to $168.00 in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America lifted their target price on Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Raymond James increased their price target on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Wedbush raised Welltower from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $167.00 in a report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Welltower has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.46.

Welltower Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $145.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.34. The firm has a market cap of $98.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 98.33, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 4.22, a current ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.73. Welltower had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 3.15%. Sell-side analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is presently 171.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Welltower

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WELL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Welltower during the 4th quarter worth about $3,943,892,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Welltower by 638.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,920,426 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $886,022,000 after purchasing an additional 5,982,711 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 53.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,430,496 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,062,495,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939,229 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 98,295,258 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $12,388,151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,612,044 shares during the period. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in Welltower by 23,204.3% during the fourth quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 1,900,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,891,847 shares in the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Welltower Company Profile

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.