Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Welltower (NYSE:WELL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Thursday morning.

WELL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $190.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho increased their price target on Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Welltower from $142.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.96.

Welltower Price Performance

NYSE WELL opened at $151.42 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $130.99 and its 200 day moving average is $128.40. Welltower has a fifty-two week low of $87.87 and a fifty-two week high of $151.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 4.10 and a current ratio of 4.10. The company has a market capitalization of $94.29 billion, a PE ratio of 99.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.23.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.73. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 12.22%. Sell-side analysts predict that Welltower will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower’s payout ratio is 176.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Welltower

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WELL. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 2,053 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Welltower by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,152 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,864 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC increased its position in shares of Welltower by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 2,213 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.