Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Trading Up 2.3% – Here’s Why

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)’s stock price rose 2.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $153.33 and last traded at $153.44. Approximately 1,540,386 shares traded 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

WELL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price target 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 upped their target price on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Welltower from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $146.00 to $168.00 in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Welltower from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.46.

Welltower Stock Up 2.3 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $98.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 98.33, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The business’s 50-day moving average is $145.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.57.

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

Welltower Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Welltower by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 121,080 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $15,260,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter worth about $25,818,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Welltower by 2,074.5% in the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 17,135 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,159,000 after buying an additional 16,347 shares during the period. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC acquired a new position in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at about $539,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

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.