Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $134.81.

Several research firms recently commented on WELL. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America increased 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. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th.

Welltower Trading Up 3.4 %

WELL opened at $136.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $85.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.22. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $130.12 and a 200 day moving average of $125.23. Welltower has a 12 month low of $85.40 and a 12 month high of $140.75.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last released 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Welltower will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 176.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Welltower

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WELL. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Welltower by 37.0% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Welltower by 165.5% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 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.