Donoghue Forlines LLC Makes New $2.09 Million Investment in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 16,615 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $2,094,000. Welltower comprises approximately 0.7% of Donoghue Forlines LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in Welltower by 37.0% during 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 period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Welltower in the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $132.00 to $147.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 price target (up from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank raised their price target on Welltower from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.63.

Welltower Trading Down 2.0 %

WELL stock opened at $131.06 on Thursday. Welltower Inc. has a one year low of $85.40 and a one year high of $140.75. The stock has a market cap of $81.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $130.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $124.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 4.10.

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

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 176.32%.

Welltower 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.