Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Welltower (NYSE:WELL) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on WELL. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Welltower in a research report on Monday, March 18th. They set an outperform rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Welltower from $96.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a sector outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Welltower in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a buy rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Welltower from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $96.93.

Welltower Stock Performance

Shares of WELL stock opened at $100.87 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $94.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $91.34. Welltower has a 12 month low of $72.47 and a 12 month high of $102.66. The company has a current ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 124.53, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.07.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.72). The business had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 6.37% and a return on equity of 1.77%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Welltower will post 4.11 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 301.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Welltower

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in Welltower by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 25,167 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,062,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Welltower in the 3rd quarter worth about $90,000. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its holdings in Welltower by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 4,494 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Welltower by 11.8% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 7,968 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $653,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Syon Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Welltower during the 3rd quarter valued at about $279,000. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Company Profile

Welltower Inc (NYSE:WELL), a 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 and infrastructure needed to scale innovative care delivery models and improve people's wellness and overall health care experience.