Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $139.82 and last traded at $139.66, with a volume of 238246 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $136.92.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on WELL shares. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Welltower from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Welltower from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Welltower from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target (up from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.38.

Welltower Stock Up 1.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $86.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.08, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.20. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $128.26 and its 200 day moving average is $113.45.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.31). The company had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 3.20%. Welltower’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is currently 176.32%.

Institutional Trading of Welltower

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norden Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $383,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Welltower by 5.9% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 54,666 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,108,000 after acquiring an additional 3,035 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Welltower by 338.7% during the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 329 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in shares of Welltower by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 20,869 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Welltower by 34.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,365 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $688,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

About Welltower

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.