Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Shares Purchased by Eastern Bank

Eastern Bank raised its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 1,087.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,152 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 1,055 shares during the period. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Welltower were worth $145,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WELL. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 37.0% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower during the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the third quarter worth $59,000. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower in the third quarter valued at about $64,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of WELL opened at $126.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.06. The stock has a market cap of $78.92 billion, a PE ratio of 83.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.22. Welltower Inc. has a 1-year low of $85.40 and a 1-year high of $140.75. 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 posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.31). Welltower had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 3.20%. The company had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 176.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Welltower from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target (up previously from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Welltower has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.63.

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.