Leavell Investment Management Inc. Takes $218,000 Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,700 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Welltower by 26.4% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 29,236,326 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,731,842,000 after purchasing an additional 6,104,064 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new stake in Welltower during the 1st quarter valued at $309,917,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 89,187,884 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,333,716,000 after buying an additional 3,257,213 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth $254,977,000. Finally, Centersquare Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Welltower by 19.0% in the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 5,329,248 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $507,771,000 after acquiring an additional 849,898 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of WELL stock opened at $137.67 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $114.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.73 billion, a PE ratio of 90.57, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.20. Welltower Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.38 and a 52-week high of $140.19.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last issued 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). Welltower had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 3.20%. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is 176.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WELL shares. StockNews.com raised Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Welltower from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 target price (up from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $115.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $121.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Welltower currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $116.68.

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.