Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $125.86.

Several research firms have weighed in on WELL. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Welltower from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price (up previously from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Welltower from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Foundation Advisors acquired a new stake in Welltower during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Welltower during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased 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 worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Welltower in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Welltower during the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Stock Performance

WELL opened at $126.03 on Wednesday. Welltower has a 1-year low of $85.40 and a 1-year high of $140.75. The stock has a market cap of $78.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $132.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.48. 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). The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 3.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Welltower will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 176.32%.

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.