Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Reaches New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) shares hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $132.66 and last traded at $131.50, with a volume of 100843 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $132.04.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Welltower from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Wolfe Research raised Welltower to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Welltower from $103.00 to $107.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $121.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.38.

Welltower Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $78.42 billion, a PE ratio of 163.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $125.03 and its 200 day moving average is $110.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 4.07 and a current ratio of 4.07.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.08. Welltower had a net margin of 8.36% and a return on equity of 2.21%. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.19 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This is a boost from Welltower’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is 330.86%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Welltower

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WELL. First Foundation Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Welltower in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Welltower by 338.7% in the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 329 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Welltower during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.