Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Trading 2.3% Higher – Still a Buy?

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) traded up 2.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $153.33 and last traded at $153.44. 1,540,386 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average session volume of 2,801,345 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.92.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Welltower from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Raymond James increased their price objective on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com cut shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Welltower from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.46.

Welltower Trading Up 2.3 %

The company has a quick ratio of 4.22, a current ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $145.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $135.34. The company has a market capitalization of $98.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 98.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.20.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.73. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.15% and a net margin of 11.91%. Research analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower’s payout ratio is currently 171.79%.

Institutional Trading of Welltower

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WELL. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new position in Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Welltower in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Welltower by 165.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.