Allstate Corp Raises Stock Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Allstate Corp raised its stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 66.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,572 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 13,371 shares during the period. Allstate Corp’s holdings in Welltower were worth $4,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WELL. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Welltower by 165.5% in 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. bought a new position in Welltower in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Welltower Stock Up 2.3 %

WELL opened at $153.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $98.37 billion, a PE ratio of 98.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.52. The company has a quick ratio of 4.22, a current ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Welltower Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.87 and a 52 week high of $158.55.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 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%. Analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower’s payout ratio is 171.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on WELL shares. StockNews.com lowered Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Welltower from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Welltower from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Welltower from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. One equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.46.

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.