Avanza Fonder AB Cuts Stock Holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Avanza Fonder AB decreased its holdings in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 8.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 60,187 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 5,909 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Welltower were worth $9,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WELL. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Welltower during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Franchise Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Welltower during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Welltower during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WELL. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Welltower from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $146.00 to $168.00 in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $145.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Welltower in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.25.

Welltower Trading Down 2.8%

NYSE WELL opened at $150.19 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $147.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.98. Welltower Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.13 and a 12 month high of $158.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 4.22 and a quick ratio of 4.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 96.28, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.94.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.05. Welltower had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 3.15%. The company had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.01 earnings per share. Welltower’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is presently 154.02%.

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.