US Bancorp DE Boosts Stock Position in Welltower Inc. $WELL

US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 48,348 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,421 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Welltower were worth $7,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SouthState Corp grew its position in Welltower by 704.8% in the first quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 169 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Welltower in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Welltower in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Welltower in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Welltower in the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE WELL opened at $165.84 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $110.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.70, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 4.19, a quick ratio of 4.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.11 and a 12-month high of $180.40. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $168.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.48.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.49 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.38% and a net margin of 12.18%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 39.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. Welltower has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.060-5.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were paid a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 12th. This is an increase from Welltower’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Welltower’s payout ratio is 167.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WELL shares. UBS Group started coverage on Welltower in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $195.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Welltower from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Welltower in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. KeyCorp upped their price target on Welltower from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Welltower in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $180.69.

Welltower 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.