Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $139.82 and last traded at $139.66, with a volume of 238246 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $136.92.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WELL has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Welltower from $115.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Welltower from $121.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.38.

Welltower Stock Up 1.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 4.10. The company has a market capitalization of $86.57 billion, a PE ratio of 90.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.20. The business has a 50-day moving average of $128.26 and a 200 day moving average of $113.45.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.31). The company had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 12.22%. The company’s revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is presently 176.32%.

Institutional Trading of Welltower

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the second quarter valued at $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Welltower by 338.7% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 329 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

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.