Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Acquires 897 Shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 18.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,843 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 897 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Welltower were worth $730,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Welltower by 165.5% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Welltower in the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Stock Performance

Shares of Welltower stock opened at $156.91 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 4.22, a quick ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 100.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.87. Welltower Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.87 and a 12 month high of $157.16.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.73. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.15% and a net margin of 11.91%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is presently 171.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WELL shares. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. StockNews.com lowered Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America raised their price target on Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Mizuho raised their price target on Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Welltower from $144.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.96.

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.