Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Rating Increased to Overweight at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan upgraded Welltower to “overweight” from “neutral” and set a $260 price target, implying 13.11% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: 15 analysts rate the stock a Buy and two rate it a Hold, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average target price of $255.39.
• Welltower shares opened at $229.85, while the company’s latest quarterly results missed EPS estimates but exceeded revenue expectations; a director also purchased 5,000 shares worth about $1.21 million.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $260.00 price target on the real estate investment trust's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would suggest a potential upside of 13.11% from the stock's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on WELL. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Welltower in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $215.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Welltower from $215.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Welltower in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Welltower from $249.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $255.39.

Welltower Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE WELL opened at $229.85 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $165.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 105.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.76. Welltower has a 12 month low of $163.75 and a 12 month high of $255.20. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $237.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.10. The company has a current ratio of 3.16, a quick ratio of 3.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.40 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.56% and a net margin of 12.15%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 39.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.28 EPS. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.360-6.440 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Welltower will post 6.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Andrew Gundlach purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $242.06 per share, with a total value of $1,210,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 30,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,261,800. This trade represents a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Purchased indirectly through two trusts. The transaction was executed in multiple trades at prices ranging from $241.59 to $242.59. The reported $242.06 price is the weighted-average purchase price. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Welltower

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WELL. Leonteq Securities AG lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 92.3% during the first quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 125 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Welltower by 124.6% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 137 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new position in Welltower in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Welltower during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Welltower Company Profile

Welltower Inc is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, operates and finances healthcare-related real estate. The company focuses on properties that support healthcare delivery and services, including senior housing communities, outpatient medical facilities and post-acute care properties.

Welltower partners with healthcare providers, senior housing operators and other service providers to develop and manage facilities designed to serve aging populations and patients requiring ongoing or specialized care.

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