Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Welltower a “Moderate Buy” consensus: Fourteen of 17 covering brokerages rate the stock a buy, while three recommend holding it. The average 12-month price target is $252.56, above its reported opening price of $231.97.
• Welltower’s latest quarter showed revenue growth of 39.1% year over year to $3.54 billion, exceeding expectations, although EPS of $0.61 missed the $0.66 consensus estimate. The company guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of $6.36–$6.44.
• The healthcare REIT increased its quarterly dividend to $0.85 per share, or $3.40 annually, representing a 1.5% yield. Director Andrew Gundlach also purchased 5,000 shares worth approximately $1.21 million, while institutional investors own 94.8% of the stock.

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $252.5556.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WELL. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Welltower from $215.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Welltower from $249.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Welltower from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Welltower in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $226.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Welltower from $254.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st.

Welltower Trading Down 1.1%

WELL opened at $231.97 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 106.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.76. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $237.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $220.46. Welltower has a 1-year low of $163.75 and a 1-year high of $255.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 3.16 and a quick ratio of 3.16.

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

Welltower Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. This is an increase from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. Welltower's payout ratio is 155.96%.

Insider Activity at Welltower

In other news, Director Andrew Gundlach purchased 5,000 shares of Welltower stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $242.06 per share, with a total value of $1,210,300.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 30,000 shares in the company, valued at $7,261,800. This represents a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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. Insiders own 0.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WELL. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Welltower by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 19,901 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,517,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,884,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Welltower by 26.5% in the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 735 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Scholtz & Company LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower in the 2nd quarter valued at about $211,000. Finally, National Pension Service raised its holdings in Welltower by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 2,015,067 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $457,360,000 after buying an additional 62,043 shares during the period. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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