8,991 Welltower Inc. $WELL Shares Sold by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer reduced its Welltower stake by 16% in the third quarter, selling 8,991 shares and retaining 47,356 shares valued at approximately $10.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.8% of the company.
• Welltower reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.67 versus estimates of $1.64 and revenue of $3.72 billion, up 38.4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85, equivalent to an annualized $3.40 payout and a 1.4% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $259.81, while a director recently purchased 5,000 shares.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lessened its stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 16.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,356 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 8,991 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Welltower were worth $10,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WELL. Leonteq Securities AG lifted its position 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Welltower by 124.6% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 137 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Welltower by 472.7% in the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Welltower Stock Performance

NYSE:WELL opened at $238.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 3.16 and a quick ratio of 3.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $218.49. Welltower Inc. has a 1 year low of $179.24 and a 1 year high of $255.20. The company has a market capitalization of $175.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.75.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.03. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.61% and a net margin of 12.08%. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 38.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 6.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Welltower's payout ratio is 147.19%.

Insider Activity

In other Welltower news, Director Andrew Gundlach purchased 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $242.06 per share, for a total transaction of $1,210,300.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 30,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,261,800. This represents a 20.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on WELL. Jefferies Financial Group raised Welltower to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Barclays cut their price objective on Welltower from $259.00 to $246.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price objective on Welltower from $238.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on Welltower from $260.00 to $258.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Welltower from $245.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $259.81.

About Welltower

Welltower Inc NYSE: WELL is a healthcare-focused real estate investment trust that owns, develops, and manages properties used to provide healthcare and related services. Its portfolio is centered on senior housing communities, outpatient medical facilities, and post-acute care properties, including assets operated by healthcare providers and senior living companies.

The company's senior housing investments support independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. Its outpatient medical properties accommodate physicians, clinics, and other healthcare providers, while its broader healthcare real estate portfolio is designed to serve demand for care delivered outside traditional hospitals.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.