Welltower Inc. $WELL Shares Acquired by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in Welltower Inc. by 12.0%, purchasing an additional 160,264 shares, bringing its total to 1,497,471 shares worth approximately $228.9 million.
• Welltower's quarterly earnings report showed earnings per share of $1.28, beating analysts' expectations, with revenue up 39.6% year-over-year.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.67 to $0.74, with a payout ratio of 167.23% and an annualized yield of 1.8%.

Aberdeen Group plc boosted its position in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,497,471 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 160,264 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.23% of Welltower worth $228,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SouthState Corp lifted its stake in Welltower by 704.8% in the 1st quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 169 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Franchise Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Welltower in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of WELL stock traded up $1.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $162.90. 2,490,254 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,500,482. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $157.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.62. The firm has a market cap of $108.95 billion, a PE ratio of 92.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.19 and a quick ratio of 4.19. Welltower Inc. has a 1-year low of $115.18 and a 1-year high of $171.09.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.06. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.38% and a net margin of 12.18%. The company had revenue of $2.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.05 earnings per share. Welltower's quarterly revenue was up 39.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Welltower's payout ratio is presently 167.23%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Andrew Gundlach bought 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $151.46 per share, for a total transaction of $3,029,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,029,200. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WELL shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Scotiabank reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Welltower from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.82.

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.