47,012 Shares in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Purchased by ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. invested approximately $7.20 million in Welltower Inc., purchasing 47,012 shares, indicating strong institutional interest in the company.
• Welltower recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.67 to $0.74 per share, reflecting a growing commitment to shareholder returns.
• The company reported $1.28 EPS for the latest quarter, exceeding estimates and demonstrating a 39.6% year-over-year revenue increase.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 47,012 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $7,203,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Welltower in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $176,000. Primecap Management Co. CA bought a new stake in Welltower in the first quarter valued at $6,052,000. Strategy Asset Managers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower in the first quarter valued at approximately $550,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Welltower by 27.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,728,921 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $724,518,000 after acquiring an additional 1,030,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Welltower by 1.4% during the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 4,962,246 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $760,266,000 after purchasing an additional 67,835 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of Welltower stock traded down $1.42 on Friday, hitting $168.27. 1,982,343 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,398,783. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $156.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.41. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $115.18 and a 12-month high of $171.09. The company has a current ratio of 4.19, a quick ratio of 4.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market cap of $112.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.93.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.06. Welltower had a net margin of 12.18% and a return on equity of 3.38%. The firm had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.49 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 39.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. This is a positive change from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 151.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Welltower from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wedbush restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.82.

Insider Activity at Welltower

In other news, Director Andrew Gundlach purchased 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $151.46 per share, with a total value of $3,029,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 20,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.