Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Shares Sold by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB lessened its stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,187 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 5,909 shares during the quarter. Avanza Fonder AB's holdings in Welltower were worth $9,213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Franchise Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Welltower during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Welltower Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Welltower stock traded down $0.87 on Wednesday, reaching $150.04. The company had a trading volume of 2,002,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,926,472. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $147.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 4.22 and a current ratio of 4.22. Welltower Inc. has a 52-week low of $100.13 and a 52-week high of $158.55. The firm has a market cap of $98.12 billion, a PE ratio of 96.18, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.94.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.05. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.15% and a net margin of 11.91%. The company had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.01 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 30.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. Welltower's payout ratio is currently 154.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Welltower from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $146.00 to $168.00 in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Welltower from $145.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Welltower presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.25.

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.