Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC Makes New $901,000 Investment in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Key Points

• Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Welltower during the third quarter — 5,060 shares valued at about $901,000.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $224.71; several firms raised targets (Citigroup $245, UBS $240, Scotiabank $236).
• Welltower beat quarterly expectations with $1.45 EPS (vs. $1.44 est.) and $3.18B revenue, up 41.3% year-over-year, and it pays a quarterly dividend of $0.74 (1.4% yield) despite a high payout ratio (~211%).

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,060 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $901,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hager Investment Management Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Welltower by 84.4% in the 3rd quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. MMA Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Welltower during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new position in Welltower during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Welltower by 39.5% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 307 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in Welltower by 585.7% in the third quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 288 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the period. 94.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their price target on Welltower from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group set a $240.00 target price on shares of Welltower in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Welltower from $214.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of Welltower in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $224.71.

Welltower Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE WELL opened at $207.88 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $197.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $187.37. The stock has a market cap of $145.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 148.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.82. Welltower Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.29 and a 52-week high of $216.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a current ratio of 3.46.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. Welltower had a return on equity of 2.46% and a net margin of 8.64%.The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 41.3% on a year-over-year basis. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.090-6.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Welltower's payout ratio is presently 211.43%.

About Welltower

Welltower Inc NYSE: WELL is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires and manages real estate serving the health care industry. The company specializes in healthcare infrastructure, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of senior housing, post-acute and long-term care communities, and outpatient medical properties. Welltower's assets are designed to support the delivery of health care services through a combination of leased properties, joint ventures, and other capital arrangements with health care operators and providers.

The company's property types include assisted living, memory care, independent living and skilled nursing facilities, as well as medical office buildings and other outpatient-care real estate such as ambulatory surgery centers and specialty clinics.

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