Federated Hermes Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Key Points

• Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in Welltower Inc. by 1,106.0% during the 1st quarter, owning 66,932 shares valued at around $10.3 million.
• Welltower's quarterly dividend has been raised to $0.74 per share, reflecting an increase from the previous $0.67, with a dividend yield of 1.8%.
• Despite a mixed rating from analysts, with a current average rating of "Moderate Buy", the stock's price target has been adjusted upwards by various firms, reaching as high as $175.00.

Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 1,106.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 66,932 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 61,382 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.'s holdings in Welltower were worth $10,255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WELL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,185 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 28.4% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,242 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter worth $282,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter worth $1,646,000. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter worth $42,856,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Andrew Gundlach acquired 20,000 shares of Welltower stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The shares were purchased 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 of the company's stock, valued at $3,029,200. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WELL shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Welltower presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.82.

Welltower Stock Up 0.8%

WELL opened at $166.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $111.24 billion, a PE ratio of 93.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Welltower Inc. has a 52 week low of $110.74 and a 52 week high of $168.84. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $155.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.20.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 39.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. Welltower's payout ratio is 151.41%.

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.

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