First Trust Advisors LP Increases Position in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Key Points

• First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Welltower by 84.0% in Q3 to 443,852 shares (about $79.07 million), and institutional investors now own 94.8% of the company.
• Welltower reported EPS of $1.45 (beating estimates by $0.01) and revenue of $3.18 billion, up 41.3% year-over-year, and set FY2026 guidance at 6.09–6.25 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74 (annualized $2.96) for a 1.4% yield with a payout ratio of 211.43%, and analysts hold a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $224.71.

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 84.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 443,852 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 202,636 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.06% of Welltower worth $79,068,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HUB Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Welltower in the third quarter worth about $482,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 52,148 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $9,290,000 after buying an additional 3,301 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Welltower by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,829,171 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $325,849,000 after buying an additional 210,066 shares during the last quarter. Smith Moore & CO. grew its position in shares of Welltower by 28.4% in the 3rd quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 1,872 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 414 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Welltower by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,189 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,022,000 after acquiring an additional 4,145 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Welltower Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE:WELL opened at $207.61 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.46, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Welltower Inc. has a twelve month low of $130.29 and a twelve month high of $216.43. The company has a market cap of $144.86 billion, a PE ratio of 148.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.82. The company's 50 day moving average is $195.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $186.50.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. Welltower had a net margin of 8.64% and a return on equity of 2.46%. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share. The business'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. Analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 211.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on WELL. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $231.00 target price on shares of Welltower in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Welltower from $200.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Welltower from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Welltower from $207.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $224.71.

Welltower Company Profile

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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