Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 178,091 Shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its stake in Welltower Inc. by 13.3%, acquiring 178,091 shares to reach a total of approximately 1.52 million shares valued at $232.7 million.
• Welltower recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.74 per share, up from $0.67, reflecting a 1.8% annualized yield despite a high dividend payout ratio of 167.23%.
• Welltower's stock has seen significant institutional interest, with 94.80% of its shares owned by institutional investors and several hedge funds increasing their positions in the company.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 13.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,519,109 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 178,091 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.23% of Welltower worth $232,743,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WELL. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Welltower by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,096,408 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,674,826,000 after buying an additional 318,496 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Welltower by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 18,706,788 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,357,617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,652,611 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Welltower by 53.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,430,496 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,062,495,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939,229 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 7,632,705 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $961,950,000 after purchasing an additional 712,279 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Welltower by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,956,594 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,065,820,000 after purchasing an additional 877,856 shares during the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Welltower Stock Performance

Shares of Welltower stock opened at $168.96 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $156.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $149.89. Welltower Inc. has a 1-year low of $114.37 and a 1-year 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 $113.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.46, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.93.

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

Welltower Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. This is a boost from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 167.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on WELL shares. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wedbush reissued an "underperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Welltower from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Two 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Welltower presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Andrew Gundlach purchased 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $151.46 per share, for a total transaction of $3,029,200.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,029,200. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

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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