Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Purchases 12,530 Shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Key Points

• Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in Welltower Inc. by 256% during Q1, owning a total of 17,424 shares valued at approximately $2.67 million.
• Welltower recently announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.67 to $0.74 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.8%.
• Analysts have mixed views on Welltower, with price target upgrades from Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo, while other firms have downgraded, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 256.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,424 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 12,530 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV's holdings in Welltower were worth $2,670,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SouthState Corp raised its position in shares of Welltower by 704.8% during the 1st quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 169 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Franchise Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WELL shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Welltower from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.82.

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of Welltower stock opened at $162.90 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $108.95 billion, a PE ratio of 92.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.93. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $115.18 and a 12-month high of $171.09. The company has a quick ratio of 4.19, a current ratio of 4.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $157.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.40.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 12.18% and a return on equity of 3.38%. The company's revenue was up 39.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.05 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. This is a positive change from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Welltower's payout ratio is presently 167.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Welltower

In related news, Director Andrew Gundlach bought 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $151.46 per share, with a total value 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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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