Patton Fund Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Key Points

• Patton Fund Management increased its position in Welltower by 55.5% in Q4 to 33,422 shares, valued at $6.203 million, as institutional investors own roughly 94.8% of the stock.
• Welltower beat Q4 expectations with $1.45 EPS (vs. $1.44) and $3.18B revenue (up 41.3% YoY), set FY2026 guidance of $6.09–$6.25 EPS, and holds a Wall Street consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $225.43 target.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.74 (annualized $2.96) for a 1.4% yield, but the dividend payout ratio is high at 211.43%, which could signal sustainability concerns.

Patton Fund Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 55.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,422 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 11,935 shares during the quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc.'s holdings in Welltower were worth $6,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hager Investment Management Services LLC increased its stake in Welltower by 84.4% in the third 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 last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Welltower by 62.8% in the fourth quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 153 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Welltower in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Welltower in the third quarter valued at $35,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Welltower from $214.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup upped their price target on Welltower from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $231.00 price target on shares of Welltower in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Welltower from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $225.43.

Welltower Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of WELL opened at $206.75 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $144.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 147.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.83. Welltower Inc. has a one year low of $141.55 and a one year 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $203.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.63.

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

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th were issued a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is currently 211.43%.

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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