Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 207,966 Shares of Welltower Inc. $WELL

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its Welltower stake by 2.2%, purchasing 207,966 shares to bring its holdings to 9.81 million shares worth approximately $2.23 billion. Institutional investors collectively own 94.8% of Welltower.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $246.11. Recent targets range from $232 to $271, although Weiss Ratings downgraded the stock to “hold.”
• Welltower reported quarterly revenue of $3.54 billion, up 39.1% year over year, but missed earnings expectations. The REIT also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.85 per share, equivalent to a 1.4% annualized yield.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 2.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,814,621 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 207,966 shares during the period. Welltower comprises 1.1% of Principal Financial Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 1.36% of Welltower worth $2,227,642,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hilton Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Welltower by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC now owns 19,653 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,461,000 after buying an additional 1,216 shares in the last quarter. SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC raised its holdings in shares of Welltower by 5.6% in the second quarter. SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC now owns 2,193 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $498,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC raised its holdings in shares of Welltower by 1.7% in the second quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 13,006 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,952,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. purchased a new stake in Welltower in the second quarter worth about $270,000. Finally, Ascent Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Welltower by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 23,986 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,444,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares in the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WELL. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Welltower from $248.00 to $232.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $215.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Welltower from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group increased their target price on Welltower from $249.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Welltower from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $246.11.

Welltower Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:WELL opened at $235.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $169.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 108.05, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 3.16, a quick ratio of 3.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Welltower Inc. has a 12 month low of $161.26 and a 12 month high of $255.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $214.01.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.40 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 3.56%. Welltower's revenue was up 39.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.28 earnings per share. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.360-6.440 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. This is a positive change from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 155.96%.

Welltower 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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