Rafferty Asset Management LLC Has $10.18 Million Holdings in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in Welltower Inc. by 14.7% in Q1, now owning 66,426 shares worth approximately $10.2 million.
• Welltower reported $1.28 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, and boasts a revenue increase of 39.6% year-over-year.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.74 per share, representing a yield of 1.8% with a payout ratio of 167.23%.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 14.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 66,426 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 11,417 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Welltower were worth $10,177,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. SouthState Corp lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 704.8% in the 1st quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 169 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Welltower in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Welltower in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Franchise Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Welltower in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Welltower

In other news, Director Andrew Gundlach bought 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost 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 $3,029,200. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Welltower Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of WELL traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $168.37. 1,689,650 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,390,739. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $160.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.17. Welltower Inc. has a twelve month low of $119.93 and a twelve month high of $171.09. The stock has a market cap of $112.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 4.19, a current ratio of 4.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.28 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 company had revenue of $2.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.05 EPS. Welltower's quarterly revenue was up 39.6% on a year-over-year basis. Welltower has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.060-5.14 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th were paid a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 12th. This is a boost from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Welltower's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 167.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WELL shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Welltower from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI increased 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Welltower presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $175.00.

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.