Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Buys 7,349 Shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Key Points

• Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB increased its stake in Welltower Inc. by 6.1%, acquiring an additional 7,349 shares, and now owns 128,373 shares valued at approximately $19.67 million.
• Welltower recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $2.68 and a yield of 1.66%, with a dividend payout ratio of 154.02%.
• Analysts have varied ratings for Welltower, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", and target price estimates ranging from $145.00 to $175.00 per share.

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 6.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 128,373 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 7,349 shares during the quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings in Welltower were worth $19,668,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WELL. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Welltower in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Welltower in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Welltower in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Franchise Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Welltower in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, ZynergyRetirementPlanningLLC acquired a new position in shares of Welltower in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Welltower Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE WELL traded up $1.23 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $167.19. 701,689 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,979,988. The stock has a market cap of $109.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 94.48, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.38. Welltower Inc. has a 1-year low of $110.74 and a 1-year high of $168.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 4.23 and a quick ratio of 4.23.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.06. Welltower had a net margin of 12.18% and a return on equity of 3.48%. The company had revenue of $2.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 39.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $0.74 per share. This is a positive change from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. Welltower's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 154.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Welltower

In other news, Director Andrew Gundlach purchased 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $151.46 per share, with a total value of $3,029,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.82.

Welltower Company 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.