Vanderbilt University Purchases 7,797 Shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Vanderbilt University increased its position in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 25.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,442 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 7,797 shares during the period. Welltower accounts for 1.1% of Vanderbilt University's portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Vanderbilt University's holdings in Welltower were worth $5,890,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Welltower in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Franchise Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Welltower in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in Welltower by 57.2% in the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 294 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Welltower Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WELL opened at $153.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $100.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.97, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.94. Welltower Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.13 and a 12 month high of $158.55. The firm's 50-day moving average is $149.61 and its 200 day moving average is $142.69. The company has a current ratio of 4.23, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.40 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 12.65% and a return on equity of 3.41%. The firm's revenue was up 30.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.01 EPS. Research analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is presently 154.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WELL. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wedbush restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Welltower from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Welltower from $145.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $163.25.

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.

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