Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Shares Bought by Prudential PLC

Key Points

• Prudential PLC increased its holdings in Welltower Inc. by 11.1% in Q1, now owning 115,507 shares valued at approximately $17.7 million.
• Institutional investors hold 94.80% of Welltower's stock, with other notable increases in stakes from firms like SouthState Corp at 704.8% growth.
• Welltower announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74, up from the previous $0.67, representing an annual yield of 1.8% amid a projected EPS of 4.88 for the current fiscal year.

Prudential PLC grew its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 11.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 115,507 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 11,516 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in Welltower were worth $17,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Activity at Welltower

In other Welltower news, Director Andrew Gundlach acquired 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,029,200. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Welltower Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WELL opened at $167.93 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $157.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $150.89. The company has a market capitalization of $112.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.93. Welltower Inc. has a 1 year low of $115.18 and a 1 year high of $171.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.19 and a quick ratio of 4.19.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.06. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.38% and a net margin of 12.18%. The firm had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.05 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 39.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued a $0.74 dividend. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. This is a positive change from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is presently 151.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on WELL. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Welltower from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Welltower presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.82.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.