Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Key Points

• Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Welltower Inc. by 3.6%, now owning 56,254 shares valued at approximately $8.62 million.
• Welltower recently announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.67 to $0.74, with an annualized yield of 1.8%.
• Welltower's latest quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $1.28 EPS compared to the analyst forecast of $1.22, alongside a revenue of $2.55 billion.

Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,254 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 1,974 shares during the period. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC's holdings in Welltower were worth $8,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Welltower by 3.9% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 258,052 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $39,536,000 after buying an additional 9,678 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Planning Inc. increased its stake in shares of Welltower by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Financial Planning Inc. now owns 27,893 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,274,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 61.4% during the 1st quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 6,756 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,035,000 after acquiring an additional 2,571 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 131,503 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $20,147,000 after acquiring an additional 10,423 shares during the period. Finally, Focused Wealth Management Inc bought a new position in Welltower during the first quarter worth $313,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Andrew Gundlach acquired 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $151.46 per share, for a total transaction of $3,029,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WELL shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Welltower from $162.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Welltower has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.82.

Welltower Stock Up 1.5%

Welltower stock traded up $2.3840 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $165.9540. 2,127,751 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,499,955. Welltower Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.29 and a 52-week high of $171.09. The business's 50-day moving average price is $158.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 93.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.38% and a net margin of 12.18%.Welltower's revenue was up 39.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share. Welltower has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.060-5.14 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued a $0.74 dividend. This is an increase from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Welltower's payout ratio is presently 167.23%.

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.