Welltower Inc. $WELL Shares Sold by AIA Group Ltd

Key Points

• AIA Group cut its Welltower stake by 11.9% in the third quarter, selling 9,890 shares and ending the period with 73,173 shares valued at about $16.8 million.
• Welltower beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.67 in earnings per share versus $1.64 expected and $3.72 billion in revenue, up 38.4% year over year.
• Director Andrew Gundlach bought 5,000 shares for about $1.21 million. Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $259.81.

AIA Group Ltd decreased its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,173 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 9,890 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in Welltower were worth $16,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Leonteq Securities AG lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 92.3% during the first quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 125 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 124.6% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 137 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Welltower in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 42.6% in the second quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 164 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Welltower news, Director Andrew Gundlach purchased 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $242.06 per share, with a total value of $1,210,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 30,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,261,800. This represents a 20.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Purchased indirectly through two trusts. The transaction was executed in multiple trades at prices ranging from $241.59 to $242.59. The reported $242.06 price is the weighted-average purchase price. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company's stock.

Welltower Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE WELL opened at $241.10 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $233.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $218.75. Welltower Inc. has a 52 week low of $180.97 and a 52 week high of $255.20. The stock has a market cap of $176.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.61, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 3.16 and a current ratio of 3.16.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 12.08% and a return on equity of 3.61%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 38.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is presently 147.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WELL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on Welltower from $238.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Welltower from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Welltower from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Welltower from $226.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $256.00 price objective (down from $260.00) on shares of Welltower in a research note on Monday, September 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $259.81.

Welltower Profile

Welltower Inc NYSE: WELL is a healthcare-focused real estate investment trust that owns, develops, and manages properties used to provide healthcare and related services. Its portfolio is centered on senior housing communities, outpatient medical facilities, and post-acute care properties, including assets operated by healthcare providers and senior living companies.

The company's senior housing investments support independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. Its outpatient medical properties accommodate physicians, clinics, and other healthcare providers, while its broader healthcare real estate portfolio is designed to serve demand for care delivered outside traditional hospitals.

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