Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Buys New Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 217,421 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $27,402,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WELL. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Welltower by 165.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Welltower from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $146.00 to $168.00 in a report on Friday, February 28th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $147.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Wedbush restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Welltower has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $157.46.

Welltower Price Performance

Welltower stock traded down $2.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $150.33. 1,020,390 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,871,534. The company has a market capitalization of $97.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 96.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.93. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $148.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.77. Welltower Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.72 and a 1 year high of $158.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 4.22 and a current ratio of 4.22.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.05. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.15% and a net margin of 11.91%. The firm had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.40 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.01 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 30.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is currently 171.79%.

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.