Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Stock Holdings Lowered by Rafferty Asset Management LLC

Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 77,843 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 4,415 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Welltower were worth $9,811,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WELL. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at $68,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of WELL stock traded up $1.82 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $150.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,548,719 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,904,626. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $147.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $140.38. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $99.77 and a 12-month high of $158.55. The company has a quick ratio of 4.22, a current ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.45 billion, a PE ratio of 96.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued 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 (DPR) is presently 154.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WELL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Welltower from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $146.00 to $168.00 in a report on Friday, February 28th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Wedbush reissued 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 assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $161.83.

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.