Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Reaches New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Welltower Inc.'s stock reached a new 52-week high of $175.22, reflecting positive market performance, with analysts maintaining a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company recently reported $1.28 earnings per share, beating expectations, and announced a dividend increase to $0.74 per share, highlighting its commitment to shareholder returns.
• A significant percentage of Welltower's stock (94.80%) is owned by institutional investors, indicating strong support from established financial entities.

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $175.20 and last traded at $175.22, with a volume of 86059 shares. The stock had previously closed at $174.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $172.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Welltower in a report on Friday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $195.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Welltower from $175.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $179.42.

Welltower Stock Up 1.1%

The firm has a market cap of $118.24 billion, a PE ratio of 99.97, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 4.19 and a current ratio of 4.19. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $166.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.79.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.49 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 12.18% and a return on equity of 3.38%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 39.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. Welltower has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.060-5.14 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 12th. This is an increase from Welltower's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is currently 167.23%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Welltower

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth about $63,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 19.8% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,405 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $677,000 after purchasing an additional 728 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 76,869 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $11,825,000 after purchasing an additional 12,146 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Welltower by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 24,044 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,696,000 after purchasing an additional 2,827 shares during the period. Finally, MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,753,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Welltower

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.

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