Czech National Bank Increases Stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 128,261 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,376 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Welltower were worth $16,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in Welltower by 37.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Welltower by 165.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Welltower in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Welltower in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:WELL opened at $125.87 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $123.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.81, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.22. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $85.40 and a 12-month high of $140.75. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.31). The company had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 3.20%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is currently 176.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WELL. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Welltower from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $132.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Welltower has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.63.

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.