Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Shares Sold by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB decreased its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 8.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,187 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 5,909 shares during the quarter. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Welltower were worth $9,213,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Welltower by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 98,295,258 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $12,388,151,000 after acquiring an additional 2,612,044 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in Welltower by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,096,408 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,674,826,000 after acquiring an additional 318,496 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,943,892,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Welltower by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 18,706,788 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,357,617,000 after acquiring an additional 1,652,611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in Welltower by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 15,782,795 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,989,106,000 after acquiring an additional 1,354,231 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Stock Performance

Shares of WELL opened at $150.19 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 4.22, a quick ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $98.22 billion, a PE ratio of 96.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.98. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.13 and a 12-month high of $158.55.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.20 earnings per share 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 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 firm posted $1.01 EPS. Welltower’s quarterly revenue was up 30.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 154.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WELL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $158.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wedbush reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Welltower in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.25.

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.