Westpac Banking Corp Cuts Stake in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Westpac Banking Corp reduced its holdings in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 5.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 69,410 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 4,181 shares during the period. Welltower comprises about 1.0% of Westpac Banking Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Welltower were worth $13,723,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Welltower by 30.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 195,052 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,214,000 after buying an additional 45,214 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its holdings in Welltower by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 291,146 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,040,000 after acquiring an additional 50,900 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its holdings in Welltower by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 753,330 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $139,826,000 after acquiring an additional 164,708 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Welltower by 184.9% during the 4th quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 92,403 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $17,151,000 after acquiring an additional 59,967 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Edge Advisors LLC bought a new position in Welltower during the 4th quarter worth approximately $974,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on WELL. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Welltower from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Welltower from $237.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Welltower from $249.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $226.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $228.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Welltower presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $234.72.

Welltower Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:WELL opened at $246.59 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $219.89 and its 200 day moving average is $207.69. The company has a market cap of $174.07 billion, a PE ratio of 122.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 4.31 and a quick ratio of 4.31. Welltower Inc. has a 1 year low of $158.24 and a 1 year high of $247.45.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.12 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.45% and a net margin of 11.96%.The business’s revenue was up 38.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.20 EPS. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.210-6.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 6.32 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is currently 146.53%.

About Welltower

Welltower Inc (NYSE: WELL) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires and manages real estate serving the health care industry. The company specializes in healthcare infrastructure, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of senior housing, post-acute and long-term care communities, and outpatient medical properties. Welltower’s assets are designed to support the delivery of health care services through a combination of leased properties, joint ventures, and other capital arrangements with health care operators and providers.

The company’s property types include assisted living, memory care, independent living and skilled nursing facilities, as well as medical office buildings and other outpatient-care real estate such as ambulatory surgery centers and specialty clinics.