Erste Asset Management GmbH Acquires Shares of 27,200 Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 27,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $3,462,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. First Foundation Advisors bought a new stake in Welltower during the second quarter worth about $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Welltower in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Welltower by 37.0% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Welltower during the second quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of Welltower stock opened at $134.11 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.48. The stock has a market cap of $83.51 billion, a PE ratio of 88.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 4.10, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Welltower Inc. has a 12 month low of $85.40 and a 12 month high of $140.75.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.31). The company had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.95 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 12.22%. Welltower’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 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. Welltower’s payout ratio is presently 176.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WELL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Welltower from $115.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Welltower to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up previously from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Welltower from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Welltower currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.50.

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.