Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Grows Stock Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,537,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 91,469 shares during the period. Welltower comprises about 3.7% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned 0.41% of Welltower worth $324,850,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WELL. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Welltower by 638.0% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,920,426 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $886,022,000 after purchasing an additional 5,982,711 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Welltower by 38.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,428,564 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,847,289,000 after acquiring an additional 3,977,845 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Welltower by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,685,844 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,392,349,000 after acquiring an additional 1,797,330 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Welltower by 24.6% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,112,452 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $220,223,000 after purchasing an additional 417,046 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Welltower by 29.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,684,446 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $215,659,000 after purchasing an additional 380,888 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Stock Performance

Welltower stock opened at $131.37 on Monday. 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 twelve month low of $85.40 and a twelve month high of $140.75. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $132.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.59. The company has a market cap of $81.80 billion, a PE ratio of 86.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.20.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last issued 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 2.04%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is currently 176.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WELL. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $135.00 target price (up previously from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Welltower from $115.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Welltower from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Five 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.77.

Welltower Company Profile

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.