Franklin Resources Inc. Grows Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 391,264 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 12,265 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Welltower worth $49,925,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Foundation Advisors acquired a new stake in Welltower in the second quarter worth $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Welltower in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Welltower in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in Welltower by 37.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of WELL stock traded down $3.64 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $125.59. The company had a trading volume of 3,793,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,692,603. The stock's 50-day moving average is $133.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 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 52 week low of $85.40 and a 52 week high of $140.75.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.95 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 12.22%. The firm's revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors 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 was Wednesday, November 13th. Welltower's payout ratio is 176.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WELL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $135.00 target price (up from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Welltower from $115.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Welltower from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Welltower from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Welltower presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.63.

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.