J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Acquires New Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG bought a new stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 19,186 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $2,418,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WELL. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Welltower in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Welltower in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Welltower by 165.5% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WELL shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Welltower from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com raised Welltower from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Welltower from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.46.

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of Welltower stock traded down $0.77 during trading on Friday, reaching $146.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,530,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,867,710. Welltower Inc. has a one year low of $93.72 and a one year high of $158.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $148.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.22. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $95.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 94.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.93.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.73. Welltower had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 3.15%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. Welltower's payout ratio is 171.79%.

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.