Kentucky Retirement Systems Trims Holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Kentucky Retirement Systems trimmed its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,315 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 4,742 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Welltower were worth $5,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WELL. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Welltower in the second quarter worth about $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Welltower during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Welltower by 37.0% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Welltower from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Welltower from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank raised their target price on Welltower from $121.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $135.00 target price (up from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Welltower from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $116.68.

Welltower Stock Performance

NYSE WELL opened at $136.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $84.70 billion, a PE ratio of 89.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.20. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $130.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $115.52. Welltower Inc. has a 1-year low of $85.40 and a 1-year high of $140.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 4.10.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.31). The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during 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 business's revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 176.32%.

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.