Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Shares Purchased by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 174,376 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 5,915 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC's holdings in Welltower were worth $21,977,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in Welltower by 29.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,684,446 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $215,659,000 after purchasing an additional 380,888 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Welltower by 3.2% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 77,858 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $9,968,000 after buying an additional 2,389 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Welltower during the third quarter worth $337,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Welltower by 46.2% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 21,016 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,691,000 after acquiring an additional 6,639 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 51.3% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 3,326 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $426,000 after acquiring an additional 1,128 shares during the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE WELL traded up $0.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $147.70. 1,976,357 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,875,527. Welltower Inc. has a 52 week low of $91.91 and a 52 week high of $158.55. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $148.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.84. The company has a market cap of $96.23 billion, a PE ratio of 94.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 4.22 and a quick ratio of 4.22.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, equities research analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is currently 171.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Welltower from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. Mizuho increased their target price on Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Welltower from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of Welltower in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Welltower currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $156.46.

Welltower 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.