Norges Bank Takes Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 31,293,282 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $3,943,892,000. Welltower makes up approximately 0.5% of Norges Bank's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Norges Bank owned about 5.03% of Welltower as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $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 worth $38,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Welltower during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Welltower from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $147.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America raised their target price on Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Welltower from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.46.

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Welltower Price Performance

NYSE:WELL traded up $3.47 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $153.39. 2,852,597 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,802,695. The stock's 50-day moving average is $145.78 and its 200-day moving average is $135.57. Welltower Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.87 and a twelve month high of $158.55. The firm has a market cap of $98.37 billion, a PE ratio of 98.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 4.22, a quick ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is presently 171.79%.

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.