O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 9.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,613 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 5,124 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in Welltower were worth $7,639,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Welltower during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Welltower during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Welltower by 165.5% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Price Performance

WELL traded down $9.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $143.26. 4,825,263 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,834,574. The company has a market capitalization of $92.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.83, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.41. 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.87 and a 52-week high of $158.55.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 earnings per share 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 paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is currently 171.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WELL shares. Wedbush raised Welltower from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $167.00 in a report on Friday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Welltower from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Welltower from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $146.00 to $168.00 in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.