Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) Shares Sold by Westpac Banking Corp

Westpac Banking Corp cut its stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 88,961 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 13,769 shares during the period. Welltower makes up 0.7% of Westpac Banking Corp's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Westpac Banking Corp's holdings in Welltower were worth $11,212,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Welltower during the 4th quarter worth about $3,943,892,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Welltower by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 98,295,258 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $12,388,151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,612,044 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment increased its stake in Welltower by 23,204.3% in the fourth quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 1,900,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,891,847 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Welltower by 10.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,685,844 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,392,349,000 after purchasing an additional 1,797,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter worth approximately $90,565,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of WELL stock traded up $1.51 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $140.32. 1,389,790 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,839,332. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $147.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $136.50. The firm has a market cap of $90.98 billion, a PE ratio of 89.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.93. Welltower Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.87 and a 1-year high of $158.55. 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower's dividend payout ratio is presently 171.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WELL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Welltower from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $146.00 to $168.00 in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com lowered Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Raymond James boosted their target price on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Mizuho raised their price target on Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Welltower from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.46.

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.