Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Reaches New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $221.00 to $242.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. Welltower traded as high as $152.09 and last traded at $151.92, with a volume of 158719 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $149.97.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Raymond James lifted their target price on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $132.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wedbush upgraded shares of Welltower from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Welltower from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.19.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Welltower during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Welltower in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Welltower by 37.0% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Welltower by 165.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Stock Performance

The stock's 50 day moving average price is $133.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.15. The company has a current ratio of 4.22, a quick ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.31, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 171.79%.

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.