Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Rating Increased to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has $147.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust's stock, up from their previous price objective of $132.00.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Raymond James raised 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. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Welltower from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Welltower from $133.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Welltower currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.63.

Welltower Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE WELL traded down $1.31 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $124.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,716,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,647,229. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Welltower has a twelve month low of $85.40 and a twelve month high of $140.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.05, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.20. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $132.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.52.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.31). The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.95 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 3.20%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Welltower will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. Welltower's payout ratio is presently 176.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Foundation Advisors bought a new stake in Welltower in the second quarter worth $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 37.0% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Welltower during the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower during the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Welltower

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.