UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Acquires 12,364 Shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 395,744 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,364 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Welltower were worth $49,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Welltower during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Welltower by 165.5% in the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Welltower during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of WELL stock opened at $149.78 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $144.88 and its 200-day moving average is $135.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 4.22 and a current ratio of 4.22. Welltower Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.87 and a 52 week high of $158.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.06 billion, a PE ratio of 96.01, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.20.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Welltower’s payout ratio is presently 171.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WELL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wedbush upgraded shares of Welltower from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $167.00 in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $147.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Raymond James increased their target price on Welltower from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Welltower from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.