Welltower Inc. $WELL Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,853,498 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 16,021 shares during the period. Welltower comprises about 0.6% of Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Welltower were worth $647,744,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Welltower during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,466,264,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its position in Welltower by 955.3% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 9,513,540 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,765,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,612,016 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 153.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,744,520 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,994,290,000 after purchasing an additional 6,497,258 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 92,421,471 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $17,154,349,000 after purchasing an additional 2,643,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 16,826,035 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,123,082,000 after purchasing an additional 1,734,922 shares in the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Price Performance

Welltower stock opened at $235.55 on Friday. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.26 and a 12-month high of $255.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $169.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 108.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $229.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $214.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 3.16 and a quick ratio of 3.16.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.40 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.56% and a net margin of 12.15%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 39.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.28 earnings per share. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.360-6.440 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. This is an increase from Welltower’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is presently 155.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WELL shares. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Welltower from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Welltower from $237.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Welltower in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays started coverage on Welltower in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $254.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.11.

Welltower Company Profile

Welltower Inc (NYSE: WELL) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires and manages real estate serving the health care industry. The company specializes in healthcare infrastructure, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of senior housing, post-acute and long-term care communities, and outpatient medical properties. Welltower’s assets are designed to support the delivery of health care services through a combination of leased properties, joint ventures, and other capital arrangements with health care operators and providers.

The company’s property types include assisted living, memory care, independent living and skilled nursing facilities, as well as medical office buildings and other outpatient-care real estate such as ambulatory surgery centers and specialty clinics.