ProVise Management Group LLC Lowers Holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

ProVise Management Group LLC decreased its stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 37.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 4,382 shares during the quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC’s holdings in Welltower were worth $907,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WELL. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in Welltower during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Welltower during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Welltower by 165.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Welltower during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Price Performance

NYSE:WELL opened at $148.81 on Thursday. Welltower Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.87 and a 52 week high of $158.55. The company has a quick ratio of 4.22, a current ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $95.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $142.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.35.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.73. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.15% and a net margin of 11.91%. Equities analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is presently 171.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wedbush upgraded Welltower from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Welltower from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $146.00 to $168.00 in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Bank of America increased their price target on Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Welltower from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on Welltower from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.46.

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.