USS Investment Management Ltd Lowers Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

USS Investment Management Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 111,703 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 12,269 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Welltower were worth $14,064,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in Welltower during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Welltower during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Welltower in the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new position in Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at $68,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WELL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised Welltower from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $146.00 to $168.00 in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Welltower from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wedbush restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.83.

Welltower Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of Welltower stock opened at $151.14 on Wednesday. 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 $99.77 and a 52-week high of $158.55. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $147.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $140.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 96.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.94.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.40 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 11.91% and a return on equity of 3.15%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.01 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Welltower’s payout ratio is 154.02%.

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.