Merit Financial Group LLC Raises Position in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,117 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,470 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Welltower were worth $5,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hager Investment Management Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Welltower by 84.4% in the third quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Welltower by 62.8% during the fourth quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 153 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Welltower during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in Welltower during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Stock Performance

Shares of WELL opened at $210.23 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.46, a quick ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $148.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 150.17, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day moving average of $205.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.50. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $141.55 and a 12-month high of $216.43.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.93 billion. Welltower had a net margin of 8.64% and a return on equity of 2.46%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 41.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.090-6.25 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Welltower’s payout ratio is presently 211.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WELL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $218.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $214.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $204.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $216.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Welltower currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.43.

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.