Westerkirk Capital Inc. Trims Stock Position in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Westerkirk Capital Inc. cut its stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 65.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,471 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 6,529 shares during the period. Westerkirk Capital Inc.’s holdings in Welltower were worth $644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hager Investment Management Services LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Welltower by 62.8% in the fourth quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 153 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Welltower by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 211 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of Welltower stock opened at $206.46 on Wednesday. Welltower Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.70 and a 52-week high of $221.68. The company has a quick ratio of 4.31, a current ratio of 4.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $209.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $201.03. The firm has a market cap of $145.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.79.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.34. Welltower had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 3.45%. The business had revenue of $3.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 38.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.210-6.350 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 6.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. Welltower’s payout ratio is 146.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WELL shares. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $204.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $240.00 to $249.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Welltower in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $237.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Welltower currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.60.

Welltower 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.