Bank of Nova Scotia Decreases Stock Holdings in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Bank of Nova Scotia reduced its holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 10.9% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 158,748 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 19,343 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in Welltower were worth $31,387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WELL. Leonteq Securities AG lifted its holdings in shares of Welltower by 92.3% in the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 125 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Welltower by 124.6% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 137 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Welltower by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 153 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Welltower in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Welltower in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Welltower Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE WELL opened at $252.50 on Friday. Welltower Inc. has a 1-year low of $158.24 and a 1-year high of $252.94. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $221.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $208.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $178.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 125.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 4.31 and a quick ratio of 4.31.

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

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 146.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WELL. Citigroup raised their price target on Welltower from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $238.00 target price on shares of Welltower in a research report on Monday, June 15th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Welltower in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $226.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $215.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.89.

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.