KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Makes New Investment in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 210,746 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $26,560,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of WELL. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Welltower by 638.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,920,426 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $886,022,000 after buying an additional 5,982,711 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in Welltower by 38.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,428,564 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,847,289,000 after acquiring an additional 3,977,845 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Welltower by 10.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,685,844 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,392,349,000 after acquiring an additional 1,797,330 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Welltower in the 4th quarter worth about $90,565,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Welltower by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 3,773,827 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $477,314,000 after purchasing an additional 589,255 shares in the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of WELL opened at $146.84 on Friday. 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 one year low of $87.87 and a one year high of $158.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $143.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.71. The company has a market capitalization of $94.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 94.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Welltower Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower’s payout ratio is currently 171.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WELL. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Welltower from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Wedbush upgraded shares of Welltower from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $145.00 to $167.00 in a report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $132.00 to $147.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Welltower from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $146.00 to $168.00 in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.46.

Welltower Company 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.