Stevens Capital Management LP Acquires New Shares in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 16,171 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,458,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WELL. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Welltower by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,372 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $522,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Welltower by 1.6% during the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 7,632 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $625,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in Welltower by 0.5% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 25,167 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,062,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in Welltower by 1.7% in the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 7,906 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Welltower by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,949 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Welltower Stock Performance

WELL stock traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $94.34. 1,857,213 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,541,948. The company has a quick ratio of 3.22, a current ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $92.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.76 billion, a PE ratio of 146.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.08. Welltower Inc. has a 52 week low of $72.47 and a 52 week high of $94.99.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.79). Welltower had a net margin of 5.12% and a return on equity of 1.47%. The business had revenue of $1.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Welltower Inc. will post 4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 381.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WELL shares. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Welltower from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on Welltower from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Welltower from $97.00 to $96.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Welltower in a research note on Monday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $104.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.57.

Welltower Profile

Welltower Inc (NYSE:WELL), a 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 and infrastructure needed to scale innovative care delivery models and improve people's wellness and overall health care experience.