O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Purchases 5,470 Shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 15.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 41,773 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,470 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Welltower were worth $3,903,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Welltower during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Welltower by 338.7% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 329 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Welltower by 84.0% during the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Welltower in the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Stock Performance

Shares of WELL stock traded up $0.96 on Tuesday, reaching $109.59. The stock had a trading volume of 2,594,687 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,675,127. Welltower Inc. has a 12 month low of $78.38 and a 12 month high of $110.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 134.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $103.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.79. The company has a quick ratio of 3.83, a current ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.72). Welltower had a net margin of 6.37% and a return on equity of 1.77%. The business had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 EPS. Welltower’s quarterly revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 301.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on WELL. StockNews.com upgraded Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Welltower from $95.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Mizuho upped their price target on Welltower from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Welltower from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Welltower from $103.00 to $107.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $101.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Welltower

In other news, Director Kenneth J. Bacon sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.91, for a total transaction of $187,038.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,579 shares in the company, valued at $1,514,903.89. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

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.