Head-To-Head Comparison: Healthcare Trust (NASDAQ:HTIA) & Welltower (NYSE:WELL)

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) and Healthcare Trust (NASDAQ:HTIA) are both real estate companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and dividends.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

94.8% of Welltower shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of Welltower shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Welltower and Healthcare Trust’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Welltower	12.15%	3.56%	2.35%
Healthcare Trust	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Welltower and Healthcare Trust”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Welltower	$10.84 billion	15.79	$936.84 million	$2.18	108.88
Healthcare Trust	$352.84 million	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Welltower has higher revenue and earnings than Healthcare Trust.

Dividends

Welltower pays an annual dividend of $2.96 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Healthcare Trust pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.3%. Welltower pays out 135.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Welltower has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Welltower and Healthcare Trust, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Welltower	0	3	14	0	2.82
Healthcare Trust	0	0	0	0	0.00

Welltower currently has a consensus target price of $246.11, suggesting a potential upside of 3.68%. Given Welltower’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Welltower is more favorable than Healthcare Trust.

Summary

Welltower beats Healthcare Trust on 10 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Welltower

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. Welltower owns interests in properties concentrated in major, high-growth markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, consisting of seniors housing and post-acute communities and outpatient medical properties.

About Healthcare Trust

Healthcare Trust, Inc. is a publicly registered real estate investment trust focused on acquiring a diversified portfolio of healthcare real estate, with an emphasis on seniors housing and medical office buildings, located in the United States.