Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Reduces Stock Position in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lessened its holdings in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 11.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,134 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 2,151 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Welltower were worth $2,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Welltower during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Welltower in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Welltower by 37.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of WELL opened at $136.02 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $130.20 and its 200 day moving average is $115.52. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $85.40 and a 12-month high of $140.19. The company has a market capitalization of $84.70 billion, a PE ratio of 89.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.20.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.31). The company had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.95 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 12.22%. Welltower’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. Research analysts expect that Welltower Inc. will post 4.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Welltower’s payout ratio is 176.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WELL shares. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Welltower from $121.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Wolfe Research raised Welltower to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up from $134.00) on shares of Welltower in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Welltower from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.68.

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.