Blue Trust Inc. Has $120,000 Stock Holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Blue Trust Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 83.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 956 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 4,732 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Welltower were worth $120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted 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 worth $37,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Welltower by 165.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Welltower during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Welltower Stock Performance

NYSE WELL opened at $148.69 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.15. Welltower Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.87 and a 12-month high of $152.81. The company has a current ratio of 4.22, a quick ratio of 4.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $95.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.31, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Welltower Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower’s payout ratio is currently 171.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WELL shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $132.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Welltower from $136.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wedbush upgraded shares of Welltower from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $167.00 in a report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.19.

Welltower 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.