Fifth Third Bancorp Boosts Position in Welltower Inc. $WELL

Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,479 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 4,223 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Welltower were worth $22,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Welltower during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,466,264,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its holdings in Welltower by 955.3% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 9,513,540 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,765,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,612,016 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Welltower by 153.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,744,520 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,994,290,000 after purchasing an additional 6,497,258 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Welltower by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 92,421,471 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $17,154,349,000 after purchasing an additional 2,643,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Welltower by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 16,826,035 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,123,082,000 after purchasing an additional 1,734,922 shares during the period. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WELL opened at $235.55 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $229.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $214.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 3.16 and a quick ratio of 3.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $169.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 108.05, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.76. Welltower Inc. has a one year low of $161.26 and a one year high of $255.20.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.05). Welltower had a return on equity of 3.56% and a net margin of 12.15%.The company had revenue of $3.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 39.1% on a year-over-year basis. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.360-6.440 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from Welltower’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio is presently 155.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Welltower from $215.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Welltower from $255.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Barclays assumed coverage on Welltower in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $254.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Welltower from $237.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Welltower in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $226.00 price target on the stock. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.11.

Welltower Company Profile

Welltower Inc (NYSE: WELL) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires and manages real estate serving the health care industry. The company specializes in healthcare infrastructure, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of senior housing, post-acute and long-term care communities, and outpatient medical properties. Welltower’s assets are designed to support the delivery of health care services through a combination of leased properties, joint ventures, and other capital arrangements with health care operators and providers.

The company’s property types include assisted living, memory care, independent living and skilled nursing facilities, as well as medical office buildings and other outpatient-care real estate such as ambulatory surgery centers and specialty clinics.