Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 107,987 Shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,341,018 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 107,987 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Welltower were worth $168,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Roxbury Financial LLC bought a new stake in Welltower during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Welltower in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Welltower by 165.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Welltower Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WELL opened at $150.24 on Friday. 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 50-day moving average price of $145.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $135.34. The company has a market cap of $96.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 96.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.20. Welltower Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.87 and a 12 month high of $158.55.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.73. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.15% and a net margin of 11.91%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

Welltower Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Welltower’s payout ratio is 171.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on WELL shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Welltower from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wedbush upgraded Welltower from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $167.00 in a report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $132.00 to $147.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Welltower from $141.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.46.

Welltower Company 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.