Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Sell

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Bank of America increased their target price on Welltower from $221.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Welltower from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $132.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Welltower from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $146.00 to $168.00 in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Welltower from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Welltower from $144.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.46.

Welltower Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WELL traded up $1.61 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $149.78. 1,808,596 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,643,607. 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 firm has a market cap of $96.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 96.01, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $144.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.23. Welltower has a 1-year low of $87.87 and a 1-year high of $158.55.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Welltower

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Roxbury Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Welltower in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Welltower in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Welltower by 165.5% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Welltower during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.