Baird Maintains Welltower (WELL) Neutral Recommendation

Fintel reports that on September 14, 2023, Baird maintained coverage of Welltower (NYSE:WELL) with a Neutral recommendation.

Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 5.84% Upside

As of August 31, 2023, the average one-year price target for Welltower is 89.44. The forecasts range from a low of 74.74 to a high of $100.80. The average price target represents an increase of 5.84% from its latest reported closing price of 84.51.

See our leaderboard of companies with the largest price target upside.

The projected annual revenue for Welltower is 6,446MM, an increase of 4.35%. The projected annual non-GAAP EPS is 0.90.

Welltower Declares $0.61 Dividend

On July 31, 2023 the company declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.61 per share ($2.44 annualized). Shareholders of record as of August 15, 2023 received the payment on August 23, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.61 per share.

At the current share price of $84.51 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 2.89%.

Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 3.88%, the lowest has been 2.50%, and the highest has been 8.98%. The standard deviation of yields is 1.06 (n=236).

The current dividend yield is 0.94 standard deviations below the historical average.

Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 10.71. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.

The company has not increased its dividend in the last three years.

What is the Fund Sentiment?

There are 1608 funds or institutions reporting positions in Welltower. This is an increase of 1 owner(s) or 0.06% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to WELL is 0.62%, an increase of 10.63%. Total shares owned by institutions increased in the last three months by 4.89% to 561,987K shares. The put/call ratio of WELL is 0.56, indicating a bullish outlook.

What are Other Shareholders Doing?

Cohen & Steers holds 38,008K shares representing 7.33% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 44,309K shares, representing a decrease of 16.58%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in WELL by 5.62% over the last quarter.

Wellington Management Group Llp holds 27,103K shares representing 5.22% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 23,440K shares, representing an increase of 13.52%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in WELL by 24.50% over the last quarter.

Capital International Investors holds 21,383K shares representing 4.12% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 14,575K shares, representing an increase of 31.84%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in WELL by 55.26% over the last quarter.

VGSIX - Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund Investor Shares holds 20,016K shares representing 3.86% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 19,914K shares, representing an increase of 0.51%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in WELL by 17.58% over the last quarter.

VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 15,524K shares representing 2.99% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 15,190K shares, representing an increase of 2.15%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in WELL by 6.39% over the last quarter.

Welltower Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)

Welltower Inc., an S&P 500 company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is driving the transformation of health care infrastructure. The Company 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. Welltower®, a real estate investment trust ('REIT'), owns interests in properties concentrated in major, high-growth markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, consisting of seniors housing, post-acute communities and outpatient medical properties.

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This story originally appeared on Fintel.

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