Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $1.56 Billion Holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,174,792 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 264,384 shares during the quarter. Welltower accounts for about 0.9% of Principal Financial Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Welltower were worth $1,558,730,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WELL. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Welltower by 37.0% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 289 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Welltower by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,864 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,648,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Welltower by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 9,617 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Welltower by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,668 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Welltower by 14.1% during the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 775 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE WELL opened at $133.67 on Thursday. Welltower Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.38 and a 52-week high of $139.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 4.10 and a current ratio of 4.10. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $128.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.45. The company has a market capitalization of $83.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 87.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.20.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.04 by ($0.31). Welltower had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 12.22%. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.92 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. Welltower’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 176.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WELL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Welltower from $103.00 to $107.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Welltower from $121.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Welltower from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Welltower from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.38.

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.