Welltower Inc. $WELL Stake Reduced by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada cut its stake in Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 877,687 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 126,568 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Welltower were worth $173,527,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays began coverage on shares of Welltower in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $254.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Welltower from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $238.00 target price on shares of Welltower in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Welltower from $228.00 to $237.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Welltower from $239.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.89.

Key Headlines Impacting Welltower

Here are the key news stories impacting Welltower this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 operating performance exceeded expectations. Welltower’s second-quarter normalized FFO beat analyst estimates, supported by 20.5% same-store net operating income growth in its seniors housing operating portfolio. The results helped drive an improved 2026 outlook. Welltower’s Q2 FFO Beat Estimates on Strong SHO NOI Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Large acquisitions expand the seniors housing platform. Welltower completed approximately $6.2 billion of acquisitions during the quarter, mostly through off-market transactions. The purchases may support future growth and reinforce the company’s focus on senior housing, although they also increase capital deployment. Welltower Notches $6.2B in Acquisitions During 2Q, Mostly Off-Market
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increased. Welltower raised its quarterly dividend to $0.85 per share from $0.74, a 14.9% increase. The dividend is payable August 20 to shareholders of record August 12, providing a signal of management’s confidence in cash-flow growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable. Scotiabank maintained its Buy rating, while other analysts argued that the stock could have additional upside despite trading near its 52-week high. Scotiabank Keeps Their Buy Rating on Welltower
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation is limiting enthusiasm. Analysts continue to debate Welltower’s fair value after its strong rally. With a high earnings multiple, further gains may depend on continued FFO growth and favorable financing conditions. Welltower at 52-Week Highs—But Analysts Believe There’s More to Come
• Negative Sentiment: Interest-rate and inflation concerns remain headwinds. Higher rates can pressure REIT valuations and borrowing costs, while inflation could raise operating expenses. These risks appear to be offsetting some of the benefit from the earnings beat and higher guidance.

Welltower Stock Down 1.1%

WELL stock opened at $240.82 on Thursday. Welltower Inc. has a 52 week low of $161.26 and a 52 week high of $255.20. The company has a market capitalization of $169.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 110.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $223.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $210.25. The company has a current ratio of 3.16, a quick ratio of 4.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $3.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.40 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 3.56% and a net margin of 12.15%.The company’s revenue was up 39.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.28 earnings per share. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.360-6.440 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Welltower Inc. will post 6.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is a positive change from Welltower’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. Welltower’s payout ratio is currently 146.53%.

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.