ING Groep NV Boosts Holdings in Welltower Inc. $WELL

ING Groep NV grew its stake in shares of Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) by 19.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 37,812 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 6,270 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Welltower were worth $6,736,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Krilogy Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Welltower in the third quarter valued at approximately $378,000. Stratos Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Welltower in the 3rd quarter valued at $215,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Welltower by 27.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 77,935 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $13,883,000 after buying an additional 16,645 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in shares of Welltower by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 11,866 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,115,000 after buying an additional 1,567 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Welltower by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 132,710 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $23,641,000 after buying an additional 4,553 shares during the last quarter. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WELL. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Welltower in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group set a $240.00 price objective on Welltower in a research note on Thursday. Loop Capital set a $196.00 target price on Welltower in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Welltower in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $246.00 price target on shares of Welltower in a research report on Friday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $207.33.

Welltower Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WELL opened at $208.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 3.46 and a quick ratio of 5.47. Welltower Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.29 and a 1-year high of $212.62. The company has a market capitalization of $142.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 148.73, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50-day moving average of $189.37 and a 200-day moving average of $181.14.

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. Welltower had a return on equity of 2.46% and a net margin of 8.64%.The company’s revenue was up 41.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.090-6.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Welltower Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Welltower Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.74 per share. This represents a $2.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. Welltower’s payout ratio is presently 211.43%.

Key Stories Impacting Welltower

Here are the key news stories impacting Welltower this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 guidance and FFO momentum — Company raised FY‑2026 FFO guidance (FFO per share $6.09–$6.25) and highlighted accelerating FFO growth, the primary catalyst cited for the share move. Why Welltower (WELL) Is Up 12.1% After Raising 2026 Guidance And Highlighting FFO Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat and same‑store NOI improvement — Q4 revenue and FFO beat estimates and same‑store NOI rose, supporting the bullish guidance outlook and underpinning near‑term cash flow expectations. Welltower’s Q4 FFO & Revenues Beat Estimates, Same Store NOI Rises
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price target — Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $230 and set an overweight rating, adding upward analyst momentum that can attract flows. WELL price target raised by Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Additional buy ratings and bullish coverage — Scotiabank and other outlets highlight conviction in healthcare REITs including WELL, reinforcing positive analyst sentiment. Welltower Receives a Buy from Scotiabank
• Positive Sentiment: $5.7B in new deals and sharpened senior‑living focus — Management disclosed material acquisitions and a strategic shift toward SHOP/senior living, supporting growth and redeployment of capital. Welltower starts 2026 with $5.7B in deals, sharpened focus on senior living
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared (Q: $0.74, ~1.4% yield) — Dividend supports income investors but the yield is modest relative to some REIT peers.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased SHOP exposure — Management is expanding SHOP exposure (growth opportunity) but execution will be important; risks and timeline remain mixed. Welltower Increases Exposure to SHOP, CEO Warns It’s Harder Than It Looks
• Neutral Sentiment: Asset sales / portfolio pruning — Announced divestitures of certain nursing‑home assets (roughly $1.3B related to Integra; prior ProMedica holdings being shed) to refocus the portfolio; this improves balance‑sheet/portfolio mix but reduces exposure to lower‑margin SNF cash flow. Welltower to Divest $1.3B of Integra‑Related Nursing Home Assets
• Negative Sentiment: Execution risk flagged by management — CEO cautioned that SHOP expansion “is harder than it looks,” signaling potential execution challenges that could temper enthusiasm if growth stalls or costs rise. Welltower Increases Exposure to SHOP, CEO Warns It’s Harder Than It Looks

About Welltower

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.