Welltower (NYSE:WELL) Sets New 52-Week High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Welltower Inc. (NYSE:WELL) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $211.23 and last traded at $206.9290, with a volume of 1078730 shares. The stock had previously closed at $200.84.

The real estate investment trust reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. Welltower had a return on equity of 2.56% and a net margin of 8.64%.The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 41.3% on a year-over-year basis. Welltower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.090-6.25 EPS.

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 issued a $0.74 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Welltower’s payout ratio is presently 211.43%.

Trending Headlines about Welltower

Here are the key news stories impacting Welltower this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised FY‑2026 FFO guidance to $6.09–$6.25 (well above consensus), citing stronger senior‑housing demand — a major catalyst for investor optimism. Welltower outlines 2026 FFO per share guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results showed FFO of $1.45 (beat) and revenue of $3.18B (beat); same‑store NOI growth of 15% and 20.4% SSNOI growth in the Seniors Housing Operating portfolio point to improving operations and margin expansion. Welltower Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management disclosed heavy capital deployment: roughly $5.7B in new acquisitions and ~$13.9B of pro rata investments closed in Q4, while also executing $7.5B of dispositions — signaling active portfolio reshaping and growth. Welltower Surges Amid Strong Healthcare REIT Performance
• Positive Sentiment: Board announced a quarterly dividend of $0.74/share (record Feb 25, payable Mar 10), which supports income investor interest. (Company release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Welltower posted a formal business update and released the full Q4 earnings call/slides — useful for digging into guidance assumptions, SHOP strategy, and capital plan. Welltower Issues Business Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings‑call transcripts are available for deeper read on execution, leasing/occupancy trends and SHOP outlook. Welltower Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Management is increasing exposure to SHOP but the CEO warned execution “is harder than it looks,” highlighting operational risk as WELL scales operating assets. Welltower Increases Exposure to SHOP, CEO Warns
• Negative Sentiment: Welltower plans to divest ~$1.3B of Integra‑related nursing‑home assets (about $800M sold in 4Q), a near‑term shrinkage of that exposure that could reflect portfolio repricing or operational reprioritization. Welltower to Divest Integra‑Related Nursing Home Assets
• Negative Sentiment: Media reported an investigation into a UK care‑home deal tied to a US buyer (coverage of a £6B takeover), which could pose regulatory or reputational risk for transactions in that market. Investigation into UK care‑home deal

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WELL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Welltower from $182.00 to $214.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Welltower from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Welltower in a research report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Welltower in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $231.00 price target on shares of Welltower in a report on Monday, December 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Welltower currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. National Pension Service grew its holdings in Welltower by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,691,931 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $301,401,000 after purchasing an additional 34,532 shares during the last quarter. B&I Capital AG boosted its position in shares of Welltower by 5.7% during the third quarter. B&I Capital AG now owns 161,440 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,759,000 after buying an additional 8,650 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in shares of Welltower by 2.6% during the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 416,674 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $64,058,000 after buying an additional 10,584 shares during the period. GDS Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Welltower by 13.7% during the third quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 63,763 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $11,359,000 after buying an additional 7,699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Welltower by 4.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,616,289 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,090,212,000 after buying an additional 1,740,196 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.80% of the company’s stock.

Welltower Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 5.47 and a quick ratio of 5.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.77 billion, a PE ratio of 148.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $189.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $180.96.

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.