Welltower Stock Gains 24.1% in Six Months: Will it Continue to Rise?

Core Insights - Welltower's shares have increased by 24.1% over the past six months, significantly outperforming the industry's growth of 5.7% [1][9] Company Overview - Welltower has a diversified portfolio of healthcare real estate assets across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. The aging population and rising healthcare expenditures among senior citizens position the company's senior housing operating (SHO) segment for growth [2][5] - The outpatient medical (OM) portfolio is expected to benefit from favorable trends in outpatient visits [2] Financial Performance - Analysts have a positive outlook on Welltower, currently holding a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2025 funds from operations (FFO) per share has been revised upward by three cents to $5.02 [3] - Management anticipates same-store SHO net operating income to grow between 16.5% and 21.5% in 2025 [5][9] Growth Strategies - Welltower is actively pursuing growth through acquisitions, including a planned acquisition of the Amica Senior Lifestyles portfolio for C$4.6 billion, expected to close in late 2025 or early 2026 [7] - The company is optimizing its OM portfolio and strengthening relationships with health system partners to enhance long-term growth [6] Financial Health - As of March 31, 2025, Welltower had $8.6 billion in available liquidity, including $3.6 billion in cash and a fully available $5 billion line of credit. The net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio improved to 3.33X from 4.03X year over year [10] - Welltower's debt maturities are well-laddered, with a weighted average maturity of 5.8 years, providing financial flexibility [10] Market Outlook - The combination of an increasing senior citizen population, rising healthcare expenditures, and muted new supply is expected to support Welltower's revenue growth in the coming years [5][11]