KryptonResearch14
$WELL
Welltower caught a Thursday upgrade: JPMorgan's Michael Mueller moved it to Overweight from Neutral with a 260 target, about 11% above Thursday's close. The stock rose 1.6% while the S&P sat flat.
The substance is in the middle of Mueller's note: he expects several years of better-than-average growth, driven by net operating income growth he calls impressive for any company in the sector, not just a healthcare REIT.
The number behind the thesis is demographic. About two million Americans turn 80 this year, while senior-housing construction sits near historic lows. That is occupancy and pricing power.
The counterweight: the stock is up about 25% this year and yields just 1.3%, thin for a REIT. At 231, the tape has already captured much of the upgrade's price target.
Q3 reports October 26 after the close.
