Cohen & Steers Expands Active ETF Offerings With Three New Funds
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 06 2025
0mins
Should l Buy WELL?
Source: Benzinga
Cohen & Steers Launches New ETFs: The firm has introduced three actively managed ETFs aimed at providing investors with accessible investment strategies, featuring expense ratios between 0.5% and 0.7%, amidst growing demand for such products.
Focus of the New Funds: The new ETFs include a real estate-focused fund (CSRE), an income and capital appreciation fund through preferred securities (CSPF), and a natural resources fund (CSNR), each targeting specific sectors to enhance portfolio diversification and returns.
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Analyst Views on WELL
Wall Street analysts forecast WELL stock price to fall
13 Analyst Rating
12 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 209.450
Low
182.00
Averages
209.00
High
231.00
Current: 209.450
Low
182.00
Averages
209.00
High
231.00
About WELL
Welltower Inc. is focused on rental housing for aging seniors across the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The Company's portfolio of 2,000+ seniors and wellness housing communities are positioned at the intersection of housing and hospitality. Its segments include Seniors Housing Operating, Triple-net and Outpatient Medical. Its Seniors Housing Operating properties include seniors apartments, assisted living communities, independent living/continuing care retirement communities, independent supportive living communities (Canada), care homes with and without nursing (United Kingdom) and combinations thereof. Its Triple-net properties include the property types described above as well as long-term/post-acute care facilities. It invests in seniors housing and healthcare real estate through acquisition of single tenant properties. Its Outpatient Medical properties are typically leased to multiple tenants and generally require a certain level of property management by the Company.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Canada's Competition Bureau Reaches Agreement with Welltower on Acquisition
- Acquisition Agreement: Canada's Competition Bureau reached a consent agreement with Welltower to address concerns regarding its acquisition of 34 retirement home properties, highlighting the regulator's commitment to maintaining market competition and ensuring quality in the retirement home sector.
- Competition Impact Assessment: The bureau concluded that the acquisition could likely reduce competition in private pay retirement homes in British Columbia and Ontario, prompting Welltower to take action to preserve market health.
- Asset Sale Commitment: To alleviate competition concerns, Welltower agreed to sell four retirement homes in Victoria, Northwest Vancouver, Brampton, and Ottawa, ensuring these properties will be sold to independent buyers, thereby enhancing market competition.
- Positive Market Reaction: Welltower's stock rose 0.4% in late morning trading on Wednesday, reflecting investor confidence in the company's ongoing focus in the retirement home market, particularly in light of its C$4.6 billion acquisition of Amica properties.
See More
Comparison Analysis of GQRE and RWX Real Estate ETFs
- Cost and Yield Comparison: The FlexShares Global Quality Real Estate Index Fund (GQRE) charges a lower expense ratio of 0.45% compared to the State Street SPDR Dow Jones International Real Estate ETF (RWX) at 0.59%, while offering a higher dividend yield of 4.5%, appealing to income-focused investors.
- Portfolio Construction Differences: GQRE allocates 96% of its assets to real estate companies with 174 positions, whereas RWX diversifies across 121 securities, primarily in Japan and the UK, highlighting distinct geographic diversification strategies.
- Historical Performance Analysis: Over the past year, RWX has achieved a return of 19.0%, significantly outperforming GQRE's 12.9%, indicating stronger performance in the international real estate market, which may attract investors seeking global investment opportunities.
- Long-Term Investment Potential: Despite RWX's recent strong performance, GQRE has outperformed RWX since March 2021, demonstrating stability in the U.S. real estate market and the advantages of high-quality REITs, making it suitable for long-term investors.
See More
IYR ETF 52-Week Price Range Analysis
- Price Range Analysis: The IYR ETF has a 52-week low of $81.53 and a high of $101.80, with the last trade at $97.68, indicating stability within its trading range and potential investment opportunities.
- Technical Analysis Tool: Comparing the current share price to the 200-day moving average provides valuable insights for investors, aiding in market trend assessment and timing for buy/sell decisions.
- ETF Unit Trading Mechanism: ETFs trade like stocks, where investors buy and sell 'units' that can be created or destroyed based on demand, impacting liquidity and market performance.
- Inflows and Outflows Monitoring: Weekly monitoring of changes in shares outstanding helps identify significant inflows (new units created) or outflows (old units destroyed), which directly affect the underlying holdings of the ETF and overall market dynamics.
See More
Comparison of Dividends Between Medical Properties Trust and Welltower
- Dividend Risk of Medical Properties Trust: Medical Properties Trust (MPT) currently offers a 5.7% yield, but with a quarterly dividend of only $0.09 and a 74% stock price drop over the past five years, its profitability is concerning, as evidenced by a $276 million loss in 2025, indicating that this dividend is unreliable.
- Growth Potential of Welltower: Welltower achieved a 35% revenue increase in 2025, reaching $10.8 billion, and despite a slight decline in net income to $961.8 million, its normalized FFO per share of $5.29 reflects a robust 22.5% growth from 2024, showcasing its strong growth potential in the healthcare real estate sector.
- Dividend Safety Comparison: Welltower pays a quarterly dividend of $0.74, annualizing to $2.96, which yields only 1.44%, but its dividend has been steadily increasing, with growth of 4.9% and 10% from 2023 to 2025, indicating a much safer dividend compared to Medical Properties Trust.
- Future Market Outlook: With the U.S. 80+ population expected to double by 2045, Welltower's positioning in this market will drive further growth in both revenue and dividends, and despite a current payout ratio of 189%, it remains manageable, suggesting significant future growth potential.
See More
Public Storage and Welltower Form Strategic Data Science Partnership
- Data Science Collaboration: Public Storage and Welltower have formed a strategic partnership that combines Welltower's expertise in data-driven capital allocation with Public Storage's operational analytics capabilities, aiming to enhance the speed and precision of capital deployment for higher risk-adjusted returns.
- Technological Integration: Since its inception in 2016, Welltower's data science platform has successfully facilitated over $80 billion in capital allocation activities, significantly compressing real estate transaction timelines from the traditional 5-9 months to mere weeks, thereby enhancing market responsiveness.
- Operational Efficiency Boost: Public Storage will license bespoke models from Welltower, further enhancing its PS4.0 strategy's value creation engine, with expectations to optimize capital deployment in micro-markets, driving net operating income growth and margin expansion.
- Strengthened Competitive Advantage: The unique data resources and leading positions of both companies create an irreplicable information advantage, which is expected to enhance overall operational performance through data-driven decision-making, further solidifying their market positions.
See More
Welltower Issues Business Update, Focuses on Silver Economy
- Silver Economy Focus: Welltower Inc. is dedicated to rental housing for seniors across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, boasting over 2,000 communities aimed at creating vibrant living environments for mature renters, thereby positioning itself prominently in the rapidly growing silver economy.
- Unique Operating Model: Welltower views itself as an operating company wrapped in real estate, leveraging a unique culture and highly-aligned partnerships to drive disciplined capital allocation, aiming to deliver long-term per-share growth for investors.
- Data Science Platform: The company enhances operational efficiency through its data science platform and Welltower Business System, striving for superior operating results that bolster its competitive edge in the real estate sector amid fierce market competition.
- Forward-Looking Statements: Welltower's update includes a strategic partnership with Public Storage focused on data science, acknowledging the risks associated with achieving anticipated benefits, yet remains committed to driving future growth through innovation and technology.
See More
Canada's Competition Bureau Reaches Agreement with Welltower on Acquisition
- Acquisition Agreement: Canada's Competition Bureau reached a consent agreement with Welltower to address concerns regarding its acquisition of 34 retirement home properties, highlighting the regulator's commitment to maintaining market competition and ensuring quality in the retirement home sector.
- Competition Impact Assessment: The bureau concluded that the acquisition could likely reduce competition in private pay retirement homes in British Columbia and Ontario, prompting Welltower to take action to preserve market health.
- Asset Sale Commitment: To alleviate competition concerns, Welltower agreed to sell four retirement homes in Victoria, Northwest Vancouver, Brampton, and Ottawa, ensuring these properties will be sold to independent buyers, thereby enhancing market competition.
- Positive Market Reaction: Welltower's stock rose 0.4% in late morning trading on Wednesday, reflecting investor confidence in the company's ongoing focus in the retirement home market, particularly in light of its C$4.6 billion acquisition of Amica properties.
See More
Comparison Analysis of GQRE and RWX Real Estate ETFs
- Cost and Yield Comparison: The FlexShares Global Quality Real Estate Index Fund (GQRE) charges a lower expense ratio of 0.45% compared to the State Street SPDR Dow Jones International Real Estate ETF (RWX) at 0.59%, while offering a higher dividend yield of 4.5%, appealing to income-focused investors.
- Portfolio Construction Differences: GQRE allocates 96% of its assets to real estate companies with 174 positions, whereas RWX diversifies across 121 securities, primarily in Japan and the UK, highlighting distinct geographic diversification strategies.
- Historical Performance Analysis: Over the past year, RWX has achieved a return of 19.0%, significantly outperforming GQRE's 12.9%, indicating stronger performance in the international real estate market, which may attract investors seeking global investment opportunities.
- Long-Term Investment Potential: Despite RWX's recent strong performance, GQRE has outperformed RWX since March 2021, demonstrating stability in the U.S. real estate market and the advantages of high-quality REITs, making it suitable for long-term investors.
See More
IYR ETF 52-Week Price Range Analysis
- Price Range Analysis: The IYR ETF has a 52-week low of $81.53 and a high of $101.80, with the last trade at $97.68, indicating stability within its trading range and potential investment opportunities.
- Technical Analysis Tool: Comparing the current share price to the 200-day moving average provides valuable insights for investors, aiding in market trend assessment and timing for buy/sell decisions.
- ETF Unit Trading Mechanism: ETFs trade like stocks, where investors buy and sell 'units' that can be created or destroyed based on demand, impacting liquidity and market performance.
- Inflows and Outflows Monitoring: Weekly monitoring of changes in shares outstanding helps identify significant inflows (new units created) or outflows (old units destroyed), which directly affect the underlying holdings of the ETF and overall market dynamics.
See More
Comparison of Dividends Between Medical Properties Trust and Welltower
- Dividend Risk of Medical Properties Trust: Medical Properties Trust (MPT) currently offers a 5.7% yield, but with a quarterly dividend of only $0.09 and a 74% stock price drop over the past five years, its profitability is concerning, as evidenced by a $276 million loss in 2025, indicating that this dividend is unreliable.
- Growth Potential of Welltower: Welltower achieved a 35% revenue increase in 2025, reaching $10.8 billion, and despite a slight decline in net income to $961.8 million, its normalized FFO per share of $5.29 reflects a robust 22.5% growth from 2024, showcasing its strong growth potential in the healthcare real estate sector.
- Dividend Safety Comparison: Welltower pays a quarterly dividend of $0.74, annualizing to $2.96, which yields only 1.44%, but its dividend has been steadily increasing, with growth of 4.9% and 10% from 2023 to 2025, indicating a much safer dividend compared to Medical Properties Trust.
- Future Market Outlook: With the U.S. 80+ population expected to double by 2045, Welltower's positioning in this market will drive further growth in both revenue and dividends, and despite a current payout ratio of 189%, it remains manageable, suggesting significant future growth potential.
See More
Public Storage and Welltower Form Strategic Data Science Partnership
- Data Science Collaboration: Public Storage and Welltower have formed a strategic partnership that combines Welltower's expertise in data-driven capital allocation with Public Storage's operational analytics capabilities, aiming to enhance the speed and precision of capital deployment for higher risk-adjusted returns.
- Technological Integration: Since its inception in 2016, Welltower's data science platform has successfully facilitated over $80 billion in capital allocation activities, significantly compressing real estate transaction timelines from the traditional 5-9 months to mere weeks, thereby enhancing market responsiveness.
- Operational Efficiency Boost: Public Storage will license bespoke models from Welltower, further enhancing its PS4.0 strategy's value creation engine, with expectations to optimize capital deployment in micro-markets, driving net operating income growth and margin expansion.
- Strengthened Competitive Advantage: The unique data resources and leading positions of both companies create an irreplicable information advantage, which is expected to enhance overall operational performance through data-driven decision-making, further solidifying their market positions.
See More
Welltower Issues Business Update, Focuses on Silver Economy
- Silver Economy Focus: Welltower Inc. is dedicated to rental housing for seniors across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, boasting over 2,000 communities aimed at creating vibrant living environments for mature renters, thereby positioning itself prominently in the rapidly growing silver economy.
- Unique Operating Model: Welltower views itself as an operating company wrapped in real estate, leveraging a unique culture and highly-aligned partnerships to drive disciplined capital allocation, aiming to deliver long-term per-share growth for investors.
- Data Science Platform: The company enhances operational efficiency through its data science platform and Welltower Business System, striving for superior operating results that bolster its competitive edge in the real estate sector amid fierce market competition.
- Forward-Looking Statements: Welltower's update includes a strategic partnership with Public Storage focused on data science, acknowledging the risks associated with achieving anticipated benefits, yet remains committed to driving future growth through innovation and technology.
See More
