AMT vs. WELL: American Tower vs. Welltower Stock Comparison
How do American Tower (AMT) and Welltower (WELL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.
Company Profile
American Tower (AMT) and Welltower (WELL) both fall under the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group, but AMT is classified in Specialized REITs while WELL is classified in Health Care REITs.
Both American Tower (AMT) and Welltower (WELL) are REITs — read their payout ratios and P/E alongside FFO (funds from operations) rather than at face value.
| Profile Item | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| Name | American Tower Corporation | Welltower Inc. |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Real Estate | Real Estate |
| GICS Industry Group | Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) | Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) |
| GICS Industry | Specialized REITs | Health Care REITs |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Telecom Tower REITs | Health Care REITs |
| Market Capitalization | 75.53 billion USD | 164.26 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | NYSE | NYSE |
| Listing Date | February 27, 1998 | March 19, 1980 |
| Security Type | REIT | REIT |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | -24.07% | 54.66% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | -2.78% | 45.55% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -7.22% | 25.32% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 25.57% | 22.28% |
| Beta (5Y) | 0.90 | 0.77 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -45.34% | -40.78% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 3.25M | 3.41M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | -1.10 | 2.28 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | -1.47 | 3.45 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
American Tower (AMT) at 29.95% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Welltower (WELL) at 3.67%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.
AMT
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
29.95%
- AMT
- 29.95%
- Max
- 21.85%
- Q3
- 9.86%
- Median
- 5.86%
- Q1
- 1.38%
- Min
- -9.66%
WELL
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
3.67%
- Max
- 21.85%
- Q3
- 9.86%
- Median
- 5.86%
- WELL
- 3.67%
- Q1
- 1.38%
- Min
- -9.66%
Net Margin (TTM)
Neither American Tower (AMT) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Welltower (WELL) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) is well served by net margin: heavy depreciation makes net income a poor profitability proxy in their businesses, where FFO-based measures are the standard read.
Operating Margin (TTM)
Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for American Tower (AMT) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Welltower (WELL) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 29.95% | 3.67% |
| ROA (TTM) | 4.91% | 0.74% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Revenue Growth Metrics
| Metric | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 5.11% | 35.82% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 3.34% | 22.69% |
EPS Growth
EPS Growth Metrics
| Metric | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| EPS Growth (YoY) | -- | -- |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | -- |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Welltower (WELL) at 1.65 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while American Tower (AMT) at 0.30 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for AMT.
AMT
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
0.30
- Max
- 4.00
- Q3
- 1.93
- Median
- 0.98
- Q1
- 0.46
- AMT
- 0.30
- Min
- 0.08
WELL
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
1.65
- Max
- 4.00
- Q3
- 1.93
- WELL
- 1.65
- Median
- 0.98
- Q1
- 0.46
- Min
- 0.08
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Welltower (WELL) at 0.44 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while American Tower (AMT) at 4.45 is above its industry debt-to-equity ratio range.
AMT
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
4.45
- AMT
- 4.45
- Max
- 2.53
- Q3
- 1.51
- Median
- 1.04
- Q1
- 0.77
- Min
- 0.19
WELL
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
0.44
- Max
- 2.53
- Q3
- 1.51
- Median
- 1.04
- Q1
- 0.77
- WELL
- 0.44
- Min
- 0.19
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 0.30 | 1.65 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | 4.45 | 0.44 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 6.23 | 5.11 |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
American Tower (AMT) at 4.15% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while Welltower (WELL) at 1.25% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.
AMT
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
4.15%
- Max
- 8.88%
- Q3
- 5.56%
- AMT
- 4.15%
- Median
- 4.01%
- Q1
- 3.15%
- Min
- 0.00%
WELL
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
1.25%
- Max
- 8.88%
- Q3
- 5.56%
- Median
- 4.01%
- Q1
- 3.15%
- WELL
- 1.25%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither American Tower (AMT) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Welltower (WELL) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): their distributions are mandated and conventionally measured against FFO, so the accounting-earnings ratio overstates both.
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 4.15% | 1.25% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | -- | -- |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
P/E ratio is not a meaningful valuation yardstick for either American Tower (AMT) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Welltower (WELL) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): depreciation suppresses reported earnings in their businesses, and price-to-FFO is the conventional yardstick instead.
P/S Ratio (TTM)
American Tower (AMT) at 6.98 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Welltower (WELL) at 13.96 sits in the pricier quartile — WELL costs more per dollar of sales.
AMT
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
6.98
- Max
- 15.51
- Q3
- 8.88
- AMT
- 6.98
- Median
- 6.59
- Q1
- 3.75
- Min
- 0.82
WELL
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
13.96
- Max
- 15.51
- WELL
- 13.96
- Q3
- 8.88
- Median
- 6.59
- Q1
- 3.75
- Min
- 0.82
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Both look rich against book: Welltower (WELL) at 3.74 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and American Tower (AMT) at 21.45 prices even higher, above its industry range.
AMT
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
21.45
- AMT
- 21.45
- Max
- 4.82
- Q3
- 2.67
- Median
- 1.78
- Q1
- 1.20
- Min
- 0.35
WELL
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
3.74
- Max
- 4.82
- WELL
- 3.74
- Q3
- 2.67
- Median
- 1.78
- Q1
- 1.20
- Min
- 0.35
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | AMT | WELL |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | -- | -- |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 6.98 | 13.96 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 21.45 | 3.74 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | -- | -- |