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WELL vs. WPC: Welltower vs. W. P. Carey Stock Comparison

How do Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC) 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

Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC) both fall under the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group, but WELL is classified in Health Care REITs while WPC is classified in Diversified REITs.

Both Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC) are REITs — read their payout ratios and P/E alongside FFO (funds from operations) rather than at face value.

Company profile comparison for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC)
Profile ItemWELLWPC
NameWelltower Inc.W. P. Carey Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorReal EstateReal Estate
GICS Industry GroupEquity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
GICS IndustryHealth Care REITsDiversified REITs
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care REITsDiversified REITs
Market Capitalization179.74 billion USD14.97 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 19, 1980January 21, 1998
Security TypeREITREIT

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

WELL
WPC
GSPC
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Welltower (WELL) vs. W. P. Carey (WPC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC)
MetricWELLWPC
Total Return (1Y)31.94%3.70%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)45.79%13.11%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)26.70%3.23%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

WELL
WPC
GSPC
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Welltower (WELL) vs. W. P. Carey (WPC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC)
MetricWELLWPC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)23.54%17.83%
Beta (5Y)0.780.74
Max Drawdown (5Y)-40.78%-36.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.75M1.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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WELL and WPC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC)
MetricWELLWPC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.17-0.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.69-0.05

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Welltower (WELL) at 3.92% and W. P. Carey (WPC) at 7.76% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

3.92%

Max
22.74%
Q3
10.54%
Median
6.38%
WELL
3.92%
Q1
1.69%
Min
-10.86%

WPC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

7.76%

Max
22.74%
Q3
10.54%
WPC
7.76%
Median
6.38%
Q1
1.69%
Min
-10.86%
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Welltower (WELL) vs. W. P. Carey (WPC): A comparison of their ROE against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Neither Welltower (WELL) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor W. P. Carey (WPC) 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 Welltower (WELL) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and W. P. Carey (WPC) 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

Profitability metrics for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC)
MetricWELLWPC
ROE (TTM)3.92%7.76%
ROA (TTM)0.93%3.54%
Net Margin (TTM)----
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Welltower (WELL) at 35.82% clears its industry range for revenue growth, far stronger top-line momentum than W. P. Carey (WPC) at 8.43%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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Welltower (WELL) vs. W. P. Carey (WPC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

EPS growth isn't a meaningful figure for either Welltower (WELL) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or W. P. Carey (WPC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) under our convention.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC)
MetricWELLWPC
Revenue Growth (YoY)35.82%8.43%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)22.69%5.09%
EPS Growth (YoY)----
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)----

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Welltower (WELL) at 1.66 and W. P. Carey (WPC) at 1.64 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

1.66

Max
4.19
Q3
2.11
WELL
1.66
Median
1.31
Q1
0.62
Min
0.06

WPC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

1.64

Max
4.19
Q3
2.11
WPC
1.64
Median
1.31
Q1
0.62
Min
0.06
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Welltower (WELL) vs. W. P. Carey (WPC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Welltower (WELL) at 0.42 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while W. P. Carey (WPC) at 1.00 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

0.42

Max
2.72
Q3
1.59
Median
0.99
Q1
0.72
WELL
0.42
Min
0.20

WPC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

1.00

Max
2.72
Q3
1.59
WPC
1.00
Median
0.99
Q1
0.72
Min
0.20
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Welltower (WELL) vs. W. P. Carey (WPC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC)
MetricWELLWPC
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.661.64
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.421.00
Net Debt / EBITDA5.125.52

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

W. P. Carey (WPC) at 5.73% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while Welltower (WELL) at 1.30% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

1.30%

Max
8.62%
Q3
5.95%
Median
4.34%
Q1
3.26%
WELL
1.30%
Min
0.00%

WPC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

5.73%

Max
8.62%
Q3
5.95%
WPC
5.73%
Median
4.34%
Q1
3.26%
Min
0.00%
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Welltower (WELL) vs. W. P. Carey (WPC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither Welltower (WELL) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor W. P. Carey (WPC) 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

Dividend metrics for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC)
MetricWELLWPC
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.30%5.73%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)----

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

P/E ratio is not a meaningful valuation yardstick for either Welltower (WELL) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or W. P. Carey (WPC) 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)

Both Welltower (WELL) at 13.03 and W. P. Carey (WPC) at 8.06 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

13.03

Max
14.47
WELL
13.03
Q3
8.02
Median
5.98
Q1
3.27
Min
0.43

WPC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

8.06

Max
14.47
WPC
8.06
Q3
8.02
Median
5.98
Q1
3.27
Min
0.43
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Welltower (WELL) vs. W. P. Carey (WPC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

W. P. Carey (WPC) at 1.71 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Welltower (WELL) at 3.69 carries an above-peer premium to book — WELL is pricier on assets.

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

3.69

Max
4.06
WELL
3.69
Q3
2.53
Median
1.64
Q1
1.06
Min
0.21

WPC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

1.71

Max
4.06
Q3
2.53
WPC
1.71
Median
1.64
Q1
1.06
Min
0.21
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Welltower (WELL) vs. W. P. Carey (WPC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Welltower (WELL) and W. P. Carey (WPC)
MetricWELLWPC
P/E Ratio (TTM)----
P/S Ratio (TTM)13.038.06
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.691.71
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----