Welltower, Inc. HCN reported normalized funds from operations (FFO) per share of $1.02 for fourth-quarter 2017, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.04. Further, on a year-over-year basis, the figure declined 7.3% from $1.10.Results reflect an increase of 10.7% in property operating expenses.Further, the company recorded revenues of $1.10 billion, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.08 billion. Also, revenues inched up 1.9% from the year-ago tally.For the full year 2017, normalized FFO per share came in at $4.21, 7.5% lower than the year-ago figure of $4.55. However, revenues for the full-year came in at $4.32 billion, up nearly 1% from $4.28 billion reported in 2016.The company recently announced that it will be changing its ticker on NYSE from HCN to WELL, effective from Feb 28, 2018.Quarter in DetailTotal portfolio same-store net operating income (SSNOI) grew 2.1% year over year, driven by growth in all the segments.Welltower accomplished $334 million of pro rata gross investments in the fourth quarter. This included $223 million in acquisitions/joint ventures, $108 million in development funding as well as $3 million in loans. Notably, the company completed 80% of these investments with present relationships.On the other hand, the company accomplished total dispositions of $142 million in the quarter. This comprised loan payoffs of $28 million and property sales of $114 million.The company exited fourth-quarter 2017 with $243.8 million of cash and cash equivalents, down from $419.5 million recorded at the end of the prior-year quarter. In addition, as of Dec 31, 2017, the company had $2.3 billion of available borrowing capacity under its primary unsecured credit facility. Furthermore, it extinguished secured debt of $137 million during the reported quarter.Welltower generated proceeds of about $89 million with an average price of $67.06 under the ATM and DRIP programs.2018 OutlookWelltower has provided guidance for 2018. The company expects normalized FFO per share in the range of $3.95–$4.05. Also, the company anticipates its same-store NOI growth to remain in the range of 1-2%.Further, in sync with the strategic repositioning of its premier healthcare portfolio, the company expects 2018 disposition to be around $1.3 billion.Our TakeWelltower is set to acquire a portfolio of four rental continuing care retirement communities CCRCs and convert those to a RIDEA structure. Further, it has secured a major institutional investor for the development of an assisted-living and memory-care community in midtown Manhattan.Although these moves fortify its healthcare asset portfolio, increase in the supply of seniors’ housing assets in certain markets remains a pressure point. It curbs landlords’ pricing power and also limits any robust occupancy growth.Additionally, the rate hike is a concern for the company because of its high exposure to long-term leased assets. Further, aggressive disposition of non-core assets puts pressure on Welltower’s bottom-line performance.Welltower Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Welltower Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Welltower Inc. QuoteCurrently, Welltower carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Performance of Other REITsVentas, Inc. VTR reported fourth-quarter 2017 normalized FFO of $1.03 per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The figure also matched the year-ago quarter tally. Results reflect improved property performance and accretive investments.Cousins Properties Inc. CUZ reported fourth-quarter 2017 FFO per share of 15 cents, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Results reflect better-than-expected revenues in the quarter. Further, a rise in second-generation net rent-per-square-foot on a cash basis was experienced.PS Business Parks, Inc. PSB reported fourth-quarter 2017 core FFO of $1.52 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. However, the figure came in 9.4%, higher than $1.39 recorded in the prior-year quarter. The rise on a year-over-year basis stemmed from higher NOI, reduced general and administrative expenses and savings from lower preferred distributions.Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represent funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.More Stock News: This is Bigger Than the iPhone!It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.Click here for the 6 trades >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Ventas, Inc. (VTR): Free Stock Analysis Report Welltower Inc. (HCN): Free Stock Analysis Report Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ): Free Stock Analysis Report PS Business Parks, Inc. (PSB): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research