Oct 28 (Reuters) - Welltower ( WELL ) raised its annual

funds from operations forecast on Monday, betting on resilient

demand for the healthcare real estate investment trust's

assisted living and senior housing properties.

The company now sees its 2024 normalized FFO, a key

performance measure for REITs, in the range of $4.27 to $4.33

per share, compared with its previous estimate of $4.13 to

$4.21.

The REIT owns housing, outpatient medical centers and

healthcare properties with a focus on older adults and assisted

living. It operates in the United States, Canada and the United

Kingdom.

It posted quarterly normalized FFO of $1.11 per share, an

increase of 20.7% from the previous year.

Demand for senior housing has been growing due to an ageing

population in the United States and a rise in senior citizens'

healthcare expenditure.

Same-store net operating income from its senior housing

properties rose 23% in the third quarter.

The Ohio-based company's net profit jumped to 73 cents per

share, from 24 cents a year earlier.