July 29 (Reuters) - Welltower ( WELL ) raised its annual

funds from operations (FFO) forecast on Monday, betting on

steady 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 $4.13 to $4.21

per share, compared to its previous estimate of $4.05 to $4.17

per diluted share.

The REIT owns housing, outpatient medical centers and

healthcare properties with a focus on older adults and assisted

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

Kingdom.

Same-store net operating income from its senior housing

properties rose 21.7% in the second quarter.

The demand for senior housing has been growing due to an

ageing population in the United States and a rise in senior

citizens' healthcare expenditure.

During the second quarter, Welltower ( WELL ) completed $1.7 billion

of pro rata gross investments, including $1.4 billion in

acquisitions and loan funding and $251 million in development

funding, it said.

The Ohio-based company net income attributable to common

stockholders of 42 cents per share, compared with 21 cents per

share reported a year earlier.