W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.70.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WPC shares. Barclays set a $65.00 price objective on W.P. Carey in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $79.00 to $74.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $60.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th.

W.P. Carey Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE WPC opened at $69.62 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $66.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. W.P. Carey has a twelve month low of $53.93 and a twelve month high of $70.28. The stock has a market cap of $15.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.20, a PEG ratio of 5.97 and a beta of 0.79.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.02. W.P. Carey had a return on equity of 4.40% and a net margin of 21.75%.The company had revenue of $431.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $424.44 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. W.P. Carey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.930-4.990 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.P. Carey will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.3%. W.P. Carey’s payout ratio is 223.03%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.P. Carey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in W.P. Carey in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in W.P. Carey in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.P. Carey during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. 73.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

W.P. Carey Company Profile

W. P. Carey Inc is a diversified net-lease real estate investment trust specializing in single-tenant commercial properties. The company structures sale-leaseback and build-to-suit transactions to provide long-term net lease financing across a variety of asset classes, including industrial facilities, office buildings, retail centers and self-storage facilities. By employing triple net leases, W. P. Carey transfers property operating expenses, taxes and maintenance responsibility to tenants, creating a stable, predictable income stream for investors.

Founded in 1973 by William Polk Carey, the firm has expanded organically and through strategic mergers and acquisitions.