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

Shares of W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $74.20.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WPC shares. Barclays upped their price objective on W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.P. Carey from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup upped their price objective on W.P. Carey from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Raymond James Financial upgraded W.P. Carey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $76.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on W.P. Carey from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th.

W.P. Carey Trading Up 0.5%

WPC stock opened at $74.86 on Wednesday. W.P. Carey has a 1-year low of $61.09 and a 1-year high of $75.69. The firm has a market cap of $16.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $71.88 and its 200-day moving average is $69.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.69. W.P. Carey had a return on equity of 6.29% and a net margin of 29.35%.The company had revenue of $454.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $430.64 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.17 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. W.P. Carey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.160-5.260 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that W.P. Carey will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This is a boost from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. W.P. Carey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 158.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Brian H. Zander sold 433 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $32,042.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 13,882 shares in the company, valued at $1,027,268. This represents a 3.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.P. Carey

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WPC. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 73.73% of the stock is currently owned by 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.