W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• W.P. Carey holds a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 16 analysts, with nine buys and seven holds. The average 12-month price target is $77.36.
• The stock opened at $63.93, near its 12-month low of $62.24, and has declined below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Wells Fargo also lowered its price target from $80 to $73 while maintaining an overweight rating.
• W.P. Carey increased its quarterly dividend to $0.95 per share, representing a $3.80 annualized payout and a 5.9% yield. Institutional investors own approximately 73.73% of the company.

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $77.36.

WPC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of W.P. Carey in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of W.P. Carey from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $80.00 to $73.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday.

W.P. Carey Stock Down 0.9%

W.P. Carey stock opened at $63.93 on Friday. W.P. Carey has a 12 month low of $62.24 and a 12 month high of $77.22. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.13. The firm has a market cap of $14.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.82, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. This is an increase from W.P. Carey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. W.P. Carey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 129.69%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.P. Carey

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in W.P. Carey by 6.7% in the third quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,627 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the third quarter worth about $203,000. Tectonic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in W.P. Carey by 7.9% in the third quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 208,971 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $13,506,000 after purchasing an additional 15,315 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 150.0% during the third quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 475 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 24.4% during the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,605 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 904 shares during the period. 73.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About W.P. Carey

W.P. Carey Inc NYSE: WPC is a real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership and management of commercial properties under long-term, net lease agreements. In a net lease arrangement, tenants generally assume responsibility for property taxes, insurance and maintenance, allowing W.P. Carey to generate rental income with relatively predictable operating expenses.

The company's portfolio is diversified across industrial, warehouse, retail, self-storage and other commercial properties.

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