BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 28,614 Shares of W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its W.P. Carey stake by 15.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 28,614 shares and bringing its total holding to 211,176 shares worth about $13.6 million.
• W.P. Carey reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.30 versus the $0.61 consensus and revenue of $454.5 million, up 11.2% year over year.
• The REIT also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.93 per share, implying a 5.0% annual yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with a $75 target price.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Free Report) by 15.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 211,176 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 28,614 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.10% of W.P. Carey worth $13,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of W.P. Carey by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. now owns 2,511 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $162,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Brookwood Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Brookwood Investment Group LLC now owns 8,936 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 4.5% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,157 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,829 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $568,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodward Diversified Capital LLC grew its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC now owns 5,243 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 73.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WPC shares. Evercore set a $74.00 price target on W.P. Carey in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays lifted their price target on W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group boosted their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on W.P. Carey from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $75.00.

W.P. Carey Price Performance

WPC opened at $74.50 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $72.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.10. W.P. Carey Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.09 and a 12-month high of $75.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.84, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.76.

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

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other W.P. Carey news, CAO Brian H. Zander sold 433 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 13,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,027,268. This represents a 3.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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