Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Buys 33,350 Shares of W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden increased its W.P. Carey stake by 71.1% in the first quarter, buying 33,350 additional shares and bringing its total to 80,284 shares valued at about $5.46 million.
• W.P. Carey posted better-than-expected quarterly results, earning $1.30 per share versus $0.61 expected, with revenue also topping estimates at $454.5 million.
• The REIT raised its quarterly dividend to $0.94 per share, implying a 5.3% yield, while analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $77.83.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its position in W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Free Report) by 71.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 80,284 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 33,350 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in W.P. Carey were worth $5,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WPC. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.P. Carey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in W.P. Carey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in W.P. Carey in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. 73.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Brian H. Zander sold 433 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total value of $32,042.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 13,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,027,268. This represents a 3.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.98% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

W.P. Carey Stock Performance

W.P. Carey stock opened at $71.25 on Monday. W.P. Carey Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.09 and a 12 month high of $76.97. The stock's 50-day moving average is $73.62 and its 200-day moving average is $71.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $15.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.76.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.69. W.P. Carey had a net margin of 29.35% and a return on equity of 6.29%. The firm had revenue of $454.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $430.64 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.17 earnings per share. W.P. Carey'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 Inc. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.3%. This is a boost from W.P. Carey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. W.P. Carey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 160.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on WPC shares. Wolfe Research raised W.P. Carey from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, June 8th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of W.P. Carey from $86.00 to $84.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. UBS Group set a $76.00 price objective on shares of W.P. Carey in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised W.P. Carey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, W.P. Carey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $77.83.

W.P. Carey 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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