Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Buys New Stake in W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in W.P. Carey, buying 29,524 shares worth about $1.9 million. Several other institutional investors also increased their positions, and institutions/hedge funds now own 73.73% of the stock.
• Insider activity included CAO Brian H. Zander selling 433 shares at $74.00 each, reducing his ownership by 3.02%. Overall, insiders hold just 0.98% of the company.
• W.P. Carey reported strong quarterly results with EPS of $1.30 versus $0.61 expected, and revenue also beat estimates. The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.93 per share, implying a 5.0% annualized yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $73.00.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 29,524 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,900,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of W.P. Carey by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. now owns 2,511 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Brookwood Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in W.P. Carey by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Brookwood Investment Group LLC now owns 8,936 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in W.P. Carey by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 6,691 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $452,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in W.P. Carey by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,157 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in W.P. Carey by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,829 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $568,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 73.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Brian H. Zander sold 433 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $32,042.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WPC. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.P. Carey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, W.P. Carey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.00.

W.P. Carey Price Performance

W.P. Carey stock opened at $74.10 on Friday. W.P. Carey Inc. has a 52-week low of $59.34 and a 52-week high of $75.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.66, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. W.P. Carey had a net margin of 29.35% and a return on equity of 6.29%. The business had revenue of $454.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $430.64 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that W.P. Carey Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

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

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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