Legal & General Group Plc Boosts Stake in W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in W.P. Carey by 5% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 2.7 million shares worth about $173.7 million. Institutional investors continue to own the vast majority of the REIT, at 73.73%.
• W.P. Carey reported strong quarterly results, posting $1.30 EPS versus the $0.61 consensus estimate and revenue of $454.5 million, up 11.2% year over year. The company also raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to $5.16-$5.26.
• The REIT raised its quarterly dividend to $0.93 per share from $0.92, implying an annualized yield of about 5.0%. Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.20.

Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Free Report) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,699,056 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 128,761 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 1.23% of W.P. Carey worth $173,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.73% of the company's stock.

W.P. Carey Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of W.P. Carey stock opened at $74.40 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $71.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.78. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $61.09 and a twelve month high of $75.69. The stock has a market cap of $16.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.77.

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, 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 firm had revenue of $454.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $430.64 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.17 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. W.P. Carey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.160-5.260 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that W.P. Carey Inc. 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 positive change from W.P. Carey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded W.P. Carey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group boosted their price target on W.P. Carey from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial upgraded W.P. Carey from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $76.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on W.P. Carey from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 directly owned 13,882 shares of the company's stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.98% of the company's stock.

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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