Oak Thistle LLC Takes Position in W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC

Key Points

• Oak Thistle LLC established a new position in W.P. Carey, buying 45,404 shares in Q4 valued at about $2.92 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 73.73% of the stock.
• W.P. Carey raised its quarterly dividend to $0.93 (annualized $3.72), implying a 5.3% yield with an ex-dividend date of March 31, though the payout ratio is elevated at 176.3%.
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of “Hold” with an average price target of $71.90 after several target increases; the company slightly beat Q4 EPS estimates ($1.27 vs. $1.25) and set FY2026 guidance of $5.130–$5.230 EPS.

Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 45,404 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $2,922,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in W.P. Carey in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in W.P. Carey in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.P. Carey in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its stake in W.P. Carey by 1,126.0% in the 3rd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 613 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. 73.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $60.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Evercore set a $74.00 price target on shares of W.P. Carey in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $71.90.

W.P. Carey Stock Performance

NYSE WPC opened at $70.84 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.14 and a quick ratio of 0.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.78. The company's fifty day moving average is $71.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.35. W.P. Carey Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.24 and a 52-week high of $75.69.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $444.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $433.28 million. W.P. Carey had a net margin of 27.17% and a return on equity of 5.67%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. W.P. Carey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.130-5.230 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that W.P. Carey Inc. will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from W.P. Carey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. W.P. Carey's payout ratio is 176.30%.

About W.P. Carey

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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