Swedbank AB Purchases 75,253 Shares of W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC

Key Points

• Swedbank AB significantly increased its stake in W.P. Carey, buying 75,253 additional shares in the fourth quarter and boosting its position by 124.2% to 135,849 shares valued at about $8.74 million.
• W.P. Carey reported strong first-quarter results, with EPS of $1.30 beating estimates by a wide margin and revenue of $454.51 million topping expectations; the company also raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to $5.16-$5.26.
• The REIT increased its quarterly dividend to $0.93 per share, implying a 5.0% yield, while analysts currently view the stock as a Hold overall with a consensus price target of $74.20.

Swedbank AB increased its position in shares of W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Free Report) by 124.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 135,849 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 75,253 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned 0.06% of W.P. Carey worth $8,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WPC. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. raised its position in 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 worth $162,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Brookwood Investment Group LLC raised its position in 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 worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in 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 worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in 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 worth $568,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Woodward Diversified Capital LLC raised its position in 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 worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Brian H. Zander sold 433 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,027,268. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

W.P. Carey Stock Performance

NYSE WPC opened at $74.86 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $71.88 and its 200-day moving average is $69.72. W.P. Carey Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.09 and a 12-month high of $75.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $16.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.77.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $454.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $430.64 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.17 earnings per share. The company's quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts predict that W.P. Carey Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WPC has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of W.P. Carey from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of 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. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of W.P. Carey from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Evercore set a $74.00 price objective on shares of W.P. Carey in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of W.P. Carey from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $76.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.20.

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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