W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• W.P. Carey has an average broker rating of "Hold" from 13 analysts, with six buy ratings, six hold ratings, and one sell rating. The average 12-month price target is about $77.83.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.94 per share, or $3.76 annualized, implying a 5.2% yield. However, its payout ratio is high at 160.68%.
• W.P. Carey posted stronger-than-expected Q1 earnings, with EPS of $1.30 versus a $0.61 consensus estimate and revenue up 11.2% year over year. The REIT also guided FY 2026 EPS at 5.160–5.260.

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $77.8333.

WPC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on W.P. Carey from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price 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 target price on shares of W.P. Carey in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of W.P. Carey from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st.

Insider Transactions at W.P. Carey

In related news, CAO Brian H. Zander sold 433 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 13,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,027,268. This trade represents a 3.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.98% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of W.P. Carey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 73.73% of the company's stock.

W.P. Carey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WPC opened at $72.10 on Thursday. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $73.36 and a 200-day moving average of $71.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.81, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.76. W.P. Carey has a fifty-two week low of $61.09 and a fifty-two week high of $76.97.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.69. W.P. Carey had a return on equity of 6.29% and a net margin of 29.35%.The business had revenue of $454.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $430.64 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.17 earnings per share. W.P. Carey'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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that W.P. Carey will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This is a positive change from W.P. Carey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. W.P. Carey's payout ratio is currently 160.68%.

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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