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

Key Points

• Analysts have a mixed but cautious view of W.P. Carey, with 13 covering the stock and a consensus rating of “Hold.” The average 12-month price target is about $77.83.
• The REIT beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.30 EPS versus the $0.61 estimate, while revenue came in at $454.5 million, also above forecasts. Management also set FY 2026 guidance at 5.16–5.26 EPS.
• W.P. Carey raised its quarterly dividend to $0.94 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 5.3%. The company also saw a small insider sale and continued buying interest from institutional investors.

Shares of W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $77.8333.

Several analysts have weighed in on WPC shares. Raymond James Financial raised W.P. Carey from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $76.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a research note on Thursday. Scotiabank cut their target price 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. UBS Group set a $76.00 target price on W.P. Carey in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th.

W.P. Carey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WPC opened at $71.27 on Friday. W.P. Carey has a fifty-two week low of $61.09 and a fifty-two week high of $76.97. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $73.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.59. 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 $15.88 billion, a PE ratio of 30.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.76.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.69. The firm had revenue of $454.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $430.64 million. W.P. Carey had a return on equity of 6.29% and a net margin of 29.35%.W.P. Carey's quarterly revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. W.P. Carey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.160-5.260 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that W.P. Carey will post 5.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. This is a boost from W.P. Carey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. W.P. Carey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 158.97%.

Insider Activity at W.P. Carey

In other news, CAO Brian H. Zander sold 433 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,027,268. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.98% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.P. Carey

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WPC. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of W.P. Carey by 0.8% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 104,740 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $7,118,000 after buying an additional 851 shares in the last quarter. DV Trading LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.P. Carey by 328.6% during the first quarter. DV Trading LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 2,300 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise purchased a new position in shares of W.P. Carey during the first quarter valued at $595,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of W.P. Carey by 2.6% during the first quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,524 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,189,000 after buying an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of W.P. Carey by 2.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,365,724 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $92,815,000 after buying an additional 31,476 shares in the last quarter. 73.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.