W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate W.P. Carey a "Hold" — 11 analysts cover the stock (1 sell, 7 hold, 3 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $71.90.
• W.P. Carey raised its quarterly dividend to $0.93 (annualized $3.72), implying a yield of 5.3% (ex‑dividend March 31), though the payout ratio is a high 176.3%.
• The company reported an EPS beat of $1.27 vs. $1.25 and revenue of $444.6M (up 9.6% y/y), and set FY 2026 guidance of $5.130–$5.230 EPS (consensus for the current year ~4.87).

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $71.90.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WPC shares. Evercore set a $74.00 target price on shares of W.P. Carey in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $79.00 to $74.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of W.P. Carey from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $76.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 17th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.P. Carey

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of W.P. Carey by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,329,159 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $844,065,000 after purchasing an additional 119,817 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of W.P. Carey by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,795,604 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $307,913,000 after purchasing an additional 110,306 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of W.P. Carey by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,213,013 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $271,150,000 after purchasing an additional 441,526 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of W.P. Carey by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,904,767 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $251,311,000 after purchasing an additional 12,305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of W.P. Carey by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,192,275 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $205,462,000 after purchasing an additional 20,585 shares during the last quarter. 73.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

W.P. Carey Trading Down 0.5%

WPC opened at $69.87 on Tuesday. W.P. Carey has a fifty-two week low of $54.24 and a fifty-two week high of $75.69. 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 $15.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.11, a PEG ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.78. The company's 50 day moving average price is $71.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.32.

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

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders 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 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 presently 176.30%.

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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