W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest plunged by 19.8% to 8,978,815 shares as of March 31, representing 4.1% of the stock and a short-interest ratio of about 6.7 days.
• W.P. Carey raised its quarterly dividend to $0.93 (annualized $3.72) for a yield of 5.1%, though the payout ratio is elevated at 176.3%.
• The REIT beat Q results with $1.27 EPS and $444.6M revenue (up 9.6% YoY), set FY‑2026 guidance of $5.13–$5.23 EPS versus analysts' ~4.87 forecast, while the MarketBeat consensus rating remains Hold with a $71.90 target.

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 8,978,815 shares, a decline of 19.8% from the March 15th total of 11,194,776 shares. Currently, 4.1% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,331,977 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on WPC. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays increased their price objective on W.P. Carey from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Evercore set a $74.00 target price on W.P. Carey in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Raymond James Financial upgraded W.P. Carey from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $76.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on W.P. Carey from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $71.90.

W.P. Carey Stock Performance

WPC traded up $1.26 on Thursday, reaching $72.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,507,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,288,320. W.P. Carey has a 1 year low of $59.34 and a 1 year high of $75.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.97 billion, a PE ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $71.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.53.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. W.P. Carey had a return on equity of 5.67% and a net margin of 27.17%.The company had revenue of $444.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $433.28 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue 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 forecast that W.P. Carey will post 4.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. This is a positive change 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 176.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.P. Carey

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new position in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in W.P. Carey in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in W.P. Carey in the second quarter valued at $30,000. 73.73% of the stock is 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.

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