W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) Reaches New 1-Year High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• W.P. Carey shares reached a new 52-week high of $77.05, supported by improved analyst sentiment. Bank of America upgraded the stock to “neutral” and raised its price target to $83, while the average analyst rating remains “Hold” with a $78 target.
• The REIT exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.30 in EPS versus the $0.61 consensus estimate and revenue of $454.5 million, up 11.2% year over year.
• W.P. Carey increased its quarterly dividend from $0.93 to $0.94 per share, equivalent to a $3.76 annualized payout and a 4.9% yield.

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $77.05 and last traded at $76.9430, with a volume of 133135 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $76.69.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WPC. Bank of America raised W.P. Carey from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $73.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on W.P. Carey from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Scotiabank decreased their target price on W.P. Carey from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. UBS Group set a $76.00 price target on W.P. Carey in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $78.00.

W.P. Carey Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $73.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.98. The stock has a market cap of $17.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $454.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $430.64 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $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. On average, research analysts predict that W.P. Carey Inc. will post 5.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date 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 presently 160.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at W.P. Carey

In related news, CAO Brian H. Zander sold 433 shares of W.P. Carey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $32,042.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 13,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,027,268. This trade represents a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.98% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of W.P. Carey

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Family Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 5.6% during the second quarter. Family Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,884 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in W.P. Carey by 13.8% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 66,900 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,783,000 after purchasing an additional 8,100 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in W.P. Carey during the second quarter worth $877,000. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 2nd quarter valued at $243,000. Finally, TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 2nd quarter valued at $87,000. Institutional investors own 73.73% of the company's stock.

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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