W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $77.05 and last traded at $76.9430, with a volume of 133135 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $76.69.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WPC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank lowered 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Barclays raised their target price on W.P. Carey from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $76.00 price target on W.P. Carey in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.00.

W.P. Carey Stock Down 0.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of $17.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $73.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.98.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. W.P. Carey had a return on equity of 6.29% and a net margin of 29.35%.The firm had revenue of $454.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $430.64 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.17 EPS. The business’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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that W.P. Carey Inc. will post 5.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. This is a boost from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. W.P. Carey’s dividend payout ratio is 160.68%.

Insider Activity

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 value of $32,042.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 13,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,027,268. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.P. Carey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its stake in shares of W.P. Carey by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 153,462 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $10,429,000 after buying an additional 27,734 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 124.2% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 135,849 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $8,743,000 after acquiring an additional 75,253 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of W.P. Carey during the fourth quarter valued at $41,638,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of W.P. Carey by 372.8% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 46,644 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,002,000 after acquiring an additional 36,779 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in W.P. Carey in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,922,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.73% of the company’s stock.

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.