W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) Short Interest Update

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 11,595,991 shares, an increase of 21.0% from the February 12th total of 9,581,733 shares. Currently, 5.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,874,845 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,874,845 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days. Currently, 5.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Institutional Trading of W.P. Carey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 73.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

W.P. Carey Stock Performance

W.P. Carey stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $71.68. 1,314,368 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,377,152. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $70.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.20. The company has a market capitalization of $15.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 0.76. 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.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $433.28 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. W.P. Carey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.130-5.230 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that W.P. Carey will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 5.2%. This is a positive change from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. W.P. Carey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 174.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WPC. Citigroup raised their price objective on W.P. Carey from $60.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore set a $74.00 price target on shares of W.P. Carey in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of W.P. Carey from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Scotiabank lifted 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 report on Monday, March 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.44.

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.