W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of 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 shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,874,845 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,874,845 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days. Currently, 5.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

W.P. Carey Stock Performance

NYSE:WPC opened at $71.67 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $15.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.76. W.P. Carey has a twelve month low of $54.24 and a twelve month high of $75.69. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $70.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $444.55 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $433.28 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. W.P. Carey’s 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that W.P. Carey will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. This is a boost from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. W.P. Carey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 174.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WPC has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $79.00 to $74.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of 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 price objective on shares of W.P. Carey in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised 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. Three investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.90.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On W.P. Carey

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in W.P. Carey by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 4,606 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $288,000 after buying an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of W.P. Carey by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 9,708 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $606,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of W.P. Carey by 340.4% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 3,576 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 2,764 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,606,018 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $286,581,000 after acquiring an additional 87,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 32,654 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,037,000 after acquiring an additional 1,347 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.