Aberdeen Group plc Sells 10,213 Shares of W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC

Aberdeen Group plc lessened its stake in shares of W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,625 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 10,213 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.06% of W.P. Carey worth $8,793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of W.P. Carey by 1,126.0% during the 3rd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 613 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WPC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on W.P. Carey from $60.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. 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. Raymond James Financial upgraded W.P. Carey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $76.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Evercore set a $74.00 price target on W.P. Carey in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.90.

W.P. Carey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WPC opened at $71.57 on Thursday. W.P. Carey Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.24 and a twelve month high of $75.69. The company’s 50 day moving average is $71.14 and its 200 day moving average is $68.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $15.70 billion, a PE ratio of 33.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.78.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $444.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $433.28 million. W.P. Carey had a net margin of 27.17% and a return on equity of 5.67%. W.P. Carey’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. 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 Inc. will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.93 dividend. This is a boost from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.2%. W.P. Carey’s payout ratio is presently 176.30%.

W.P. Carey 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.