W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) shares saw strong trading volume on Wednesday . 2,091,603 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 58% from the previous session’s volume of 1,320,854 shares.The stock last traded at $71.36 and had previously closed at $74.16.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WPC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on W.P. Carey from $60.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on 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 note on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on W.P. Carey from $79.00 to $74.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of W.P. Carey from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.00.

W.P. Carey Stock Down 3.7%

The stock has a market cap of $15.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.84, a PEG ratio of 6.33 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $444.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $433.28 million. W.P. Carey had a return on equity of 5.67% and a net margin of 27.17%.W.P. Carey’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. W.P. Carey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.130-5.230 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that W.P. Carey Inc. 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 was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. This is an increase from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.2%. W.P. Carey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 174.41%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On W.P. Carey

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of W.P. Carey during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in W.P. Carey during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors 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.