Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Trims Holdings in W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lowered its holdings in shares of W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) by 14.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 318,317 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 51,631 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in W.P. Carey were worth $21,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WPC. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new position in W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in W.P. Carey during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 73.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Brian H. Zander sold 433 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total value of $32,042.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 13,882 shares in the company, valued at $1,027,268. This trade represents a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

W.P. Carey Stock Up 2.0%

W.P. Carey stock opened at $76.73 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $73.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.93. W.P. Carey Inc. has a 1-year low of $63.08 and a 1-year high of $76.97. The company has a market cap of $17.09 billion, a PE ratio of 32.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.69. The company had revenue of $454.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $430.64 million. W.P. Carey had a return on equity of 6.29% and a net margin of 29.35%.W.P. Carey’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.17 earnings per share. W.P. Carey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.160-5.260 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that W.P. Carey Inc. will post 5.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. 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. W.P. Carey’s payout ratio is 160.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised W.P. Carey from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $73.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Wolfe Research raised W.P. Carey from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, June 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of W.P. Carey from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.00.

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.