W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $79.3846.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore set a $77.00 price objective on W.P. Carey in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research upgraded W.P. Carey from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, June 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on W.P. Carey from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded W.P. Carey from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the company from $73.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th.

W.P. Carey Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WPC opened at $71.66 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.46, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.75. W.P. Carey has a 1-year low of $63.08 and a 1-year high of $77.22. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $73.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.46.

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. This is a boost from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. W.P. Carey’s payout ratio is currently 128.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.