KBC Group NV Cuts Stake in W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC

KBC Group NV trimmed its stake in W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) by 49.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 90,807 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 88,402 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in W.P. Carey were worth $6,171,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SEB Asset Management AB acquired a new position in shares of W.P. Carey in the 1st quarter valued at $18,836,000. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in shares of W.P. Carey by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 643,151 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $43,709,000 after buying an additional 42,900 shares during the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new position in shares of W.P. Carey in the 1st quarter worth $1,998,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC raised its position in shares of W.P. Carey by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 5,249 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $357,000 after buying an additional 440 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in W.P. Carey by 2.6% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 26,159 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,778,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.73% of the company’s stock.

W.P. Carey Price Performance

WPC stock opened at $75.18 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $16.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. W.P. Carey Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.08 and a 1 year high of $76.97. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.89.

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

W.P. Carey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.0%. This is a boost from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. W.P. Carey’s payout ratio is currently 160.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WPC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank dropped their price target on W.P. Carey from $79.00 to $76.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays lifted their price objective on W.P. Carey from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Six equities 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, W.P. Carey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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