W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) Plans Dividend Increase – $0.93 Per Share

W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of 0.93 per share by the real estate investment trust on Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a 1.1% increase from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92.

W.P. Carey has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 2 consecutive years. W.P. Carey has a dividend payout ratio of 136.8% meaning the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Equities research analysts expect W.P. Carey to earn $4.72 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.68 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 78.0%.

W.P. Carey Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of WPC stock traded up $0.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $72.42. 50,271 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,348,825. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.14. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.10. The company has a market capitalization of $15.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.36, a P/E/G ratio of 4.87 and a beta of 0.76. W.P. Carey has a fifty-two week low of $54.24 and a fifty-two week high of $75.69.

W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $444.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $433.28 million. W.P. Carey had a net margin of 27.17% and a return on equity of 5.67%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. W.P. Carey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.130-5.230 EPS. Research analysts predict that W.P. Carey will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WPC. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of W.P. Carey during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in W.P. Carey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.