23,437 Shares in W.P. Carey Inc. $WPC Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in W.P. Carey Inc. (NYSE:WPC) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 23,437 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,676,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WPC. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in W.P. Carey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in shares of W.P. Carey in the third quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 73.73% of the company’s stock.

W.P. Carey Stock Performance

Shares of WPC stock opened at $70.53 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $16.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.22 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $72.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.56. W.P. Carey Inc. has a one year low of $63.08 and a one year high of $77.22.

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 issued a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This is a positive change from W.P. Carey’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. W.P. Carey’s payout ratio is currently 128.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WPC shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of W.P. Carey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $73.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of W.P. Carey from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of W.P. Carey from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Citigroup restated a “market perform” rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of W.P. Carey in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $79.38.

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.