W. P. Carey falls 0.9% as it schedules third-quarter 2026 results and conference call

What happened

W. P. Carey (WPC) fell 0.9% on October 5, 2026, as the company scheduled its third-quarter 2026 results and a conference call. The stock opened 0.3% below the previous close and finished the session down while the S&P 500 rose 0.7%. Traders treated the move as routine; the announcement of reporting dates was the main development rather than a clear driver of the price change.

How big was the move

The stock fell 0.9% on the day and fell 2.9% over the last five sessions. Trading volume was 1.3 times its 20-day average, indicating slightly heavier-than-normal activity. The session’s decline equaled 0.9 times a typical daily move for this stock, so the price action was close to routine rather than extreme.

The broader market provided mixed context. Over five sessions, the S&P 500 rose 1.2%, while the Real Estate sector median fell 0.7% on the day. Compared with its sector, the stock’s performance was 0.2 percentage points worse than the sector median. The company’s market sensitivity is reflected in a beta of 0.21, meaning the stock tends to move less than the market.

The technical picture

The stock traded below several key moving averages: it was 4.3% below its 20-day moving average, 8.4% below its 50-day moving average and 10.0% below its 200-day moving average. The 50-day average is below the 200-day average, a sign of a weak longer-term trend. The Relative Strength Index (14 days) was 25, below 30, a level often called oversold.

Performance across timeframes showed persistent weakness. The stock was 17.2% below the 52-week high, fell 9.0% over one month and fell 10.3% over three months. Over one year it fell 6.6%, leaving it 22.4 percentage points behind the S&P 500. Volatility was relatively low, at 16% annualized over 60 days, lower than 89% of its own readings over five years.

Fundamentals and valuation

For the four quarters through June 30, 2026, W. P. Carey reported revenue of $1.90 billion, which grew 15.7% from a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share over the period were $2.93, up 92.8% from a year earlier. Gross margin was 52.8% compared with 91.8% a year earlier, and operating margin was 33.6% versus 75.9% a year earlier. Free-cash-flow margin stood at 57.0%.

The balance sheet showed net debt of 6.4 times EBITDA, and share count over one year increased by 2.9%. Return on invested capital was 3.4%. On valuation metrics, the stock traded at 21.8 times trailing earnings and 20.5 times expected forward earnings, with a free-cash-flow yield of 7.4%. Its price to trailing earnings is lower than 76% of its own readings over the past five years, where the five-year median is 28.6 times earnings.

PromtFinance scores positioned the company as broadly neutral on most dimensions, with Value at 52, Growth at 56, Quality at 57 and Momentum at 45. Revisions scored 72, labeled Positive, while Stability scored 92 and is labeled Exceptional.

Earnings and analyst expectations

W. P. Carey said it would release third-quarter 2026 financial results on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and would hold a conference call on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The company’s last report, on July 28, 2026, delivered earnings per share of $0.82 against $0.71 expected, 15.3% above estimates. That was the fourth consecutive quarter beating estimates, and the average surprise over the last four reports was 28.7% above estimates.

Typical market reactions to recent reports have been muted; the typical two-day reaction after recent reports was that the stock rose 0.1%. Analysts covering the stock total 21, and the consensus rating is Hold. The consensus price target is $78.00, which is 22.0% above the closing price. Thirty-eight percent of analysts rate the stock Buy.

What to watch

• October 27, 2026: company to release third-quarter 2026 financial results
• October 28, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time: scheduled conference call
• Next report follows a quarter where earnings per share were $0.82, 15.3% above estimates
• Consensus price target is $78.00, 22.0% above the closing price