Mark Alexander, a director at W.P. Carey (WPC), recently bought 3,500 shares. The buy increased his stake by 10%, and came to a total cost of $195,531.
This marks the first insider buy in 15 months, as Alexander was the last buyer with a 1,000 share buy in May, 2023. Otherwise, the company’s Chief Accounting Officer sold a small position over two transactions in the past year, making the only other insider activity.
Overall, W.P. Carey insiders own 1.2% of shares.
The commercial real estate investment trust (REIT) is down about 12% over the past year. High interest rates, sluggish consumer spending, and concerns over the commercial market have weighed on shares.
However, Carey is largely focused on properties such as warehouses and industrial spaces. And tenants have long-term net leases. That puts the company in a strong position relative to other peers in the REIT space, with 35% profit margins right now.
Action to take: As a REIT, Carey is structured to pay out a high yield. Shares currently pay a 6.2% yield, up from the five-year average of 5.9%. Investors looking for high current income may want to buy a small stake and build from there.
For traders, the January 2025 $60 calls, last trading for about $1.70, could see mid-to-high double-digit returns over the coming months. Shares are likely to trend higher as interest rates come down later in the year.
Disclosure: The author of this article has no position in the company mentioned here, but may trade after the next 72 hours. The author receives no compensation from any company mentioned in this article.