O vs WPC — which stock performed better?

Realty Income Corporation (O) versus W. P. Carey Inc. (WPC), Real Estate, on 2026-09-28.

Result

W. P. Carey Inc. (WPC) performed better on 2026-09-28. O moved -0.950%, WPC moved 0.350%.

Why these two companies

The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 5.2% on Friday, September 25, 2026, its highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, putting fresh pressure on rate-sensitive, high-dividend net-lease REITs. Realty Income has been the poster child of that pressure, with a Motley Fool piece published September 24, 2026 highlighting how its yield has jumped toward 6% as shares fell from over $65 to around $55 over the past month. W. P. Carey, its closest large-cap net-lease rival, faces the same rate backdrop, making this a timely test of which monthly-dividend landlord investors trust more as long-term rates keep climbing.

The research

Realty Income and W. P. Carey both buy buildings — like warehouses, drugstores, and industrial sites — and rent them out under long contracts, then pass most of that rental income to shareholders as dividends every month or quarter. They compete for the same investors who want steady income rather than fast growth.

One reason to like Realty Income: it's the bigger, more diversified of the two, with a long history of raising its payout and new growth areas like data centers and a European partnership with a major investment firm. One reason to like W. P. Carey: its shares are cheaper relative to earnings, and its dividend has been growing again after a portfolio shake-up a couple of years ago.

The big thing to keep in mind for both companies is interest rates. When rates on safe government bonds go up, as they just did to their highest level in nearly two decades, dividend-paying real estate stocks like these often fall because investors can get a similar income elsewhere with less risk. That makes both stocks unusually sensitive to bond market news right now.

Neither company makes flashy products — their value comes from steady rent checks and reliable dividends — so short-term price swings often say more about the broader bond market than about how either business is actually running.