Stymied by an financial system plagued with a excessive fee of inflation and rising rates of interest, publicly-traded REITs have been battered for a lot of 2022, with the FTSE All Fairness REIT Index down greater than 30 p.c at one level this yr. However the information has been higher of late. November marked the second straight month of positive aspects, with the entire returns for the index up 5.77 p.c. In consequence, REITs have clawed again some losses and the index is now down 20.27 p.c.
For the month, almost ever property sector posted positive aspects with information facilities main the best way (up 18.83 p.c). Healthcare REITs additionally posted a double-digit acquire and whole returns had been up 11.05 p.c for the month.
Robust third quarter earnings helped drive the general outcomes. For the quarter, REITs posted FFO of $19.89 billion, up from $19.73 billion within the second quarter and $17.31 billion within the third quarter of 2021. By way of the primary three quarters of 2022 REIT FFO has are available in at $57.42 billion, placing the sector on monitor to surpass 2021 annual FFO of $64.83 billion.
WMRE spoke with John Price, Nareit government vice chairman for analysis and investor outreach, and Ed Pierzak, senior vice chairman of analysis, to debate the most recent month-to-month outcomes.
This interview has been edited for type, size and readability.
WMRE: Glancing on the numbers, it seems to be prefer it was a powerful month throughout the board with a few sectors hitting double-digit positive aspects. Are you able to stroll us by the outcomes?
John Price: It’s the second consecutive optimistic month and REITs are up 9.6 p.c within the two months mixed. We noticed sturdy efficiency throughout the board, with 10 of the 12 property sectors up for the month. It’s additionally the primary two consecutive months this yr the place we noticed optimistic returns for REITs.
That sturdy efficiency displays a view in regards to the trajectory of the financial coverage regime and the tempo of tightening, but in addition displays the sturdy earnings season REITs had. The quarterly FFO determine of $19.9 billion was the very best quarterly whole ever. It’s a 15 p.c enhance from a yr in the past. Earnings on a year-to-date foundation are up almost 21 p.c above the primary three quarters of 2019, which got here in at $47.5 billion, in addition to up over final yr’s determine of $48 billion. There’s been an actual restoration and publicly-traded REITs are effectively above pre-COVID and virtually 20 p.c over 2021. I feel the sturdy fairness returns are partially reflective of the sturdy operational efficiency we’ve seen from REITs this yr.
WMRE: Information facilities had been up virtually 20 p.c for the month. Are you able to speak about a number of the highlights on the property stage?
John Price: With information facilities specifically, popping out of their earnings season there was a way that the provision/demand steadiness is sort of engaging proper now. And specifically on the demand facet, regardless that we’ve seen some layoffs and a few softness within the tech sector, it doesn’t appear like that can influence demand for information heart assets and cloud-based providers. Provide circumstances stay constrained and demand goes to proceed at a significant clip.
In speaking to institutional buyers, one of many themes we’ve seen is utilizing REITs and listed actual property as a strategy to get to “portfolio completion.” REITs generally is a manner of gaining access to property sectors, like information facilities, that might not be in institutional investor portfolios. And there are different strategies, however not with the convenience that they will get to them in listed area.
WMRE: With information facilities specifically, it’s struck me as a tricky market to crack due to the boundaries to entry and the way troublesome of an asset class it’s to handle.
John Price: It’s an incredible instance of a property sector the place scale is vital and the place having a community is vital. It’s a profit to have the ability to provide a world community of amenities versus a single property, as you may be capable of do in one other property kind. It is usually a excessive barrier by way of technical experience of the actual property it’s good to run. You have to have an working platform that’s everlasting and human capital and scale effectivity that’s constructed over years.
You’ll be able to see a few of those self same elements throughout an rising variety of property varieties. And one of many themes we’re seeing within the present local weather is that actual property as a passive funding is over. You at all times should be actively managing the portfolio and the property. And which means making investments in information science and proptech and the power to carry scale and experience are all critically vital.
WMRE: Final month was additionally your REITWorld annual convention. Had been there any main takeaways from the occasion?
John Price: The tenor of REIT world mapped to the third quarter outcomes. Operational efficiency has been good, however wanting forward we should be cautious in regards to the state of the financial system. The next rate of interest surroundings is impacting choice making for REITs and business actual property extra usually. Transactions have slowed dramatically. REIT transactions have been down considerably from the identical time final yr and from the primary quarter.
There’s this sense that as we’re on this greater fee surroundings, it’s one thing REITs and non-REITs should navigate, however REITs are coming in with sturdy place, sturdy steadiness sheets, low leverage ratios, largely fixed-rate money owed, sturdy curiosity protection and long-weighted common phrases to maturity, that are nonetheless greater than seven years. The overall sense is we should be cautious about being in a better fee surroundings and cautious a few decrease progress surroundings, however REITs are effectively ready for these environments.
WMRE: Every other ideas for this month?
John Price: We printed the newest model of an annual CEM Benchmarking research the place we have a look at efficiency throughout asset courses from a broad vary of outlined benefited pension funds. This yr it covers 23 years of knowledge, from 1998 by 2020. It seems to be at efficiency in 12 asset courses. The important thing result’s REITs do effectively on a relative foundation in contrast with different asset courses. They’ve the third highest annual common returns and a low correlation with equities and a excessive correlation with non-public actual property. Additionally they continued to point out vital outperformance in contrast with non-public actual property, outperforming that sector by 2 p.c per yr on common.
This information permits pension fund managers to essentially get a way of the efficiency not simply primarily based on index returns, but in addition on what their friends have realized. Importantly, it underscores why listed actual property generally is a sturdy element for an outlined profit plan.
As well as, Ed put out an fascinating commentary that appears on the efficiency of REITs coming into, throughout and popping out of recessions. We predict it’s an fascinating piece proper now, since we appear to be probably in the midst of the “coming right into a recession” interval and in 2023 lots of people will likely be fascinated with the “popping out of a recession” threshold, whether or not we even have one or not.
Ed Pierzak: We in contrast REITs to the NCREIF fund index ODCE to make it as a lot of an apples-to-apples comparability as attainable. REITs underperformed within the 4 quarters earlier than a recession, which is maybe not shocking since REITs have a tendency to steer non-public market efficiency by six to 18 months.
Throughout a recession, REITs outperform non-public actual property and popping out of a recession, additionally they outperform. So, there’s a lead/lag relationship which you can acknowledge at the very least during the last six recessions, which takes us again to the early 80s. Generally, REITs have been well-positioned to make the most of financial recoveries.