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ICYMI: Let’s Play Devil’s Advocate: What’s the Bear Case for Realty Income?

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By Brian Nelson, CFA We like Realty Income Corp. (O) a lot, but it’s not hard to see that the REIT could potentially have all the makings of a black swan. For one, the stock is loved by almost everyone–REIT investors, income investors, and dividend growth investors alike. Many are simply enamored by its monthly dividend, which it has raised nearly 120 times since it was listed on the NYSE in 1994. Over its 54-year history, the REIT has paid 632 consecutive monthly dividends, too. There’s a ton of things to like about Realty Income, but for this note, let’s build and examine the bear case, one that can be broken into three pillars: 1) its retail exposure, 2) its … Read more

Why Are the Dividends of REITs So Risky?

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By Brian Nelson, CFA Not all REIT dividends are safe. Many REITs remain capital-market dependent, and some office REITs, retail REITs, and healthcare REITs may be difficult places to generate dependable long-term income in the coming decades, in our view. Office REIT SL Green (SLG) recently cut its payout 13% on December 5, 2022, while another office REIT Vornado Realty Trust (VNO) cut its dividend 29% on January 18, 2023. These are just two of the latest high-profile REIT dividend cuts, and there may be more to come. Contrary to popular opinion, the REIT sector has not been a great source of dependable, reliable income, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. Five REITs cut their dividends in 2019: Medalist Diversified REIT … Read more

REITs May Continue to Face Pressure

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Image: The Dividend Cushion ratio is one of the most powerful financial tools an income or dividend growth investor can use in conjunction with qualitative dividend analysis. The ratio is one-of-a-kind in that it is both free-cash-flow based and forward looking. Since its creation in 2012, the Dividend Cushion ratio has forewarned readers of approximately 50 dividend cuts. We estimate its efficacy at ~90%. By Brian Nelson, CFA Times are tough for equity REITs (VNQ) and mortgage REITs (REM), with the VNQ and REM down 25% and 30%, respectively, so far in 2022. This is against a backdrop of Valuentum’s simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio that are doing far better. The lesson in 2022, … Read more

Realty Income Updates Investors

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Image Source: Realty Income Corporation – July 2020 Institutional Investor Presentation By Callum Turcan The real estate investment trust (‘REIT’) Realty Income Corporation (O) recently provided investors with some key financial and operational updates. Realty Income primarily invests in single-tenant commercial properties in the US, Puerto Rico, and the UK, and we include shares of O as a holding with a modest weighting in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. Most of Realty Income’s tenants have continued to pay rent during the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic, though tenants in select categories have been unwilling or unable to pay during these challenging times. In particular, Realty Income’s movie theater tenants did not pay rent in June or the second quarter of 2020, … Read more

Digital Realty Trust is Holding Up Quite Well

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Image Shown: Shares of Digital Realty Trust Inc, a holding in both our Dividend Growth Newsletter and High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolios, have outperformed the S&P 500 (SPY) by a wide margin over the past year and that’s before taking dividend considerations into account. By Callum Turcan On May 7, the data center real estate investment trust (‘REIT’) Digital Realty Trust Inc (DLR) reported first-quarter 2020 earnings. Though the firm’s near-term guidance disappointed investors, management communicated that the medium- and long-term trajectory of Digital Realty’s financial and operational performance remained strong. Furthermore, its liquidity position and its dividend coverage continued to be rock-solid, particularly after factoring in the data center REIT’s ongoing access to equity markets and lack of near-term … Read more

Realty Income Closes Out 2019 With a Solid Earnings Report and Promising Guidance

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Image Shown: Shares of Realty Income Corporation, a holding in our Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, have taken off year-to-date. By Callum Turcan On February 19, the commercial property focused real estate investment trust (‘REIT’) Realty Income Corporation (O) reported fourth quarter and full-year earnings for 2019. Its results beat market expectations for both its GAAP revenues and non-GAAP funds from operations (‘FFO’), which saw shares continue to march higher after performing quite well year-to-date. We include shares of O in our Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and continue to like the name. Please note that when we update our Retail REIT Industry models, it’s likely Realty Income will receive a nice boost to its fair value estimate and fair value estimate range. … Read more