These 3 REIT Subsectors Are Surpassing All Others In Performance

The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (Nareit) is the trade association that promotes and advocates for real estate investment trusts (REITs) and other real estate-based companies in the U.S. Nareit identifies 14 REIT subsectors, but several of them, such as timberlands, infrastructure and self-storage REITs, are often grouped together and called specialty or specialized REITs. 

Over the past month, three REIT subsectors have outperformed all other REIT subsectors, propelled by the recent tame consumer price index (CPI) report and subsequent increase in the probability that the Federal Reserve will continue its pause on interest rate hikes. The three subsectors that have scorched all other REITs are:

Mortgage REITs (mREITs): mREITs are companies that invest in purchased and originated mortgages, as well as mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and earn income from the interest that is paid on those assets. These REITs generally fare better when interest rates are stable or declining.

Nine of the top 25 performing REITs over the past month are mREITs, including the No. 2 performer Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital Inc. HASI, up 41.01%; third-best performer Cherry Hill Mortgage Investment Corp. CHMI, up 35.17%; and fifth-best performer Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. GPMT, up 31.27%.

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Hannon Armstrong is an Annapolis, Maryland-based mortgage REIT (mREIT) that provides mortgage loans for renewable energy projects and owns stakes in a portfolio of solar and wind projects as well as other energy-efficient endeavors. Its business model and $4.9 billion portfolio are designed to invest in energy transitions that will improve the climate future. Hannon Armstrong joined the S&P Small Cap 600 in mid-September. Its present market cap is $1.91 billion.

Specialized REITs are companies that invest in properties that don't fit within other REIT sectors. Eight of the top 25 best-performing REITs over the past month are specialized REITs, including fourth-best REIT Outfront Media Inc. OUT, up 35.14%. Others in the top 15 include Uniti Group Inc. UNIT and Safehold Inc. SAFE, which have gained 26.98% and 25.35%, respectively.

Outfront Media Inc. is a New York-based specialized REIT with 500,000 advertising displays across 70 U.S. markets, using billboard, digital, transit and mobile assets to showcase its clients. Outfront Media's website claims that its media reaches 70% of all Americans weekly. Outfront and Lamar Advertising Co. LAMR are the only specialty REITs that exclusively own advertising space.

Uniti Group Inc. is a Little Rock, Arkansas-based specialized REIT that acquires and constructs mission-critical communications infrastructure in the form of fiber optics, copper and coaxial broadband networks. It owns and operates 139,000 fiber route miles covering 300,000 commercial buildings in 300 metro markets, with most of its network in the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. It's one of the 10-largest fiber providers in the U.S., and its fiber optic leasing generates about 70% of its total revenue.

Safehold Inc. is a New York-based, externally managed specialized REIT that acquires, manages and produces income from a $6.3 billion portfolio of 130 ground net leases in the top 30 U.S. markets. One reason for Safehold's recent strong performance is that it's holding a lot of floating rate debt, so it benefits from the second consecutive pause in interest rate hikes and a flat CPI report.

Office REITs own office properties that are leased to different industries. Revenue is created from the collection of tenant rents and occasionally from selling properties that have appreciated over time. Four of the top 25 best-performing REITs over the past month are office REITs. Within that group are Franklin Street Properties Corp. FSP, the No.1-performing REIT overall with a 43.98% gain; City Office REIT Inc. CIO, the No. 6-performing REIT with a 30.4% gain; and Office Properties Income Trust OPI, with a 10.65% gain.

Franklin Street Properties is a Wakefield, Massachusetts-based office REIT that focuses on properties in the Sun Belt and Mountain West regions of the U.S. Franklin Street owns 19 properties and one consolidated sponsored REIT. Insider purchases have helped Franklin Street Properties to appreciate this month, but the increased performance by office REITs overall is mainly because of the pause in interest rate hikes.

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