Are REITs less risky?
Are REITs Risky Investments? In general, REITs are not considered especially risky, especially when they have diversified holdings and are held as part of a diversified portfolio. REITs are, however, sensitive to interest rates and may not be as tax-friendly as other investments.
Key Points. REITs have outperformed stocks on 20-to-50-year horizons. Most REITs are less volatile than the S&P 500, with some only half as volatile as the market at large.
Compared to other investments such as stocks and bonds, REITs are subject to various risk factors that affect the investor's returns. Some of the main risk factors associated with REITs include leverage risk, liquidity risk, and market risk.
Can You Lose Money on a REIT? As with any investment, there is always a risk of loss. Publicly traded REITs have the particular risk of losing value as interest rates rise, which typically sends investment capital into bonds.
Risks of investing in REITs include higher dividend taxes, sensitivity to interest rates, and exposure to specific property trends.
Non-traded REITs have little liquidity, meaning it's difficult for investors to sell them. Publicly traded REITs have the risk of losing value as interest rates rise, which typically sends investment capital into bonds.
Here's an explanation for how we make money . More than a year of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve pushed down returns on real estate investment trusts, or REITs. While higher rates negatively impacted nearly every sector of the economy in 2022 and most of 2023, real estate was hit especially hard.
REIT Stock Performance and the Interest Rate Environment
Over longer periods, there has generally been a positive association between periods of rising rates and REIT returns. This is because rising rates generally reflect improvement in the underlying fundamentals.
By law, a REIT must pay at least 90% of its income to its shareholders, providing investors with a passive income option that can be helpful during recessions. Typically, the upfront costs of investing in a REIT are low, while their risk-adjusted returns tend to be high.
Stocks and REITs are not guaranteed and have been more volatile than bonds. Stocks provide ownership in corporations that intend to provide growth and/or current income. REITs typically provide high dividends plus the potential for moderate, long-term capital appreciation.
What I wish I knew before investing in REITs?
A lot of REIT investors focus too way much on the dividend yield. They think that a high dividend yield implies that a REIT is cheap and a good investment opportunity. In reality, it is often the opposite, and the dividend does not say much, if anything, about the valuation of a REIT.
By law, 75% of a REITs asset must be invested in real estate. The market value of the property owned by the REIT offers a bit of protection, as long as the value of the property doesn't go to zero. That's not to say that REIT values can't go down, though.
Cons of investing in REIT stocks
Illiquid (especially non-traded and private REITs): Publicly traded REITs are easier to buy and sell than actual properties, but as noted above, non-traded REITs and private REITs can be a different story. These REITs must be held for years to realize potential gains.
REITs. When interest rates are falling, dependable, regular income investments become harder to find. This benefits high-quality real estate investment trusts, or REITs. Strictly speaking, REITs are not fixed-income securities; their dividends are not predetermined but are based on income generated from real estate.
April 2, 2024, at 2:50 p.m. Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, are a great way to invest in the real estate sector while diversifying your options. Real estate investments can be an excellent way to earn returns, generate cash flow, hedge against inflation and diversify an investment portfolio.
While a REIT is still open to public investors, investors may be able to sell their shares back to the REIT. However, this sale usually comes at a discount; leaving only about 70% to 95% of the original value. Once a REIT is closed to the public, REIT companies may not offer early redemptions.
The FTSE Nareit All REITs index, which tracks the performance of all publicly traded REITs in the U.S., had an average annual total return (dividends included) of 3.58% during the five-year period that ended in August 2023. For the 10-year period between 2013 and 2022, the index averaged 7.48% per year.
Because the REIT manages the property, investors are not burdened with the everyday stress of vacancies, tenants, management or repairs. REITs also pay out dividends to investors, providing a reliable passive income stream.
The majority of REIT dividends are taxed as ordinary income up to the maximum rate of 37% (returning to 39.6% in 2026), plus a separate 3.8% surtax on investment income.
Over the long term, our research found that REITs have outperformed stocks. Since 1994, three REIT subgroups stood out for their ability to beat the S&P 500. Here's a closer look at these market-beating REIT types.
Will REITs ever recover?
Right now, REITs (VNQ) are at an inflection point and time is running out for investors. But now as we head into 2024, we expect the polar opposite and this should lead to an epic recovery across the REIT sector. The Fed expects at least 3 interest rate cuts in 2024 and the market is predicting even more.
The trend started to reverse in late 2023, with the REITs posting a 17.9% return for the fourth quarter. And it will likely continue in 2024 as multiple factors converge to create a favorable environment for the sector, according to REIT fund managers.
| REIT | Forward dividend yield |
|---|---|
| Blackstone Mortgage Trust Inc. (BXMT) | 12.1% |
| KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. (KREF) | 13.5% |
| Easterly Government Properties Inc. (DEA) | 8.3% |
| Realty Income Corp. (O) | 5.5% |
REIT Benefits to Investors
This tax break results in a regular distribution of dividend income to REIT shareholders, and the effective net yields are often higher than the ones from bonds (or stocks), even in cases of high-interest rates.
As interest rates rise, they can depress the price of these REITs. So while dividends may climb with interest rates, the price of publicly-traded REITs may decline. Historically, REITs are one of the better-performing sectors during inflationary periods.
