What is a good debt to equity ratio for REITs?
For real estate investment companies, including real estate investment trusts (REITs), the average debt-to-equity ratio tends to be around 3.5:1.
A Current Ratio above one informs that the REITs Total Current Assets are greater than its Total Current Liabilities. Therefore, the higher the current ratio is above one, the better chances that the REIT is in a position to pay its debt/obligations within the next 12 months.
Corresponds to the equity coverage ratio in accordance with section 15 in conjunction with section 12(1) sentence 2 of the German REIT Act, i.e. the ratio of equity (on a fair value basis) to the fair value of immovable assets.
The optimal debt-to-equity ratio will tend to vary widely by industry, but the general consensus is that it should not be above a level of 2.0. While some very large companies in fixed asset-heavy industries (such as mining or manufacturing) may have ratios higher than 2, these are the exception rather than the rule.
Generally, a good debt-to-equity ratio is anything lower than 1.0. A ratio of 2.0 or higher is usually considered risky. If a debt-to-equity ratio is negative, it means that the company has more liabilities than assets—this company would be considered extremely risky.
How to Qualify as a REIT? To qualify as a REIT, a company must have the bulk of its assets and income connected to real estate investment and must distribute at least 90 percent of its taxable income to shareholders annually in the form of dividends.
- Cap rates (Net operating income / property value)
- Equity value / FFO.
- Equity value / AFFO.
General requirements
A REIT cannot be closely held. A REIT will be closely held if more than 50 percent of the value of its outstanding stock is owned directly or indirectly by or for five or fewer individuals at any point during the last half of the taxable year, (this is commonly referred to as the 5/50 test).
In situations where all investors submit cash election forms, the dividend payout formula will result in all shareholders receiving their distribution as 20% cash and 80% stock, which means that the cash/stock dividend strategy functions analogously to a pro rata cash dividend coupled with a pro rata stock split.
30% Rule. This rule was introduced with the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) and is part of Section 163(j) of the IRS Code. It states that a REIT may not deduct business interest expenses that exceed 30% of adjusted taxable income. REITs use debt financing, where the business interest expense comes in.
Is 50% debt-to-equity ratio good?
Yes, a D/E ratio of 50% or 0.5 is very good. This means it is a low-debt business and the company's equity is twice as high as its debts.
Generally, a lower ratio is better, as it implies that the company is in less debt and is less risky for lenders and investors. A debt-to-equity ratio of 0.5 or below is considered good.
With a debt to equity ratio of 1.2, investing is less risky for the lenders because the business is not highly leveraged — meaning it isn't primarily financed with debt.
From a pure risk perspective, debt ratios of 0.4 or lower are considered better, while a debt ratio of 0.6 or higher makes it more difficult to borrow money.
Debt-to-equity ratio values tend to land between 0.1 (almost no debt relative to equity) and 0.9 (very high levels of debt relative to equity). Most companies aim for a ratio between these two extremes, both for reasons of economic sustainability and to attract investors or lenders.
Most lenders hesitate to lend to someone with a debt to equity/asset ratio over 40%. Over 40% is considered a bad debt equity ratio for banks. Similarly, a good debt to asset ratio typically falls below 0.4 or 40%. This means that your total debt is less than 40% of your total assets.
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.
For Group REITs, the consequences of leaving early apply when the principal company of the group gives notice for the group as a whole to leave the regime within ten years of joining or where an exiting company has been a member of the Group REIT for less than ten years.
Historically, REITs tend to deliver their highest returns during early stages of the real estate recovery cycle, according to research from Nareit, an association representing the REIT industry. That could spell a strong performance for REITs moving forward.
REITs should generally be considered long-term investments
And with publicly traded REITs that fluctuate with the stock market, Jhangiani recommends holding onto them for at least three years.
How do you tell if a REIT is overvalued?
Net Asset Value (NAV) is associated with the value of its underlying real estate assets, minus by the value of its liabilities. It is frequently calculated and compared to Mark to Market, this ratio gives an indication of whether the REIT is currently overvalued or undervalued with respect to its intrinsic value.
If a REIT's dividend yield is above its long-term average, then the trust is undervalued; conversely, if a REIT's dividend yield is below its long-term average, the trust is overvalued.
“I recommend REITs within a managed portfolio,” Devine said, noting that most investors should limit their REIT exposure to between 2 percent and 5 percent of their overall portfolio. Here again, a financial professional can help you determine what percentage of your portfolio you should allocate toward REITs, if any.
Invest at least 75% of its total assets in real estate. Derive at least 75% of its gross income from rents from real property, interest on mortgages financing real property or from sales of real estate. Pay at least 90% of its taxable income in the form of shareholder dividends each year.
To ensure compliance with these tests, most REITs include percentage ownership limitations in their organizational documents. Due to the need to have 100 shareholders and the complexity of both of these tests, it is strongly recommended that tax and securities law counsel are consulted before forming a REIT.
