Capital markets are looking down as global market turmoil and oil's collapse have weighed heavy on stock prices—pushing the S&P 500 down 210 bps on the year. REITs, while they've also not looked great, have outpaced the general market, sinking only 10 bps over the same time span, underscoring the position of US real estate as a "safe haven" for investors. With that in mind, here's a breakdown of the REIT market's winners and losers over last week.
Winners:
1) Digital Realty Trust
Monday: $82.47/share
Friday: $85.23/share
Percent Change: 3.35%
Digital Realty continued its climb for the year, hitting a 52-week high after gaining 27.66% over this period, during which the S&P 500 declined 2.07%. This week's surge came after news that the data center REIT snatched up a six-acre site near Frankfurt with plans to build a three-building, 340k SF data center.
2) Realty Income Corp
Monday: $57.75/share
Friday: $59.25/share
Percent Change: 2.6%
Realty Income's rise last week came as a public SEC filing showed Tocqueville Asset Management nearly doubling down on the retail REIT—the asset manager increased its stake in Realty Income by 76% over Q4. Tocqueville was one of many institutional investors to up their stake in the REIT through Q4.
3) CoreSite Realty Corp
Monday: $64.65/share
Friday: $66.12/share
Percent Change: 2.27%
CoreSite kept up a slow and steady climb for the week, after the data center REIT announced a 53 cent dividend per share to be paid out following the month of March. Shares remain steadily above their average analyst target price of $59.72.
Losers:
1) RAIT Financial Trust
Monday: $3/share
Friday: $2.70/share
Percent Change: -9.9%
After the mortgage REIT's solid showing for the month, climbing from near $2/share to $3/share since mid-February, RAIT's shares came back down to earth somewhat this week. Despite the drop, experts expect shares to hit $3.75 over the course of the next year.
2) Pebblebrook Hotel Trust
Monday: $28.68/share
Friday: $25.84/share
Percent Change: -9.9%
The lodging REIT had a down week, but expect that to turn around, as 11 analysts covering the stock have changed their rating to "buy"—with an average price target of $34.78/share.
3) Ashford Hospitality Prime
Monday: $10.80/share
Friday: $9.92/share
Percent Change: -8.14%
Ashford shares dropped for the week, raising questions over analyst expectations that predict a slightly higher price going forward. The lodging REIT's 52-week price targets range from $15.50 to $10.50.
