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The winners of NAREIT’s 2015 Investor CARE Awards, which honor excellence in communications and reporting to shareholders, were announced on June 9 in New York at REITWeek 2015: NAREIT’s Investor Forum.
In the large cap Equity REIT category, the Gold Award went to Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE). Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE: BXP) received the Silver Award, while the Bronze Award went to Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT).
Ron Bohlert, manager of global listings at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), joined REIT.com for a video interview during REITWise 2015: NAREIT’s Law, Accounting and Finance Conference held in Phoenix.
Bohlert noted that initial public offering (IPO) activity during 2014 was “incredibly successful for the NYSE.” There were a total of 117 IPOs, which raised a total amount of $ 65 billion. While the Alibaba Group IPO contributed a sizeable portion of that total, “in terms of the number of deals and capital raised, it was still very successful on all fronts,” he said.
Jay Leupp, managing director and senior portfolio manager at Lazard Asset Management, joined REIT.com for a video interview during NAREIT’s 2015 Washington Leadership Forum.
After a solid performance for REITs in 2014, “we do think there’s still room to run” in 2015, Leupp said.
“We don’t think rates are going to rise as much as most pundits,” he said. “We do still see very strong real estate fundamentals… and we still see rent growth and earnings growth tracking ahead of inflation. In our view, this adds up to a pretty good year for REITs.”
Demand for industrial space is expected to remain healthy for the rest of 2015, supported by solid economic fundamentals, rising consumer demand and the continued expansion of e-commerce, according to market watchers.
A report from the NAIOP Research Foundation forecasts net demand for industrial space could grow 8 percent in 2015, up from 224 million square feet in 2014.
Health care REITs will continue to actively pursue senior housing assets in 2015, spurred on by low interest rates, attractive financing, solid returns and robust demand, according to market observers.
Tom Klaritch, executive vice president of medical office properties at HCP, Inc. (NYSE: HCP), joined REIT.com for a video interview at NAREIT’s 2015 Leader in the Light Working Forum in Reston, Va.
HCP is a fully integrated REIT serving the health care industry. It was the first health care REIT selected to the S&P 500 Index. Klaritch outlined a number of sustainability initiatives now underway at HCP.
REITs started 2015 on solid ground, as continued low interest rates and promising fundamentals helped the sector outperform the broader market in January.
The FTSE NAREIT All REITs Index had a total return of 5.6 percent last month, while the return on the S&P 500 Index fell 3.0 percent.
Anthony Paolone, senior analyst at JP Morgan, noted that the broader market was impacted by jitters concerning oil prices, the dollar and Europe’s economy. Meanwhile, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell 0.5 percent in January.
Although unlikely to match the returns of 2014, positive fundamentals have REITs in position to sustain a solid performance in 2015, according to market observers.
The FTSE NAREIT All REITs Index had a total return of 27.2 percent for 2014, compared to a return of 13.7 percent for the S&P 500 Index.
“It was a pretty sensational year for REITs,” said Rich Moore, managing director at RBC Capital Markets. “Going forward, you’re going to have a positive year on the fundamentals side, no question about it.”
David Auerbach, institutional trader with Esposito Securities, looked back at the REIT market in 2014 and ahead to 2015 on the latest edition of the NAREIT Podcast.
With the year coming to a close, Auerbach discussed some of the biggest developments in the REIT market in 2014. He described it as an “exciting year for REIT investors.” He said the moves made by The Blackstone Group, including taking multiple real estate portfolios public, took center stage throughout the year.
