Editors' Pick, iREIT Daily

Things Are Getting Crazy Out There

Brad Thomas

467 postsJanuary 27, 2021

Quote for Today:

“All things are difficult before they are easy.”
– Thomas Fuller

(Source)

We’re living in interesting times right now with incredible opportunities to either make it or break it.

One could argue that every day is filled with such possibility, a stance I’d largely agree with. That’s why this blog is named “Another Day in REIT Paradise,” after all.

There’s always the chance to both appreciate what we already have… and to build something bigger and better to appreciate down the road.

I know that’s my goal, which is why I keep sharing information with you market-day in and market-day out – the good, the bad, and the cautionary alike.

With that in mind, I need to tell you that department store chain Belk just filed for Chapter 11. If you live in North Carolina, you probably recognize that name. It’s been around for almost 190 years now, and it’s still set on reaching the two-century mark. At this point, anyway.

“We’re confident that [the current agreement] puts us on the right long-term path toward significantly reducing our debt and providing us with greater financial flexibility to meet our obligations and to continue investing in our business,” CEO Lisa Harper told the public.

Is that optimism justified? Personally, I say more power to them… and continuing caution for retail investors in general.

Moving on to another intensely pressured property sector, we’ve got go-getter news in the hospitality halls as well. It appears that luxury hospitality owner sbe Corporation is on the prowl for new properties. Lots of them, actually.

Its stated plan is to add 50 hotels to its global portfolio by 2023.

The company will no doubt pay some pretty low prices for those upcoming acquisitions. And if it thinks it can actually fill the resulting rooms to make a worthwhile profit? Then, again, I say more power to it.

I’m sure that, in both Belk and sbe’s cases, they have very intelligent, very determined people assessing their situations. Which is something I don’t know if I can say about all the short-sellers driving up certain stocks right now…

They’re determined. I’ll give them that. But intelligent?

That’s debatable, to say the least.

The World According to Commercial Real Estate

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog how “several of our REIT picks bounced” on Monday “thanks in large part to what appears to be a short squeeze.” But let’s discuss that a bit more today.

The drama centers around GameStop (GME), which was an intensely unloved and significantly shorted stock, only to find sudden favor in the last month – and intense attention this week. As we’ve been learning, there’s a Reddit thread called wallstreetbets, or WSB, that’s decided to go full-out cowboy on the markets.

By that, I mean the people who participate in it are buying into unloved and outright shorted companies for two purposes: to make money, of course, but also to seemingly give short-sellers a taste of their own medicine.

Here’s The Street’s take on short-selling:

“To many investors, short-sellers are evil. They try to profit from falling stock prices, preying on companies and making stocks fall even further.

“… But short-sellers can also cause a stock to rise if they’re forced en masse to buy back the shares they sold short. Meet what’s called the short squeeze.

“In a short sale, an investor borrows stock from a broker and sells those shares into the market with the understanding that the shares must be bought back at a future date and returned to the broker.

“If the stock falls, the investor buys back the stock at a cheaper price, making money on the trade. If the stock rises, the investor has two choices: Wait for the stock to come back down, leaving the short-seller exposed to potentially greater losses, or buy it back and realize a loss.”

Again, GameStop was the main focal point of this anti-shorting campaign. But some REITs got caught up in the drama too – a drama that isn’t over yet.

In “short,” get used to volatility. Because we’re going to be seeing more of it until either the crazy bulls or the crazy bears cry “Uncle!” already.

In the midst of all that, here’s some commercial real estate-specific news to digest, largely powered by The Daily REITBeat:

Gladstone Commercial (GOOD) purchased a 180,152 square-foot, high-volume distribution building in Findlay, Ohio, that’s 100% leased for $11 million.
Monmouth Real Estate (MNR) saw Land & Buildings Investment Management issue a letter about its “flawed strategic alternatives process” and the activist investor’s continued demands for “four highly qualified director candidates” to come up for a vote on joining the REITs’ board.
Empire State Realty (ESRT) says that the critically acclaimed Pera Mediterranean Brasserie restaurant renewed its lease at One Grand Central Place.

And, as usual, here were yesterday’s biggest winners and losers.

(Daily REIT Beat)

Like I told you before… the game isn’t over yet.

Happy Investing

Brad Thomas

467 posts

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Brad Thomas is Senior Research Analyst at iREIT and CEO of Wide Moat Research LLC. With over 30 years of real estate experience, he is also long-time Editor of Forbes Real Estate Investor, a monthly subscription-based newsletter that dives deep into the vast world of profitable properties, and since 2021, he has served as an adjunct professor at New York University.

Thomas has also been featured on or in Forbes magazine, Kiplinger's, U.S. News and World Report, Money, NPR, Institutional Investor, GlobeStreet, CNN, Newsmax, and Fox. And he was the #1 contributing analyst on Seeking Alpha in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 based on both page views and number of followers.

Thomas is the recently-published author of The Intelligent REIT Investor Guide (2021), co-author of The Intelligent REIT Investor (2016), and he wrote The Trump Factor: Unlocking The Secrets Behind The Trump Empire (2016) - all available on Amazon.

Thomas received a bachelor of science in business/economics from Presbyterian College and is married with five wonderful kids.

REIT Mutual Fund	Symbol
Alpine Realty Income and Growth Fund	AIGYX, AIAGX
American Century Real Estate Fund	REAIX, REACX, AREEX, AREWX, ARYCX, AREDX
Real Estate Securities Fund	MRESX
AR Capital Real Estate Income Fund	ARIAX, ARICX, ARIPX
AssetMark Real Estate Securities Fund	AFREX
Aston/Harrison Street Real Estate Fund	AARIX, ARFCX
Baron Real Estate Fund	BREIX, BREFX
BlackRock Real Estate Securities	BIREX, BAREX, BCREX
Brookfield U.S. Listed Real Estate Fund	BRUAX, BRUCX, BRUIX, BRUYX
CGM Realty Fund	CGMRX
West Loop Realty Fund	REIIX, REIAX, REICX
Cohen & Steers Institutional Realty Shares	CSRIX
Cohen & Steers Realty Income Fund	CSEIX, CSDIX, CSBIX, CSCIX
Cohen & Steers Realty Shares	CSRSX
Columbia Real Estate Equity Fund	CREAX, CREIX, CRRVX, CRERX, CREEX, CRRFX, CREWX, CRECX, CREBX
Compass EMP REC Enhanced Volatility Weighted Fund	CWRAX, CWRIX, CWRTX, CWRCX
Davis Real Estate Fund	RPFRX, DREYX, DRECX, DREBX
Delaware Real Estate Investment Trust Portfolio II	DPRTX, DPRBX
Delaware Real Estate Investment Trust Portfolio	DPREX, DPRSX, DPRRX, DPRCX
DFA Real Estate Securities Portfolio	DFREX
Dunham Real Estate Stock Fund	DAREX, DNREX, DCREX
DWS RREEF Real Estate Securities Fund	RRRRX, RRREX, RRRAX, RRRSX, RRRBX, RRRCX
DWS RREEF Real Estate Securities Income Fund	REFAX, REFCX, REFIX, REFSX
Eaton Vance Real Estate Fund	EAREX, EIREX
EII Realty Securities Fund	EIIRX
Fidelity Advisor Real Estate Fund	FHEIX, FHEAX, FHETX, FHECX, FHEBX
Fidelity Advisor Real Estate Income Fund	FRIRX, FRIQX, FRINX, FRIOX
Fidelity Real Estate Income Fund	FRIFX
Fidelity Real Estate Investment Portfolio	FRESX
Fidelity Spartan Real Estate Index Fund	FSRNX, FRXIX, FSRVX
Fidelity Series Real Estate Equity Fund	FREDX, FREFX
Fidelity Series Real Estate Income Fund	FSREX, FSRWX
Forward Real Estate Long/Short Fund	KSRYX, FRLSX, FFSRX, KSRAX, KSRCX, KSRBX
Forward Real Estate Fund	FPREX, FFREX, KREAX, KRECX
Forward Select Income Fund	KIFYX, FSIMX, FFSLX, KIFAX, KIFBX, KIFCX
Franklin Real Estate Securities Fund	FREEX, FRLAX, FRRSX, FSERX
GMO Real Estate Fund	GMORX
Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund	GREIX, GRETX, GREAX, GRESX, GRERX, GREBX, GRECX
Great-West Real Estate Fund	MXREX
Heitman REIT Fund	OARTX, OBRTX
ING Real Estate Fund	CRARX, IREWX, IDROX, CLARX, CRWRX, CRCRX, CRBCX
INVESCO Real Estate Fund	REINX, IARFX, IARIX, IARYX, IARAX, IARRX, IARCX, AARBX
Ivy Real Estate Securities Fund	IRSAX, IREIX, IRSYX, IRSRX, IREEX, IRSCX, IRSBX
John Hancock Real Estate Securities Fund	JIREX
Johnson Realty Fund	JRLTX
J.P.Morgan Realty Income Fund	URTLX, JRIRX, URTAX, URTBX, URTCX
J.P. Morgan Security Capital U.S. Core Real Estate Securities Fund	CEEAX, CEERX, CEEFX, CEESX, CEECX
J.P. Morgan U.S. Real Estate Fund	SUSIX
Lazard U.S. Realty Equity Portfolio	LREIX, LREOX
Lazard U.S. Realty Income Portfolio	LRIIX, LRIOX
Manning & Napier Real Estate Series	MNRIX, MNREX
Morgan Stanley Institutional U.S. Real Estate Portfolio	MSUSX, MUSDX, MSULX, MURSX
Natixis AEW Real Estate Fund	NRFAX, NRFYX, NRFBX, NRFCX, NRFNX
Neuberger Berman Real Estate Fund	NBRIX, NBRFX, NREAX, NRERX, NRECX, NRREX
Nuveen Real Estate Securities Fund	FREAX, FARCX, FRSSX, FREBX, FRLCX, FREGX
Oppenheimer Real Estate Fund	OREAX, OREIX, OREYX, ORENX, OREBX, ORECX
PHOCAS Real Estate Fund	PHREX
PIMCO RealEstateRealReturn Strategy Fund	PRRSX, PETPX, PETAX, PETDX, PETCX, PETBX
Pioneer Real Estate Shares	PWREX, PYREX, PCREX, PBREX
Principal Real Estate Securities Fund	PIREX, PIRPX, PREPX, PRETX, PREJX, PRRAX, PRERX, PRENX, PRAEX, PRCEX, PRLEX
ProFunds Real Estate UltraSector ProFund	REPIX
Prudential Select Real Estate Fund	SREAX
Prudential U.S. Real Estate Fund	PJEAX, PJEZX, PJECX, PJEBX
REMS Real Estate Income 50/50 Portfolio	RREIX
REMS Real Estate Value-Opportunity Fund	HLRRX, HLPPX
Rydex Real Estate Fund	RYREX, RYHRX, RYCRX
SA Real Estate Securities Fund	SAREX
SEI Institutional Mgd Real Estate Fund	SETAX, SEIRX
Spirit of America Real Estate Income & Growth Fund	SOAAX
SSgA Clarion Real Estate Fund	SSREX
Stratton Real Estate Fund	STMDX
T.Rowe Price Real Estate Fund	TRREX, PAREX
TIAA-CREF Real Estate Securities Fund	TIREX, TRRPX, TRRSX, TCREX
Vanguard REIT Index Fund	VGSNX, VGRSX, VGSLX, VGSIX
Virtus Real Estate Securities Fund	PHRAX, PHRIX, PHRCX, PHRBX

REIT ETF	Symbol
Flex Shares	ASET
Wisdom Tree Global Ex-US	DRW
S&P 500 Equal Weight	EWRE
iShares FTSE Industrial/Office	FNIO
MSCI Real Estate Index	FREL
S&P REIT Index	FRI
First Trust S&P REIT	FRI
iShares Real Estate 50	FTY
Flexshares Global	GQRE
iShares Cohen & Streers	ICF
iShares International Developed RE	IFGL
iShares US RE	IYR
Premium Yield Equity REIT	KBWY
ETRACS Monthly Pay 2x Leverage	MORL
Market Vector Mortgage	MORT
iShares Global REIT	REET
iShares FTSE Mortgage	REM
iShares Residential	REZ
IQ US Real Estate Small Cap	ROOF
iShares FTSE NAREIT Retail	RTL
DOW Jones Global RE	RWO
SPDR Dow Jones	RWR
Schwab US REIT	SCHH
Super Dividend REIT	SRET
ProShares Ultra RE	URE
Vanguard REIT	VNQ
Vanguard Global ex-US	VNQI
iShares International Developed	WPS
Wilshire US REIT	WREI
Pacer Benchmark Data & Infrastructure RE	SRVR
Pacer Benchmark Industrial RE	INDS
Pacer Benchmark Retail RE	RTL
Hoya Capital Housing	HOMZ
NetLease Corporate RE	NETL

REIT Name	Ticker	Annual Increases/yr
Federal Realty	FRT	51
Universal Health Realty	UHT	33
National Retail Properties	NNN	29
Realty Income	O	27
Tanger Outlets	SKT	26
Urstadt Biddle	UBA	25
Essex Property Trust	ESS	25
W.P.Carey	WPC	22
National Health Investors	NHI	17
Equity Lifestyle	ELS	15
Digital Realty	DLR	15

Things Are Getting Crazy Out There

Brad Thomas

467 postsJanuary 27, 2021

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467 postsJanuary 27, 2021

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