This High-Yield Office REIT Is Unharmed By The Work-From-Home Trend

Visitor Contribution by Tom Hutchinson, Chief Analyst, Cabot Dividend Investor

Shares will inevitably development larger over time as they’ve persistently all through the many years. However the market generally is a curler coaster within the close to time period. The S&P 500 was up final yr, however the market indexes are barely larger than they had been at the start of 2022.

Positive, there may be cause for optimism going ahead. Inflation is approach down, rates of interest have probably peaked, and the economic system remains to be stable. We could also be getting previous this Fed charge mountaineering cycle with out the standard financial ache. It’s a brand new bull market and the S&P is on the cusp of recent all-time highs.

However a lot uncertainty stays. At any time when inflation has risen above 5% for a sustained interval up to now, it has taken a minimum of a decade to do away with. Inflation may reignite and make the Fed hawkish once more except the economic system rolls over. One other danger is that the recession that by no means got here could also be just a bit additional down the highway.

Then there are the wars occurring within the Ukraine and Gaza. Issues may escalate and spook the market at any time. Plus, it’s a Presidential election yr.

Something is feasible. However dividends will roll in it doesn’t matter what occurs. Over time, dividend-paying shares have vastly outperformed non-dividend-payers. Corporations that persistently develop dividends have carried out better of all. And the outperformance comes with much less volatility than the general market.

For this reason Positive Dividend maintains a database of over 270 particular person securities (shares, REITs, MLPs, and so forth.) with 5%+ dividend yields.

Dividends have accounted for greater than 40% of S&P 500 whole returns over the previous century. It’s additionally price noting that in the course of the highest inflationary many years of the previous century (the Forties and Seventies), dividends’ contribution to S&P whole returns was 67% and 78%, respectively.

Corporations that persistently pay and develop dividends are usually essentially the most secure and dependable shares. Constant dividends have to be backed up by constant revenues and earnings. Corporations that may present such stability over a few years are likely to have dependable companies with nice niches.

These are nice shares to personal in any atmosphere but additionally are likely to have much less draw back throughout bear markets.

I consider the market will find yourself delivering optimistic returns in 2024. However you by no means know. It’s price it for each conservative and aggressive traders to have a minimum of some illustration of sturdy dividend-paying shares of their portfolios. It makes the journey smoother and extra predictable and will assist allow you to journey out the subsequent downturn to be properly invested for the subsequent upturn.

Right here’s a high-yielding workplace REIT to think about.

Excessive-Yield Workplace REIT: Alexandria Actual Property Equities (ARE)

Alexandria Actual Property Equities (ARE) is a U.S.-based Actual Property Funding Belief (REIT) specializing in workplace buildings and laboratories leased to tenants primarily engaged within the life science and know-how sectors. It has over 800 tenants primarily in areas which might be clusters for innovation in higher Boston, the San Francisco Bay space, New York Metropolis, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

The primarily state-of-the-art laboratory properties are principally clustered in city life science, agricultural know-how, and know-how campuses within the U.S. Properties are leased to tenants below long-term triple web leases with computerized hire escalations. Triple web leases account for nearly all of revenues.

Tenants pay for all the things, together with insurance coverage, taxes, utilities, and upkeep. These leases present a giant benefit by eliminating surprising and variable bills and offering a way more predictable income stream.

These properties have excessive demand that ought to proceed to develop for a few years to come back. Alexandra’s tenants are main pharmaceutical, biotech, life science, and know-how corporations. The most important tenants embrace Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Moderna (MRNA), and Eli Lilly (LLY).

For a few years, ARE delivered the efficiency one would count on from a high-quality REIT working in a rising house. It carried out on par with the S&P 500 throughout a bull market with much less volatility and blew away the returns of the REIT index in each measurable interval for ten years. However issues turned ugly in 2022. Over the previous two calendar years, ARE plummeted 40%.

The autumn in value isn’t due to inside or basic causes. Revenues, earnings, and occupancy charges have remained stable. Revenues are up 10.9% within the first 9 months of 2023 and earnings have grown within the excessive single digits. It’s the macro atmosphere that has battered this inventory.

REITs have been one of many worst-performing market sectors over the past two calendar years due to rising rates of interest. Larger rates of interest make different income-generating investments within the fixed-income enviornment extra aggressive. The upper charges additionally improve the price of funding for REITs that have to borrow cash to broaden as a result of they’re required to pay out the majority of earnings in dividends.

The inflation and rising rates of interest atmosphere triggered the Vanguard Actual Property Index Fund (VNQ) to fall 25% over the past two years. However ARE fell much more due to one other concern. Alexandria is technically categorised as an workplace REIT, and workplace house is in disaster. After the pandemic, many staff proceed to work from home and are usually not returning to the workplace. In a number of main cities, workplace occupancy charges stay as little as 60%.

The work-from-home development is predicted to proceed, and staff are usually not anticipated to return to places of work at wherever close to pre-pandemic ranges. There may be presently far more workplace house obtainable than demand. Traders perceive this and are avoiding workplace REITs just like the plague. In an unforgiving market, ARE has been subjected to the double whammy of rising rates of interest and the crash of workplace properties.

However the issue doesn’t apply to Alexandria’s properties. The market has been blind to the excellence and has thrown the child out with the bathwater. Positive, if all you want is a cubicle and a pc you possibly can make money working from home. However laboratories can’t be duplicated at dwelling. And the associated places of work present a degree of innovation and collaboration that wants individuals to be there. That’s why Alexandria’s properties have a 93.7% occupancy charge that’s anticipated to develop within the quarters forward.

Proper now, ARE provides each an inexpensive value and optimistic momentum. Whereas it’s up almost 30% from the October low, you haven’t missed the boat. The inventory remains to be 47% under the all-time excessive and has larger earnings now.

In case you are concerned about discovering high-quality dividend progress shares and/or different high-yield securities and revenue securities, the next Positive Dividend sources will probably be helpful:

Excessive-Yield Particular person Safety Analysis

Different Positive Dividend Sources