The first three months of the year have barely changed the situation on the real estate markets, but they show that headwinds are beginning to subside in some areas. In my last post, I introduced Centerspace in more detail., Today, there's another REIT Q1'26 sector overview.
As usual, I'm looking at three sectors this time, Residential, Net Lease, and Healthcare, and discussing two REITs in each. First, there will be a brief look at the overall economic environment for each sector, followed by the most important figures, an assessment of the quarter's results, and an outlook.
Enjoy reading!
Residential REITs
The U.S. housing market continued to be shaped by the aftermath of the construction boom during the pandemic in the first quarter of 2026. New construction and real estate development have slumped sharply, which is likely to reduce the supply surplus in the foreseeable future. On the other hand, demand remains very subdued. This is, of course, due to weak population and employment trends. One factor working in favor of residential REITs is that owner-occupied housing—or the purchase thereof—remains unaffordable. For many renters, buying a home is so far out of reach that they will remain in the rental market for the foreseeable future. However, this trend is not yet clearly reflected in the numbers; the vacancy rate in the U.S. has fallen only slightly from 7.3 % to 7.2 %. Against this backdrop, residential REITs—particularly those with strong balance sheets and, possibly, share buybacks—are certainly of interest to many investors.
Camden Property Trust
Camden Property Trust (TWS ticker: CPT, ISIN: US1331311027) remains one of the most stable residential REITs in the Sunbelt. CPT’s net operating income (NOI) on a same-store basis declined by approximately 0.7 % in Q1, due to a slight decline in new leases (-5.2 %), which could not be offset by rent increases for existing tenants (+2.9 %).
Portfolio Diversification (Source: CPT Investor Presentation June 2026)
The average occupancy rate stands at 95.1 %, remaining virtually unchanged compared to Q4 2025. It’s also worth keeping an eye on administrative costs from time to time; at CPT, these have risen only slightly. Core FFO per share has also declined by 1.2 %. However, this is due to higher financing costs.
The Debt-equity ratio (Net Debt/EBITDA 5.6×) is unlikely to increase overall, even though Camden raised $600 million in April at approximately 5 % on the bond market (10-year maturity), since it simultaneously repurchased its own shares on a large scale.
CPT is currently trading at a 16x FFO multiple, which also represents a discount of approximately 20% to its net asset value.
Fair Value Camden Property Trust (Source: aktienfinder.net)
UDR Inc.
UDR (TWS Ticker: UDR, ISIN: US9026531049) reported largely stable results for Q1. AFFO increased by 2 % year-over-year, even though same-store NOI declined slightly (due to higher operating costs). UDR operates in significantly more markets than, for example, CPT, which is why its occupancy rate is also higher at 96.6 %. The leasing spread stood at 1.6 %, primarily due to 5.2 % rent growth on existing leases. Here, too, a look at operating and administrative costs: these rose by a substantial 4.4 %.
Switch to monthly dividend and portfolio Diversification
(Source: UDR Investor Presentation June 2026)
UDR is also increasingly relying on share buybacks, which were financed by the sale of non-lucrative properties in the portfolio worth USD 362 million. In total, 2.8 million shares were repurchased in Q1, and another 1.4 million in Q2.
Incidentally, UDR has recently started paying dividends monthly, with a dividend yield of 4.62 %. The residential REIT is currently trading at a P/AFFO ratio of 17.15×.
Net Lease REITs
Despite the rise in bond yields on long-term U.S. Treasuries in recent weeks and months, Net Lease REITs, which typically react first, have shown remarkable resilience. A temporary factor. The increased inflation due to the Iran conflict and higher energy prices have barely changed long-term interest rate expectations. Yesterday's Fed meeting with the new chairman Kevin Warsh, on the other hand, has changed them much more. There will no longer be a forecast regarding interest rate developments; a majority of members rather see an interest rate hike this year. Personally, I no longer see any interest rate cuts either. All of this can, of course, now put pressure on the share prices of Net Lease REITs, but the pure fundamental data in this sector has continued to improve. Rental income is almost always indexed, financing is secured long-term, and valuations were only at a multi-year low at the turn of the year (followed by a slight recovery). Overall, Net Lease REITs delivered average mid-single-digit growth rates in Adjusted Funds From Operations (AFFO).
NetSTREIT
NetSTREIT (TWS: NTST, ISIN: US64119V3033) is a Small Cap REIT, which focuses specifically on tenants in the “necessity” sector—that is, service-oriented retailers. Just under 240 million USD was invested in new properties, and the portfolio now comprises 804 properties across 46 U.S. states. These new portfolio additions are generating an initial yield of 7.5 %. AFFO per share has risen by 6.3 %, and the occupancy rate stands at 99.9 %. However, the 100 % mark has already been reached in the current quarter.
Portfolio and Tenant Overview (Source: NetSTREIT Investor Presentation April 2026)
Net Debt/EBITDA is at 3.2x, and NTST has liquidity of USD 1.1 billion, which can certainly be used to acquire further suitable properties. Furthermore, there are no maturities or refinancings until 2028. In 2026, the company intends to invest between USD 550 and 650 million in new acquisitions.
Agree Realty
Agree Realty (TWS ticker: ADC, ISIN: US0084921008) is one of the highest-quality stocks in the net lease sector. This is also reflected in its quarterly results. ADC’s core FFO per share rose by 8.1 %, while AFFO increased by 7.9 %. Agree Realty is also investing heavily in new properties, spending approximately 424 million USD on 100 new portfolio assets in Q1.
More than solid - the ADC Balance Sheet (Source: Agree Realty Q1 2026)
Net debt/EBITDA It's at 3.2x, making it very conservative. Furthermore, there are $2.3 billion in available funds, and like NTST, there are no maturities until 2028. Agree Realty is currently raising money by issuing new shares; in Q1, this amounted to $660 million.
ADC pays dividends monthly, with a dividend yield of 4.34 %. The dividend was just raised by another 5 % in April. The stock is currently trading at a P/AFFO ratio of 16.16×.
Healthcare REITs
In the healthcare real estate sector, senior housing properties are benefiting from demographic trends and very strong occupancy rates of >90 %. The life sciences sector is suffering from high vacancy rates and falling rents; by contrast, demand for medical office buildings is picking up again after a brief period of weakness, and the hospital segment is also showing signs of stabilization.
National Health Investors
National Health Investors (TWS-Ticker: NHI, ISIN: US63633D1046) has a broad presence in the nursing care and senior housing sectors. Following a strategic review, the company recently divested most of its skilled nursing facilities, which has impacted earnings in Q1 (and potentially subsequent quarters). Management has consequently lowered its forecast for AFFO per share from $4.97 to $4.77.
Portfolio and Segment Overview (Source: NHI Q1 2026 Business Update)
Nevertheless, in Q1 2026, FFO per share surged by 7 %, and FAD (funds available for distribution) also rose by 11.6 %. The reduction in the portfolio has temporarily pushed the debt ratio below net debt/EBITDA 4×.
Fair Value National Health Investors (Source: aktienfinder.net)
NHI is currently paying a solidly funded dividend (5.22 %) and is valued at a P/FFO multiple of ~14.5×. Once the portfolio restructuring is complete, overall growth is likely to pick up again.
Alexandria Real Estate Equities
As a flagship in the life science real estate sector, Alexandria (TWS ticker: ARE, ISIN: US0152711091) once again showed in Q1 that the path to a turnaround remains rocky. While earnings per share, which is less important for informed REIT investors, has increased, this was solely due to the early repayment of long-term bonds. Adjusted Funds From Operations have fallen sharply year-over-year. The reasons are well-known, namely expiring leases and a continued oversupply of life science, laboratory, and research space, which has led to a clearly visible decline in rental income. Slight rental increases are not expected again until the second half of 2026.
At ARE, too, we’re taking another look at administrative costs. On a positive note, these costs were reduced by 18 %. In addition, the proportion of assets that do not generate income was reduced to 17 &, with the goal of reaching the 11–16 % range by the end of the year.
On the financing side, ARE was able to refinance maturing bonds totaling one billion at an interest rate of 5.25 %, thereby reducing its debt-to-equity ratio by 0.2×. This also affects the average remaining maturity of the debt, which has been extended to 10 years as a result.
From a valuation perspective, Alexandria is logically quite low, trading at less than 8x FFO, and combined with the challenges mentioned above, it's not an investment for impatient investors.
Options trading
I myself also act actively Optionsbut almost exclusively as a so-called "writer". I am therefore naturally also interested in the REITs mentioned above, which are suitable for additional Cash flow or for a favorable entry by means of delivery. The Volatility (VIX) is currently at 17, so the premiums are correspondingly lower. Unfortunately, the spreads for UDR, NTST, and NHI are too high.
- Camden Property TrustFor CPT, there are opportunities at the money Short Puts mit Strike by $105 in November '26 which deliver a decent premium (slightly higher spread).
- Agree Realty: For WPC, short puts with longer expiration dates offer Strike by $70 in January '27 (increased spread)
- Alexandria Real Estate EquitiesFor ARE, long-dated ATM short puts with a longer maturity are a good option. Strike of $50 or less in January '28 that deliver a decent premium.
Conclusion
While macroeconomic and geopolitical themes such as oil prices, interest rates, and various conflicts continue to dominate headlines, the first signs of stabilization are emerging across all three REIT sectors under consideration. In Residential REITs, the trough of the supply overhang is in sight, with quality providers like Camden and UDR using the weak phase to strengthen their portfolios through share buybacks and selective investments. Net Lease REITs benefit from long-term leases and high predictability of cash flows; NetSTREIT and Agree Realty stand out here with solid balance sheets, low debt, and attractive dividend yields. In the healthcare sector, Senior Housing remains the winner, while Medical Office Buildings are growing moderately and the Life Science niche is in a cyclical downturn. I have selected two different representatives, National Health Investors and Alexandria Real Estate Equities, each serving its own niche, including the corresponding opportunities and challenges.
Ultimately, REITs remain an important building block for long-term portfolios, given their still attractive valuations (and perhaps even more attractive entry levels in the short to medium term), solid balance sheet quality, and low new construction dynamics. However, careful selection based on business model, debt, and management quality remains a prerequisite in order to unlock the long-term potential of this special asset class.
