IYR Stock Recent News

REITs have remained resilient during the market crash due to their reasonable valuations and fundamental advantages, including isolation from tariffs and inflation hedging. The broader market crash is attributed to weak consumer sentiment, high inflation, tariff uncertainty, and tepid employment numbers, compounded by extreme valuations. REITs offer steady, predictable growth through long-term rental contracts and are trading at attractive valuations, especially among small and mid-cap REITs.

IYR has strong top REIT holdings, including Prologis, American Tower Corporation, and Welltower that make up about 20% of the fund's weight. While these top REIT holdings have high occupancies and solid fundamental characteristics, they also have high share prices, leading to a high valuation overall for IYR. Compared to top peer REIT funds, IYR has the highest expense ratio and lowest dividend yield.

US equity markets posted modest gains this week - snapping a four-week losing streak - as investors parsed commentary and updated forecasts from the Federal Reserve's policy meeting. Ahead of the looming April 2nd unveiling of reciprocal tariffs, investors were relieved by FOMC projections showing that 11-of-19 policy markets still expect at least two rate cuts this year. Disappointing retail sales data indicated that economic uncertainty is beginning to affect real-world consumer behavior. Housing market data was relatively solid, however, sparking an upward revision to the GDPNow forecast.

REITs bounced back (+1.77%) in February and now have a positive year-to-date total return (+0.79%) after the first two months of the year. Large cap (+4.58%), small cap (+2.00%) and mid cap REITs (+0.98%) performed well in February while micro caps (-1.55%) continued to badly underperform their larger peers. 64.97% of REIT securities had a positive total in February.

In Part 2 of our Earnings Recap, we present a sector-by-sector breakdown of the Winners of REIT Earnings Season, discussing incremental positives/negatives and noting the individual standouts. Healthcare REITs were the leaders this earnings season, with results showing robust momentum in senior housing fundamentals, while tenant operator issues improved across other healthcare sub-sectors. Results from Net Lease, Casino, and Residential Mortgage REITs - several of the most rate-sensitive sectors - were also surprisingly steady despite the interest rate turbulence in late 2024.

Despite recent price declines, REITs' future value has increased due to higher rental rates, increased property values, and reduced competing supply. Higher market demanded returns have steepened the slope, causing REIT prices to drop despite improved fundamentals and future value. The price drop is driven by higher expected returns, not impaired future value, making current REIT valuations a buying opportunity.

US equity markets declined for the fourth week in the past five after a frenetic slate of geopolitical headlines and economic data indicated a sluggish start to 2025 for global growth. The Atlanta Fed's updated growth forecast indicated a -1.5% contraction in first-quarter GDP, while PCE data showed the first monthly decline in personal spending in nearly two years. Buoyed by the interest rate retreat, real estate equities were also a notable source of strength this week as REIT earnings season wrapped up with a surprisingly solid slate of results.

After a brutal December (-6.85%), the REIT sector averaged negative total returns again in January (-1.29%). Large cap (+0.30%) and mid cap REITs (+0.09%) averaged small gains in January, whereas small caps (-0.95%) and micro caps (-7.80%) started the year in the red. Only 42.58% of REIT securities had a positive total during the first month of 2025.

Real estate investment spreads are healthier today with higher cap rates and cost of capital, enhancing long-term returns despite similar nominal spreads. Higher cap rates lead to more accretive organic growth, reinvestment, dividends, debt reduction, and buybacks compared to the low-rate environment of early 2022. The current 8% cap rate and 6% cost of capital environment are more favorable for REITs than the previous 6% and 4% scenarios.

Real estate earnings season kicks into gear this week, and over the next month, we'll hear results from 175 equity REITs, 40 mortgage REITs, and dozens of housing industry companies. Following a year-end tumble that lingered into early 2025, REITs enter earnings season with a bit of upside momentum as Treasury Yields eased from the cusp of two-decade highs. Largely immune from trade/tariff and AI-related risk, REITs are coming back into favor after three years of historic underperformance, which has driven valuations to unusually "cheap" levels.