Did Rent Get Paid? Previewing REIT Earnings Season
- "Did the rent get paid? How about the mortgage?" Earnings season kicks off this week with more than 175 REITs and 100 housing-related companies reporting earnings over the next month.
- Buckle up. On what will surely be the most newsworthy earnings season in a decade, REIT earnings should provide pivotal information on rent collection and future dividend plans.
- While some REITs have provided mid-quarter updates and preliminary earnings results, this is the first update we'll hear from the majority of companies since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Residential REITs are expected to report relatively limited issues with rent collection. The same can't necessarily be said about other commercial real estate sectors, particularly retail REITs.
- Most REITs entered the COVID-19 crisis on solid footing, but some of the more highly levered small-cap REITs may have been caught swimming naked. We'll find out soon.
