Equity REITs: Takeaways From REITWeek 2026

REITs are poised for 6-7% earnings growth in coming years, outpacing the historical 3-4% average, with multiple sectors showing accelerating fundamentals. Shopping centers, healthcare (notably senior housing), and data centers are standout sectors, benefiting from robust private market demand, supply constraints, and AI-driven tailwinds. Office REITs see improving leasing, especially from AI-related demand, while quality bifurcation widens; overweight positions in BXP and CUZ reflect this thesis. Self-storage, triple net, and manufactured housing sectors offer attractive risk/reward, while SFR and multifamily remain underweight due to political/regulatory uncertainty and muted rent growth.

We recently attended the annual REITWeek conference in New York City, where we conducted 39 management meetings, toured several properties, attended peer dinners, and caught the infectious energy of the Knicks taking Game 1 of the NBA Finals.