The Best REITs to Buy

Real estate investment trusts, also known as REITs, typically offer high yields, making them appealing choices for income investors. The real estate stocks that Morningstar covers, as a group, look 12% undervalued as of April 8, 2024.

REITs are interest-rate-sensitive, which means they tend to outperform the broad market when interest rates fall and underperform when interest rates rise. During the trailing one-year period, the Morningstar US Real Estate Index returned 8.34%, while the Morningstar US Market Index returned 29.03%.

7 Best REIT Stocks to Buy Now

The REIT stocks below were trading at the largest discounts to Morningstar’s fair value estimates as of April 8, 2024.

1. Uniti Group UNIT
2. Kilroy Realty KRC
3. Pebblebrook Hotel PEB
4. Ventas VTR
5. Healthpeak Properties DOC
6. Macerich MAC
7. Park Hotels & Resorts PK

Here’s a little more about each of the best REITs to buy, including commentary from the Morningstar analysts who cover them. All data is as of April 8.

Uniti Group

• Price/Fair Value: 0.48
• Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: Very High
• Morningstar Economic Moat Rating: None
• Forward Dividend Yield: 10.45%
• Industry: REIT—Specialty

Uniti Group is the least expensive company on our list of the best REITs to buy, trading 52% below our fair value estimate of $12.

Uniti’s business is dominated by its triple-net leases, which results in little variability in operating results. The firm’s lease with Windstream makes up about 70% of total revenue and nearly 90% of EBITDA. Following Windstream’s bankruptcy in 2019, Uniti and Windstream renegotiated the lease, which has an initial term that runs through 2030. The renegotiation leaves Uniti with very stable and predictable financial results, but the firm has sought to grow and diversify.

Uniti’s strategy to reduce its reliance on Windstream has been twofold: find more sale-leaseback transactions like the deal with Windstream that spawned the company—where Uniti will buy a company’s physical network assets and then lease it back to them with a triple-net lease at attractive and certain rates of return—and add additional customers to the fiber network assets the firm buys or builds.

We like Uniti's original leasing business, where it engages in the sale-leaseback transactions, but it has had difficulty implementing them. In recent years, a depressed stock price and high debt levels in the wake of Windstream’s bankruptcy left the firm without financial flexibility to pursue these deals. However, we think a longer-lasting issue is an inability to find material deals like this. We don't think Uniti adds much value beyond providing capital, so we expect virtually any firm with access to cheap financing can compete. As such, we think suitors will compete on price, and finding sizable deals at attractive rates will be difficult.

With the dearth of sale-leaseback deals, diversification has come primarily via fiber construction and lease-ups, where Uniti leases dark and lit fiber and small cells to wireless carriers and other enterprises. We think Uniti is well positioned here and has an advantage of operating mostly in second- and third-tier cities, where we don’t think competition is quite as intense. However, incremental leasing can’t move the needle the way the purchase of a huge lease could, leaving us to expect Windstream will continue to dominate Uniti’s business and growth will be minimal.

Kilroy Realty

• Morningstar Price/Fair Value: 0.59
• Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: High
• Morningstar Economic Moat Rating: None
• Forward Dividend Yield: 6.18%
• Industry: REIT—Office

Kilroy Realty is 41% undervalued relative to our $59 fair value estimate. This REIT stock operates in the office industry and offers a 6.18% dividend yield.

Kilroy is a REIT that owns, develops, acquires, and manages premier office, life science, and mixed-use real estate properties in Los Angeles, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Austin, Texas. It owns 121 properties consisting of approximately 17 million square feet. The company has positioned itself to benefit from the burgeoning life sciences sector with material exposure in its current portfolio and a future development pipeline. We also welcome management’s focus on ESG as it aligns its office portfolio to meet the sustainability requirements of its clients.

Kilroy’s management has been able to successfully time the boom in technological employment occurring in the largest metropolitan areas along the West Coast. The company’s strategy is to achieve long-term sustainable growth by developing and owning the highest-quality real estate in technology and life science market clusters. The quality of its portfolio is evident from the fact that its average age is just 11 years compared with 30 years for peers.

Economic uncertainty emanating from the pandemic recovery and remote work dynamic created a challenging environment for office owners. Employees are still hesitant to return to the office as office utilization remains around 50% of the prepandemic level. The vacancy rates in the Los Angeles and San Francisco office markets were recorded at 23.9% and 32.5%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2023. The current vacancy rate in both these cities is substantially higher than the vacancy rates during the height of the global financial crisis. The net absorption rate in West Coast markets remains materially negative as of fourth-quarter 2023, and rental growth figures are disappointing, especially given the inflationary environment.

However, we are seeing an increasing number of companies requiring their employees to return to the office. In the long run, we believe that remote work and hybrid remote work solutions will gain increasing acceptance, but offices will continue to be the centerpiece of workplace strategy and will play an essential role in facilitating collaboration, harnessing innovation, and maintaining company cultures.

Pebblebrook Hotel

• Morningstar Price/Fair Value: 0.61
• Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: High
• Morningstar Economic Moat Rating: None
• Forward Dividend Yield: 0.25%
• Industry: REIT—Hotel and Motel

Pebblebrook Hotel, operating in the hotel and motel industry, is 39% undervalued. We think it’s worth $26 per share.

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is the largest US lodging REIT focused on owning independent and boutique hotels. After Pebblebrook merged with LaSalle Hotel Properties in December 2018, the company owns 46 upper-upscale hotels, with more than 11,900 rooms located primarily in urban gateway markets. Historically, Pebblebrook’s combined portfolio has had a higher revenue per available room price point and EBITDA margin than its hotel REIT peers.

The merger with LaSalle provides Pebblebrook with some new avenues to create value for shareholders. The company doubled in size while taking on only a portion of the general and administrative costs, making the combined company more efficient. Pebblebrook CEO Jon Bortz previously ran LaSalle and acquired many of the hotels in that portfolio. His knowledge of those hotels combined with management's demonstrated ability to maximize margins should allow him to implement cost-saving initiatives that drive up margins.

The coronavirus pandemic hit the operating results of Pebblebrook's hotels significantly with high-double-digit revPAR declines and negative hotel EBITDA in 2020. However, the rapid rollout of vaccinations across the country allowed leisure travel to recover quickly, leading to significant growth in 2021 and 2022. Growth decelerated in 2023, though the company continues to report improving occupancy and rate growth for most of the portfolio. We think the company should continue to see solid growth as business and group travel continue to recover slowly with hotel revenue eventually returning to 2019 levels by 2026 in our estimate.

However, several factors will remain headwinds for hotels over the long term. Supply has been elevated in many of the biggest markets, and that is likely to continue for a few more years. Online travel agencies and online hotel reviews create immediate price discovery for consumers, preventing hotels from pushing rate increases even though it is nearing full occupancy on many nights. Last, while the shadow supply created by Airbnb doesn’t directly compete most nights, it does limit Pebblebrook's ability to push rates on nights when it would have typically generated its highest profits.

Ventas

• Morningstar Price/Fair Value: 0.62
• Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: Medium
• Morningstar Economic Moat Rating: None
• Forward Dividend Yield: 4.14%
• Industry: REIT—Healthcare Facilities

This undervalued REIT operates in the healthcare facilities industry. Ventas yields 4.14% and trades 38% below our fair value estimate.

The top healthcare real estate stands to disproportionately benefit from the Affordable Care Act. There is an increased focus on higher-quality care in lower-cost settings. The best owners and operators in the industry, which can provide better outcomes while driving greater efficiencies, should see demand funneled to them from the best healthcare systems. Additionally, the baby boomer generation is starting to enter its senior years, and the 80-and-older population, which spends more than 4 times on healthcare per capita than the national average, should almost double over the next 10 years. Long term, the best healthcare companies are well positioned to take advantage of these industry tailwinds.

In our view, Ventas will benefit from these industry tailwinds due to its portfolio of high-quality assets connected to top operators in the senior housing, medical office buildings, life science, and hospital segments. Ventas has made a bet on the potential future of healthcare delivery by partnering with Ardent Health Services, an acute-care hospital owner and operator, as well as with Wexford Science & Technology, a life science operator and developer. While the ultimate scope, scale, and success of these strategies remain to be seen, Ardent and Wexford give Ventas added platforms for consolidation as owners and operators potentially seek an efficient capital partner that can help provide an integrated healthcare infrastructure.

The coronavirus was a major challenge for the senior housing industry, as the senior population was one of the worst hit from the virus. Even a few cases led to quarantines of entire facilities, which caused dramatic declines in occupancy early in the pandemic. However, we remain optimistic about the sector’s longer-term prospects, given that the industry has steadily recovered over the past three years, supply will likely remain below the historical average in the coming years, and the demographic boon will create a massive spike in demand for senior housing. We also like Ventas’ acquisition of New Senior Investment Group to expand its exposure to the sector ahead of what we believe will be a decade of strong growth.

Healthpeak Properties

• Morningstar Price/Fair Value: 0.62
• Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: Medium
• Morningstar Economic Moat Rating: None
• Forward Dividend Yield: 6.32%
• Industry: REIT—Healthcare Facilities

Healthpeak Properties is 38% undervalued relative to our $30.50 fair value estimate. This cheap REIT stock focuses on healthcare facilities and offers a 6.32% dividend yield.

The top healthcare real estate stands to benefit disproportionately from the Affordable Care Act. With an increased focus on higher-quality care being performed in lower-cost settings, the best owners and operators in the industry, which can provide better outcomes while driving greater efficiencies, should see demand funneled to them from the best healthcare systems. Additionally, the baby boomer generation is starting to enter its senior years, and the 80-plus population, an age range that spends more than 4 times on healthcare per capita than the national average, should almost double in size over the next 10 years. Long term, the best healthcare companies are well-positioned to take advantage of these industry tailwinds.

Given the significant challenges that the coronavirus presented to the senior housing industry, Healthpeak made the strategic decision in 2020 to dispose of most of the company’s senior housing assets in multiple transactions for around $4 billion in total proceeds. As a result, Healthpeak’s life science and medical office portfolios are now prominently featured in the company’s portfolio as the proceeds from the senior housing sales were reinvested into these two sectors. Healthpeak has high-quality assets in top markets that attract credit-grade tenants in both segments, so we believe it makes sense to strategically focus the company on the segments where it has an advantage. The company also completed a merger with Physicians Realty Trust in a $5 billion deal that closed in March 2024, adding 16 million square feet of high-quality medical office buildings that complement the company’s own portfolio. Despite the possibility of further changes to the ACA, we think any changes will still result in a coordinated value- and outcome-based system that will provide Healthpeak’s current portfolio with strong tailwinds.

Macerich

• Morningstar Price/Fair Value: 0.68
• Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: High
• Morningstar Economic Moat Rating: None
• Forward Dividend Yield: 4.19%
• Industry: REIT—Retail

Macerich operates in the residential industry. This cheap REIT stock trades 32% below our fair value estimate of $25 per share.

Macerich has successfully repositioned the company over the past decade as a true owner and operator of Class A regional malls. Over the past 13 years, the company has sold over $4 billion in mostly lower-quality assets, either directly owned or owned through joint ventures, and recycled the capital into acquiring new Class A malls, buying out its partners’ share in the unconsolidated portfolio or redeveloping its own portfolio. As a result, the company’s portfolio should produce higher tenant sales productivity, occupancy levels, and rent and therefore is much better-positioned to face the economic headwinds of e-commerce. We expect Macerich to continue improving its portfolio through redevelopment, opportunistic acquisitions, and asset sales, which should deliver strong earnings growth for Macerich over time.

Macerich's moves to improve its portfolio quality were necessary to position the company for the omnichannel strategy many retailers are pursuing. E-commerce continues to pressure brick-and-mortar retail as consumers increasingly move their shopping habits online. Macerich exited the assets that are likely to see falling sales growth and occupancy levels as e-commerce takes market share. Although many retailers will look to reduce their store count over the next decade, the high foot traffic and sales productivity of Class A malls that now make up Macerich's portfolio continue to make them attractive places for retailers to place stores.

Fundamentals for the Class A malls in Macerich's portfolio have almost fully rebounded from the coronavirus pandemic. While shopping at brick-and-mortar locations fell as some consumers shifted purchases to e-commerce platforms in 2020, foot traffic has since returned to prepandemic levels, leading to a recovery in sales growth. Macerich's revenue is protected by long-term leases, and while occupancy fell to 89% in 2020, it has almost fully recovered. We believe that Class A malls will remain dominant in brick-and-mortar retail with high-quality malls eventually returning to their prior occupancy and rent levels.

Park Hotels & Resorts

• Morningstar Price/Fair Value: 0.68
• Morningstar Uncertainty Rating: High
• Morningstar Economic Moat Rating: None
• Forward Dividend Yield: 5.63%
• Industry: REIT—Hotel and Motel

Park Hotels & Resorts rounds out our list of the best REITs to buy. Although it is the most expensive REIT here, Park Hotels still looks undervalued as it trades 32% below our fair value estimate of $26.

Park Hotels & Resorts is the second-largest US lodging REIT, focusing on the upper-upscale hotel segment. The company was spun out of narrow-moat Hilton Worldwide Holdings HLT at the start of 2017. Since the spinoff, the company has sold all its international hotels and 23 lower-quality US hotels to focus on high-quality assets in domestic gateway markets. Park completed the acquisition of Chesapeake Lodging Trust in September 2019, a complementary portfolio of 18 high-quality, upper-upscale hotels that should help to diversify Park’s hotel brands to include Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG Hotels.

In the short term, the coronavirus hit the operating results of Park’s hotels significantly with high-double-digit revPAR declines and negative hotel EBITDA in 2020. However, the rapid rollout of vaccinations across the country allowed leisure travel to recover quickly, leading to significant growth in 2021 and 2022. We think the company should continue to see strong growth as business and group travel continue to recover slowly, with Park eventually almost returning to 2019 levels by 2025 in our estimate.

However, the hotel industry will continue to face several long-term headwinds. Supply has been elevated in many of the biggest markets, and that is likely to continue for a few more years. Online travel agencies and online hotel reviews create immediate price discovery for consumers, preventing Park from pushing rate increases. Last, while the shadow supply created by Airbnb doesn’t compete directly with Park on most nights, it does limit Park’s ability to push rates on nights where it would typically generate its highest profits.

Still, we think Park does have some opportunities to create value. We believe that management should be able to drive operating margins higher as occupancy continues to recover from the pandemic. The Chesapeake acquisition should provide an additional source of growth as the company drives higher operating efficiencies across this new portfolio. We also think the pandemic created additional opportunistic ways for Park to increase margins across the portfolio.

How to Find More of the Best REITs to Buy

Investors who’d like to extend their search for the best REITs can do the following:

• Review Morningstar’s comprehensive list of real estate stocks to investigate further.
• Use the Morningstar Investor screener to build a shortlist of REITs to research and watch.
• Read the latest news about notable REITs from Morningstar’s lead real estate analyst Kevin Brown.