REITs

RJ analyst Paul Puryear creates new words to describe his enthusiasm. Objectivity and OED butchering ensues, and even Mark Haynes is confused.

Oddly enough, Jefferson county which got into a dash of trouble buying some interest rate swap or another without reading the prospectus which despite guaranteeing perpetual appreciation distinctly said in the invisible print that total loss of principal is another side effect of transacting with Wall Street, has apparently been unable to participate in today's 175/75 L/S unwind which blew the REITs into the stratosphere and got Bob Pisani's panties in a bunch.

Straight from the horse's mouth, viewers can gleen the most "unbiased" perspective on the strength of the REIT market, who the investors are who are so happy to throw their money on the REIT equity offering bandwagon, and just how many more waves (after waves) of follow ons can be expected.

Compliments of Ron Sturzenegger, MD and Global Head of Real Estate, Gaming and Lodging and Jeff Horowitz, Managing Director & Head of Americas Real Estate And Loding, both at Merrill/BofA.

The PPIP is all but dead. But don't tell that to perma-CRE-bull Barry Sternlicht. The owner of such debacles as iStar (last time we checked the all time worst name in the IG11 index) and RevPar plummeting hotel chain Starwood hotels, is hoping to raise brand spanking new capital via an IPO for, of all things, a new REIT - Starwood Properties Trust, and use taxpayer money to buy other bankrupt hotels.

Jonathan Litt, formerly a top rated REIT analyst with Paine Webber and Solly, has some words of caution for all investors who can't wait to part with their cash and invest in ghost town malls, foreclosing multi-apartment buildings, unretnable offices with a 0.5x DSCR and 10%-full Vegas hotels. Ironically, this comes from a CNBC interview.

In a research piece titled "REITs Cutting Residential Rents, Setting Stage for Further CPI Disinflation" Goldman Sachs analysts conclude that based on recent declining rent trends from residential REITs, the impact on price levels in the housing market (especially in major metropolitan centers where rent are only just now starting to unravel) will get progressively adverse, but will also feed ongoing general asset deflationary pressures, and by implication, added weakness to REIT cash flow. From Goldman:

In his first note released in the post Sakwa world, Craig Schmidt continues to attempt to restore confidence in retail REITs. It would, after all, seem prudent to bang clients' heads into their desks until they see the light at the end of the tunnel (oncoming bullet train?) at a time when the only cash, and equity value, REITs can create is by raising expensive, dilutive equity in order to repay the cheapest form of capital (that of secured loans previously held by Mr. Schmidt uber parent, Bank of America).

Michael Mauer, head of Citi's leveraged syndicate has left the TARP-laden firm to join hedge fund Icahn Associates. Mauer, who was hired in 2001, had previously worked at JP Morgan where he ran the syndicated loan business before the JPM-Chase merger. Mauer's departure comes as Icahn's hedge fund is focusing more on distressed debt opportunities.

Goldman has been really pounding the REIT space. Which, of course, skeptics will say simply means their prop desk (or what is left of it) is buying REIT assets hand over fist. Or maybe they just really hate the space.

Goldman has been really pounding the REIT space. Which, of course, skeptics will say simply means their prop desk (or what is left of it) is buying REIT assets hand over fist. Or maybe they just really hate the space.

If only companies knew they would be rewarded with aggressive buying of their stock after reducing and/or PIKing cash dividends they likely would have done so much, much sooner... After all why would investors demands cash out of "dividend stocks." This little trick however has not escaped REITs Mack-Cali and Simon Properties. CLI announced after market close today that it would be reducing its dividend by 30%, from $2.56 to $1.80 (a 30% reduction) and would pay the quarterly dividend of $0.45 on April 13 with an ex-div date of April 3.

Zero Hedge has written much about this so no comments here. Good article from Bloomberg summarizing the upcoming pain. Some salient quotes:

REIT Simon Property Group announced results of its dividend election today, which for all practical purposes could be called anything but an "election." The final outcome is that shareholders will receive a dividend of $0.90/share consisting virtually entirely of stock (90%) and the balance in cash.

S&P just announced it was downgrading Camden Property Trust and First Industrial, and putting nine other REITs on downgrade review including AIV, BRE, Capital Automotive, CLP, DDR, HPT, PLD and UDR...

Summary from report:

"Commercial real estate trends are eroding at a pace indicating that occupancy and rental declines should match the deep recession of the early 1990s. To that end, we ran a “stress test” for the 36 companies under coverage and now expect a 25% decline in earnings in 2009/2010, far below Street growth forecasts. Moreover, we expect most companies to reduce dividends to help address debt rolls of more than $100 bn into 2012."