Apartment REITs and Apartment Real Estate

This study employs a "hedged" apartment REIT index to track the performance of apartment real estate and to assess the performance of apartments in efficient mixed-asset portfolios consisting of stocks, bonds and real estate. The hedged apartment index reflects the returns of apartment REITs after the effects of equity REITs and the stock market are removed from the apartment REIT returns. It is demonstrated that the hedged apartment REIT index captures a substantial amount of the volatility unique to apartment real estate. Furthermore, the hedged apartment REIT index does not suffer from the appraisal-smoothing problem and the apparent seasonality of appraisal-based indices, such as the Russell-NCREIF apartment index. Therefore, it would appear that the hedged apartment REIT index can be employed as a proxy for apartment real estate in portfolio allocation decisions. This study provides evidence that apartment real estate should be a candidate for some efficient mixed-asset portfolios.

Intertemporal Changes in the Riskiness of REITs

This study investigates the variability in the risk components of REITs over the 1973-1989 period using the cusum test, the cusum of squares test, and the Quandt's log-likelihood ratio method. Four REIT portfolios were formed: an all-REIT portfolio, an equity REIT portfolio, a hybrid REIT portfolio, and a mortgage REIT portfolio. The two-index model was employed and the results indicated that both the market beta and the interest-rate beta of the portfolios were time-varying. In addition, significant shifts in return-generating regimes over time were detected for all four portfolios.

An Examination of Informed Traders and the Market Microstructure of Real Estate Investment Trusts

A significant body of research exists documenting that REITs perform differently from other types of equity securities, although the reasons for these differences are unclear. This study examines the intraday trading behavior of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). Specifically, intraday REIT returns, volume, trading activity, and bid/ask spread are examined in an attempt to better understand the patterns of intraday information flow for a sample of REITs trading on the NYSE. After controlling for differences in market capitalization, share price, and institutional holdings, this paper analyzes differences between REITs and non-REITs, and between REITs that are widely held by institutions and those that are not. The results suggest that, as a group, REITs exhibit lower average volumes and number of trades than do similar non-REITs. In addition, the findings suggest that mortgage REITs trade at spreads that are wider. Surprisingly, the analysis of institutional ownership suggests that equity REITs that are widely held by institutions exhibit the largest divergence from non-REITs in terms of both intraday trading activity and volume, but at the same time trade closer to non-REITs in terms of bid/ask spread. Overall, the results of this study confirm that REITs are treated differently by investors than similar non-REITs, and the institutional ownership findings suggest that trading activity is less important as a determinant of REIT performance than is the level of institutional ownership.

REIT Pricing Efficiency; Should Investors Still Be Concerned?

This study examines the impact of the REIT boom on the market microstructure of REIT common stocks. We analyze NYSE-traded REITs during the pre-boom period (1992) and the post-boom period (1994), and find significant reductions in bid/ask spreads over the period. We also find that the bid/ask spread differential between REITs and non-REITs has been roughly halved between 1991 and 1994. These reductions provide a direct benefit to REIT investors in terms of reduction in transaction costs and improved liquidity, and suggest that the level of uncertainty on the part of the REIT specialist has been reduced.

Identifying Risk-Adjusted Indifference Rents for Alternative Operating Leases

For some time real estate operating leases have been available to lessees and lessors which have alternative schemes for allocating the purchasing power risk embedded in the rent and operating expense streams. This paper presents a market-oriented model that will allow lessees and/or lessors to efficiently evaluate and compare alternative leases. Using the model it is possible to identify a set of risk-adjusted rents for alternative leases between which the evaluator is indifferent. Knowledge of this set of indifference rents places the model user in a superior position during the lease negotiation process.

The Stability of Market Extracted Overall Capitalization Rates*

Willard McIntosh is an Assistant Professor of Finance and Real Estate and Director of the Center for Real Estate Studies, College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky and William M. Whitaker III is Professor of Finance and Head, Department of Finance and Economics at Georgia Southern University

An Examination of the Small-Firm Effect within the REIT Industry

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) offer investors the ability to more easily include real estate-related assets in their investment portfolios. Certain REIT characteristics may allow some REITs to outperform others. Empirical research in the financial literature indicates that small firms earn higher average rates of return than large firms after accounting for risk. This research tests for the existence of the small-firm effect within the REIT industry. REITs provide an opportunity to examine the small-firm effect and its possible explanations using a relative homogeneous group of securities. The evidence supports a small-firm effect for REITs over the time period examined even after considering the possible explanations identified in the financial efficient markets literature.

Real Estate Investment Trusts: A Review of the Financial Economics Literature

This paper is a survey of the literature on Real Estate Investment Trusts, commonly as REITs. The literature is separated into three major research topics: investment financing decisions, and return and risk issues. The central papers addressing each optics are described and their results are summarized. Suggestions for further also are provided

The Wealth Effects of Merger Activities: Further Evidence from Real Estate Investment Trusts

This paper examines the effect of merger announcements on target firm shareholder wealth. The sample is limited to Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) targets. Previous corporate acquisition studies report strong pre-announcement and announcement day price appreciation for target firms. Significant positive abnormal returns are detected for the REIT targets at announcement but not during the pre-announcement period.

Real Estate Investment Acquisition Rules for REITs: A Survey

Real estate comprises the major wealth of the United States as well as the world and institutional investors (life insurance companies, pension funds, and real estate investment trusts (REITs)) have become major investors in real estate due to their large portfolios and annual cash inflows. A recent comprehensive study of real estate investment acquisition rules included life insurance companies and pension funds but omitted real estate investment trusts (REITs). This study surveys REITs on all facets of their real estate investments. The survey covers real estate portfolio size and type, portfolio composition, investment by property type, international investments, before-tax analysis, after-tax analysis, diversification strategies, computer usage, holding period assumptions and criteria for obtaining mortgages, equity positions, and construction loans. The results of this study are then compared and contrasted with previous studies.