Does Warren Buffett own REITs?
While real estate has never been a big part of Buffett's investing strategy, Berkshire Hathaway has owned shares of STORE Capital, a REIT focused on single-tenant operational real estate.
Leading REITs worldwide 2024, by market cap
Prologis, American Tower, and Welltower were the real estate investment trusts (REITs) worldwide with the largest market caps as of April 11, 2024. All three REITs were headquartered in the United States.
“We don't have any competitive advantage over experienced real estate investors in the field." Buffett himself said something similar and extended this to REITs: I think [real estate] tends to be more accurately priced, particularly more developed real estate, most of the time...
Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway (BRK. A, BRK.B) publicly discloses its top stock holdings quarterly, giving you a glimpse behind the curtain to see the stock portfolio of one of the world's greatest investors. Among the 45 stocks Berkshire Hathaway holds, the top 10 represent about 87% of the company's holdings.
Company | Shares held | Percent of portfolio |
---|---|---|
Apple (AAPL) | 905,560,000 | 50.19% |
Bank of America (BAC) | 1,032,852,006 | 10.01% |
American Express (AXP) | 151,610,700 | 8.18% |
Coca-Cola (KO) | 400,000,000 | 6.79% |
# | Name | M. Cap |
---|---|---|
1 | Prologis 1PLD | $98.50 B |
2 | American Tower 2AMT | $80.32 B |
3 | Equinix 3EQIX | $69.71 B |
4 | Welltower 4WELL | $53.01 B |
How to Qualify as a REIT? To qualify as a REIT, a company must have the bulk of its assets and income connected to real estate investment and must distribute at least 90 percent of its taxable income to shareholders annually in the form of dividends.
Mumbai: Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) listed on domestic stock exchanges have largely been forgettable bets for many investors in 2023 so far as a delay in the pick-up in commercial real estate, a slowdown in the IT sector, and higher interest rates have capped returns.
At that rate of return, a monthly investment of $300 in REITs would grow into $1 million in about 30 years. If you invested more money into REITs or those producing a higher average annual return, you could become a millionaire even faster.
It is generally accurate to say that individual Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are less likely to go to zero compared to individual stocks, primarily because REITs are invested in real estate properties and real estate typically retains some non-zero value.
What is Buffett's favorite stock?
Apple Inc.
Apple is the world's most valuable public company and Warren Buffet's largest stock holding. Under the leadership of CEO Tim Cook, Apple has continued to provide outstanding value to long-term shareholders.
Ticker | Company | % Portfolio |
---|---|---|
MSFT | Microsoft Corp. | 33.98% |
BRK.B | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | 16.80% |
CNI | Canadian National Railway Co. | 16.29% |
WM | Waste Management Inc. | 14.92% |
- Apple.
- Bank of America.
- American Express.
- The Coca-Cola Company.
- Chevron.
- Occidental Petroleum.
- Kraft Heinz.
- Moody's.
Warren Buffett has long recommended the S&P 500 index fund and ETF, and through his holding company Berkshire Hathaway, he also owns two of these types of investments: the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO -1.36%) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY -1.38%).
Over 30 years ago, Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, made his first purchase of silver in anticipation of the metal's demonetization by the U.S. Government. Since that time he has followed silver's fundamentals but no entity he manages has owned it.
Buffett's current vehicle, the 2014 Cadillac XTS that he has owned for approximately ten years, is a testament to his reputation for frugality.
Direct real estate offers more tax breaks than REIT investments, and gives investors more control over decision making. Many REITs are publicly traded on exchanges, so they're easier to buy and sell than traditional real estate.
“I recommend REITs within a managed portfolio,” Devine said, noting that most investors should limit their REIT exposure to between 2 percent and 5 percent of their overall portfolio. Here again, a financial professional can help you determine what percentage of your portfolio you should allocate toward REITs, if any.
Company (ticker symbol) | Sector | Dividend yield |
---|---|---|
Medical Properties Trust (MPW) | Healthcare | 27.0% |
Global Net Lease (GNL) | Diversified | 16.7% |
AGNC Investment (AGNC) | Mortgage | 14.9% |
ARMOUR Residential REIT (ARR) | Mortgage | 14.7% |
REITs should generally be considered long-term investments
This is especially true if you're planning to invest in non-traded REITs since you won't be able to easily access your money until the REIT lists its shares on a public exchange or liquidates its assets. In many cases, this can take around 10 years to occur.
What is bad income for REITs?
For purposes of the REIT income tests, a non-qualified hedge will produce income that is included in the denominator, but not the numerator. This is generally referred to as “bad” REIT income because it reduces the fraction and makes it more difficult to meet the tests.
A REIT cannot be closely held. A REIT will be closely held if more than 50 percent of the value of its outstanding stock is owned directly or indirectly by or for five or fewer individuals at any point during the last half of the taxable year, (this is commonly referred to as the 5/50 test).
REITs allow investors to pool their money and purchase real estate properties. By law, a REIT must pay at least 90% of its income to its shareholders, providing investors with a passive income option that can be helpful during recessions.
Can You Lose Money on a REIT? As with any investment, there is always a risk of loss. Publicly traded REITs have the particular risk of losing value as interest rates rise, which typically sends investment capital into bonds.
REITs historically perform well during and after recessions | Pensions & Investments.
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