Realty Income’s Monthly Dividend Is Durable

Image Source: Realty Income

By Brian Nelson, CFA

Realty Income (O) recently reported mixed first quarter results that showed revenue beating the consensus estimate but funds from operations coming up a bit short relative to forecasts. Adjusted funds from operations increased 2.9%, to $1.06 per share, in the quarter, up from $1.03 per share in last year’s period, while the company invested $1.4 billion at an initial weighted average cash yield of 7.5% in the first quarter. Net debt to annualized proforma adjusted EBITDAre was 5.4x at the end of the quarter. Management had the following to say about the results:

Realty Income’s ability to deliver reliable and stable performance through varying market conditions continues to be a hallmark of our platform. Throughout our history, we have strategically expanded and diversified our portfolio across geographies, asset classes, and investment types. This, combined with our high-quality tenant base, ensures the predictability and durability of our cash flows, which has proven to be especially valuable during periods of uncertainty caused by exogenous factors.

Our first quarter results reflect the strength of our portfolio and our ability to deploy capital into high-quality opportunities, particularly in Europe. Our size, scale, and breadth of investments, together with access to various capital sources, remain key advantages and reinforce our ability to drive consistent results.

Looking to 2025, Realty Income largely reiterated its prior guidance, with the exception of net income per share being lowered to the range of $1.40-$1.46 from $1.52-$1.58 previously. Adjusted funds from operations was reiterated in the range of $4.22-$4.28 per share for the year with same store rent growth of approximately 1%. Occupancy is targeted at over 98% while investment volume is expected to be approximately $4 billion. We like the durability of Realty Income’s monthly dividend, with shares yielding 5.7% at the time of this writing.

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