Why Federal Realty Stock Lost a Third of Its Value in the First Half of 2020
Shares of retail-focused real estate investment trust (REIT) Federal Realty (NYSE: FRT) fell 33% through the first six months of 2020, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. At the lowest point of that span, the shares were down around 50%. For comparison, the broader REIT sector, as measured by Vanguard Real Estate ETF, was down about 30% at the worst of the span and off by just 15% over the full six-month period. Clearly Federal Realty is an industry laggard today.
Federal Realty's relatively poor showing actually makes sense, given its focus on the retail sector. While it tends to own highly desirable properties in wealthy regions, that doesn't change the fact that COVID-19 has upended the retail industry. With nonessential businesses shut down and consumers being asked to stay home in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, even the best-positioned retail REITs have experienced material stress. To put a number on that, the company had collected only around 53% of its April rent by May 1. That's a terrible number.
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Source Fool.com
