REITs still have a Buy Rating

In another sign that the commercial real estate sector is not in the same trouble as the residential sector, many REITs still have good ratings from S&P.

According to Business week in the first quarter of 2008, the group posted a 0.8% total return, at a time when the S&P 500 index fell 9.4%. (REITs Show Strength)

Business Week put together a list of 17 REITs that have a 4- (buy) or 5-STARS (strong buy) rankings from S&P Equity Research:

Alexandria	ARE
AMB Property	AMB
Annaly Capital Management	NLY
Developers Diversified Realty	DDR
Essex Property	ESS
Federal Realty	FRT
First Industrial Realty	FR
General Growth Properties	GGP
Macerich	MAC
Mack-Cali	CLI
National Retail Properties	NNN
ProLogis	PLD
PS Business Parks	PSB
Regency Centers	REG
Simon Property Group	SPG
Taubman Centers	TCO
Weingarten Realty	WRI

(Disclaimer: Some of these REITs are clients of my employer.)