Office REITs own, develop, and manage commercial office real estate, like office parks and high-rise buildings. They rent the properties to tenants and collect rent payments.
This category was attractive in the past because of demand caused by customer growth. However, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a structural change as hybrid work became popular. This event lowered demand and client requirements.
Also, the unprecedented rise in interest rates quickly caused interest expenses to surge. Some projects and earlier acquisitions became less profitable. The combination of hybrid work and higher financing costs resulted in cutting or suspending the dividends of some office REITs. For instance, Vornado Realty (VNO) suspended its dividend because of challenging New York City (NYC) market business conditions.
That said, Office REITs may benefit when interest rates trend lower. This article discusses Office REITs and lists important financial data and a dividend calendar.
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What Are Office REITs?
Office REITs are a category within the REIT industry focusing on commercial office buildings.
They own, develop, and manage office properties such as skyscrapers, high-rise buildings, and corporate parks. A few office REITs are specialized, investing in specific classes of properties. An example is Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE), which owns medical and life science office buildings. It is considered a healthcare REIT. Others focus on government office buildings.
The REITs lease properties or space to tenants, usually in multi-year leases, often a triple net lease structure, which means the lessee carries most of the risk. Sometimes, a client rents a whole building or office park, and sometimes, they only take part. Typical tenants are banks, law firms, government agencies, non-profits, technology companies, multinational companies, etc.
Most office REITs are publicly traded on stock market exchanges. However, a few are closely held by private equity. The largest office REITs have a market capitalization of hundreds of millions to billions of dollars. Collectively, they own thousands of buildings with hundreds of millions of square feet.
List of Office REITs
Stock Rover* and Portfolio Insight* were used to create this table.
| Ticker | Company | Sector | Industry | Fwd. Yield | Payout Ratio | Price / Earnings | Cap ($M USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAT | American Assets Trust | Real Estate | REIT - Diversified | 6.80% | 101.90% | 15.1 | $1,218 |
| AHH | Armada Hoffler Properties | Real Estate | REIT - Diversified | 7.60% | 755.00% | 73.7 | $591 |
| ALX | Alexander's | Real Estate | REIT - Retail | 8.10% | 233.20% | 28.6 | $1,128 |
| ARE | Alexandria Real Estate | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 7.30% | 689.50% | 96 | $12,600 |
| BDN | Brandywine Realty Tr | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 13.90% | - | - | $746 |
| BXP | BXP | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 5.80% | - | - | $10,740 |
| CDP | COPT Defense Props | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 4.50% | 95.20% | 21.9 | $3,096 |
| CIO | City Office REIT | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 8.10% | - | - | $199 |
| CMCT | Creative Media | Real Estate | REIT - Office | - | - | - | $4 |
| CUZ | Cousins Props | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 4.50% | 387.90% | 86.6 | $4,810 |
| DEA | Easterly Government Props | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 8.30% | 646.30% | 52.9 | $995 |
| DEI | Douglas Emmett | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 5.10% | 237.50% | 46.6 | $2,497 |
| ESBA | Empire State Realty OP | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 1.80% | 43.80% | 26.5 | $2,190 |
| ESRT | Empire State Realty Trust | Real Estate | REIT - Diversified | 1.80% | 43.80% | 26.1 | $1,315 |
| FSP | Franklin Street Props | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 2.30% | - | - | $182 |
| HIW | Highwoods Props | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 6.50% | 125.00% | 19.3 | $3,327 |
| HPP | Hudson Pacific Properties | Real Estate | REIT - Office | - | - | - | $294 |
| JBGS | JBG SMITH Properties | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 4.20% | - | - | $1,209 |
| KRC | Kilroy Realty | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 6.60% | 127.80% | 19.6 | $3,886 |
| NLOP | Net Lease Office | Real Estate | REIT - Office | - | - | - | $447 |
| ONL | Orion Properties | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 4.10% | - | - | $109 |
| OPI | Office Props IT | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 17.30% | - | - | $15 |
| PDM | Piedmont Office Realty | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 7.10% | - | - | $874 |
| PGRE | Paramount Group | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 2.90% | - | - | $1,049 |
| PKST | Peakstone Realty Tr | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 7.30% | - | - | $455 |
| PSTL | Postal Realty Trust | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 7.20% | 343.80% | 47.9 | $319 |
| SLG | SL Green Realty | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 5.30% | - | - | $4,176 |
| VNO | Vornado Realty | Real Estate | REIT - Office | 1.90% | 137.00% | 76.1 | $7,606 |
Dividend Calendar for Office REITs
Stock Rover* was used for creating this table.
| Ticker | Company | Ex-Dividend Date | Dividend Record Date | Dividend Payment Date | Dividend Frequency | Next Dividend Payment Per Share | Forward Dividend Per Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAT | American Assets Trust | 6/5/25 | 6/5/25 | 6/19/25 | 4 | $0.34 | $1.36 |
| AHH | Armada Hoffler Properties | 3/26/25 | 3/26/25 | 4/3/25 | 4 | $0.14 | $0.56 |
| ALX | Alexander's | 5/12/25 | 5/12/25 | 5/30/25 | 4 | $4.50 | $18.00 |
| ARE | Alexandria Real Estate | 3/31/25 | 3/31/25 | 4/15/25 | 4 | $1.32 | $5.28 |
| BDN | Brandywine Realty Tr | 4/3/25 | 4/3/25 | 4/17/25 | 4 | $0.15 | $0.60 |
| BXP | BXP | 3/31/25 | 3/31/25 | 4/30/25 | 4 | $0.98 | $3.92 |
| CDP | COPT Defense Props | 3/31/25 | 3/31/25 | 4/16/25 | 4 | $0.31 | $1.22 |
| CIO | City Office REIT | 4/10/25 | 4/10/25 | 4/24/25 | 4 | $0.10 | $0.40 |
| CMCT | Creative Media | 7/8/24 | 7/8/24 | 7/22/24 | 4 | $20.83 | - |
| CUZ | Cousins Props | 4/3/25 | 4/3/25 | 4/15/25 | 4 | $0.32 | $1.28 |
| DEA | Easterly Government Props | 5/5/25 | 5/5/25 | 5/17/25 | 4 | $0.45 | $1.80 |
| DEI | Douglas Emmett | 3/31/25 | 3/31/25 | 4/15/25 | 4 | $0.19 | $0.76 |
| ESBA | Empire State Realty OP | 3/14/25 | 3/14/25 | 3/31/25 | 4 | $0.04 | $0.14 |
| ESRT | Empire State Realty Trust | 3/14/25 | 3/14/25 | 3/31/25 | 4 | $0.04 | $0.14 |
| FSP | Franklin Street Props | 4/17/25 | 4/17/25 | 5/8/25 | 4 | $0.01 | $0.04 |
| HIW | Highwoods Props | 5/19/25 | 5/19/25 | 6/10/25 | 4 | $0.50 | $2.00 |
| HPP | Hudson Pacific Properties | 6/17/24 | 6/17/24 | 6/27/24 | 4 | $0.05 | - |
| JBGS | JBG SMITH Properties | 5/8/25 | 5/8/25 | 5/22/25 | 4 | $0.17 | $0.70 |
| KRC | Kilroy Realty | 3/31/25 | 3/31/25 | 4/9/25 | 4 | $0.54 | $2.16 |
| NLOP | Net Lease Office | 12/15/23 | 12/18/23 | 1/29/24 | 4 | $0.34 | - |
| ONL | Orion Properties | 6/30/25 | 6/30/25 | 7/15/25 | 4 | $0.02 | $0.08 |
| OPI | Office Props IT | 4/22/25 | 4/22/25 | 5/15/25 | 4 | $0.01 | $0.04 |
| PDM | Piedmont Office Realty | 2/21/25 | 2/21/25 | 3/14/25 | 4 | $0.12 | $0.50 |
| PGRE | Paramount Group | 6/28/24 | 6/28/24 | 7/15/24 | 4 | $0.04 | $0.14 |
| PKST | Peakstone Realty Tr | 6/30/25 | 6/30/25 | 7/17/25 | 4 | $0.22 | $0.90 |
| PSTL | Postal Realty Trust | 5/1/25 | 5/1/25 | 5/30/25 | 4 | $0.24 | $0.97 |
| SLG | SL Green Realty | 4/30/25 | 4/30/25 | 5/15/25 | 12 | $0.26 | $3.09 |
| VNO | Vornado Realty | 12/16/24 | 12/16/24 | 12/27/24 | 1 | $0.74 | $0.74 |
Types of Office REITs
Office REITs are often categorized by location. They may own three different types of office buildings: Class A, Class B, and Class C.
Gateway REITs
Gateway REITs are a type of office REIT investing in urban buildings. More specifically, it is referred to as the urban central business district. They hold real estate portfolios concentrated in the six largest metropolitan office markets: NYC, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. They may also own buildings in other cities.
Suburban REITs
On the other hand, suburban REITs hold properties in secondary markets, often in sunbelt cities. Suburban office space is often in corporate parks.
What is a REIT?
A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a corporation that develops, purchases, owns, and operates commercial real estate properties. A REIT is a company that owns, operates, or finances income-generating commercial real estate.
To qualify as a REIT, a corporation must own real estate that generates income distributed to shareholders. Specifically, according to Investopedia, a REIT must
- Invest at least 75% of total assets in real estate, cash, or U.S. Treasuries
- Derive at least 75% of gross income from rents, interest on mortgages that finance a real property, or real estate sales
- Pay a minimum of 90% of taxable income in the form of shareholder dividends each year
- Be an entity that’s taxable as a corporation
- Be managed by a board of directors or trustees
- Have at least 100 shareholders after its first year of existence
- Have no more than 50% of its shares held by five or fewer individuals
Some REITs are privately held, and others are publicly traded on a stock exchange. As a result, retail investors can easily invest in the commercial real estate market by buying and selling a REIT’s stock. The advantage is that investors require significantly less capital.
Investors like REITs because they can pay higher dividend yields and diversify portfolios. However, a risk is the dividend may be cut during recessions. For instance, during the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, black swan event REITs suffered disproportionately, and many cut or suspended dividends. A second negative is REITs do not pay qualified dividends, instead, they pay ordinary or non-qualified dividends.
Pros of Office REITs
Publicly traded office REITs have several advantages for investors.
No Minimum Investment – The minimum is the cost of one share.
Liquidity – Publicly traded REITs can be traded whenever the stock market is open.
Dividends – REITs must pay dividends, permitting investors to generate a passive income stream. Some REITs are dividend growth stocks, too. However, most office REITs do not have long track records because of the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Diversification – Investing in publicly traded REITs provides diversification to a portfolio.
Long-Term Contracts – Contracts in this market usually last five to seven years or even longer. Hence, some stability exists for income and dividend streams.
Final Thoughts
Office REITs are a subset of the REIT industry. Investors are attracted to these companies because of long-term demand and contracts. However, hybrid work and high interest rates have affected results, and thus, the stocks have been under pressure. However, these investments may have a place in some portfolios when undervalued.
Other REIT Lists
- Apartment REITs: Information and a Guide
- Data Center REITs: A Simple Guide
- Healthcare REITs: An Investment Guide
- Net Lease REITs: An Investor’s Overview
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Prakash Kolli is the founder of the Dividend Power site. He is a self-taught investor, analyst, and writer on dividend growth stocks and financial independence. His writings can be found on Seeking Alpha, InvestorPlace, Business Insider, Nasdaq, TalkMarkets, ValueWalk, The Money Show, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and leading financial sites. In addition, he is part of the Portfolio Insight and Sure Dividend teams. He was recently in the top 1.0% and 100 (73 out of over 13,450) financial bloggers, as tracked by TipRanks (an independent analyst tracking site) for his articles on Seeking Alpha.