3 REITs Built to Thrive During Inflationary Markets

Inflation has surged this year due to the Strait of Hormuz closure, which has disrupted global trade. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 4.2% over the last 12 months through May. That's up from a 2.4% annualized rate in January and its highest level in three years. A 23.5% boost in energy costs fueled the resurgence.

While inflation is bad for consumers, it can be a boon for some real estate investment trusts (REITs). Here are three built to thrive during inflationary markets.

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Gladstone Land

Gladstone Land (NASDAQ: LAND) focuses on investing in farmland and farm-related properties. The farmland REIT owns 144 farms totaling 99,000 acres across 14 states, as well as more than 55,000 acre-feet of water assets in California. It leases its farms to high-quality tenant farmers, primarily under triple-net (NNN) leases, in which the tenant farmers pay for routine maintenance, property insurance, and real estate taxes. The long-term leases typically feature annual rate escalators, upward market resets, and participation rent features (a percentage of the farm's revenues). Its leases insulate the REIT from inflationary cost pressures while providing it with inflation-driven rent growth.

The REIT primarily invests in farms that grow fresh produce (fruits and vegetables). Since 1980, fresh produce prices have increased 386%, 1.3 times the increase in the overall CPI rate during that period. That higher inflation rate should benefit Gladstone, as it should earn higher participation rents from these farms, which should also appreciate faster than other farms.

Gladstone Land's farm leases support its steadily rising monthly dividend. The REIT has increased its dividend, which currently yields nearly 6.5%, by 35 times over the past 45 quarters, for a total increase of 55.7%. Its goal is to grow its payout consistent with long-term inflation trends, providing investors with an inflation-protected income stream.

Vici Properties

Vici Properties (NYSE: VICI) focuses on investing in experiential real estate, including gaming, hospitality, wellness, entertainment, and leisure destinations. It owns 101 properties across the U.S. and Canada, including 61 gaming properties and 40 other experiential properties. The REIT also invests in loans secured by experiential properties.

The company leases its owned real estate under long-term NNN leases with high-quality operating tenants. Its portfolio currently has a nearly 40-year weighted average remaining lease term. Those leases increasingly protect Vici's rent from inflation, with 45% of its rent coming from CPI-linked leases this year, rising to 87% by 2035.

Vici's increasingly inflation-linked leases provide it with steadily rising cash flow to support its growing dividend (current yield of more than 6.5%). It has grown its dividend at a 7% compound annual rate over its eight years as a public company, well ahead of the 2.4% average of other REITs focused on NNN real estate.

W.P. Carey

W.P. Carey (NYSE: WPC) owns a well-diversified portfolio of operationally critical real estate. It owns over 1,700 industrial, warehouse, retail, and other properties across North America and Europe secured by long-term NNN leases with built-in rent escalations.

About 49% of its rent comes from leases with CPI-linked escalators. That high concentration of inflation-protected leases has enabled W.P. Carey to deliver best-in-class same-store rental growth rates in recent years (between 2.3% and 4.3%).

That steadily rising cash flow provides a solid foundation for the REIT's dividend yield of more than 5%. W.P. Carey has raised its payout every quarter since resetting it in late 2023, following its strategic decision to exit the office sector. The REIT has increased its dividend by 4.5% over the past year and should continue delivering mid-single-digit dividend growth as it expands its portfolio of inflation-linked properties.

Built to capitalize on inflation

Gladstone Land, Vici Properties, and W.P. Carey receive a meaningful share of their rent from leases with rent escalators tied to inflation. That positions them to thrive when inflation is on the rise, as they'll deliver higher rental growth rates to support their rising dividends. Given the recent inflation uptick, these REITs are good buys right now for those seeking to position their portfolios to thrive in the current environment.

Matt DiLallo has positions in Gladstone Land, Vici Properties, and W.P. Carey. The Motley Fool recommends Gladstone Land and Vici Properties. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.