Retail REITs Q2 Earnings on Jul 27: EQY, KIM, ROIC, SPG

We are in the busiest week of the Q2 earnings season, with around 1000 publicly traded companies scheduled to report quarterly numbers within the next few days. As expected, the week will be pretty eventful for the real estate investment trust (REIT) space as well.

In fact, several categories of REITs are reporting their earnings this week but let us have a quick take on the retail REITs that are slated to release their results on Jul 27. Among them are Equity One, Inc. EQY, Kimco Realty Corporation KIM, Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. ROIC and Simon Property Group, Inc. SPG.

With the solid rebound in the U.S. economy, backed by strong consumer spending, job gains and rising income levels, retails sales picked up in the second quarter. Expansion of omni-channel retailing raised the demand for space in brick-and-mortar centers.

Amid reviving retail sales, the national retail availability rate has declined to its lowest level since 2008. In fact, in second-quarter 2016, retail availability averaged 10.9%, down 10 basis points (bps) sequentially and 30 bps from a year ago. Interestingly, around two-thirds of the U.S. markets experienced tighter retail availability. This trend is expected to continue, by the solid job market report for June and strong momentum in retail spending.

Here's how the four aforementioned retail REITs are expected to perform, when they report their second-quarter 2016 results tomorrow.

Equity One owns, manages, acquires, develops and redevelops shopping centers and retail properties that are located primarily in th supply-constrained suburban and urban communities. The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Equity One is likely to beat on earnings this quarter. This is because the company lacks the right combination of the two key ingredients – a positive Earnings ESP (the percentage difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate) and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 or 3 (Hold).

EQUITY ONE INC Price and EPS Surprise

EQUITY ONE INC Price and EPS Surprise | EQUITY ONE INC Quote

Kimco Realty is one of the nation's largest owners and operators of neighborhood and community shopping centers. The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. Although the company’s Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP, its 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult.

Amid the reviving retail real estate market, Kimco’s average base rent for the U.S. portfolio is anticipated to have improved consistently in the second quarter. Given favorable demand/supply dynamics, leasing spreads are projected to have grown while small-shop occupancy should have remained solid.

The company remains on track with its strategic 2020 Vision, making joint-venture buyouts and progressing on its simplification efforts, reducing the number of joint ventures (JV) and particularly pruning its Canadian portfolio. Though such efforts are encouraging for the long term, the earnings dilution effect resulting from such high-disposition activity cannot be averted. (Read more: Kimco Realty Q2 Earnings: What's in Store for Stock?)

KIMCO REALTY CO Price and EPS Surprise

KIMCO REALTY CO Price and EPS Surprise | KIMCO REALTY CO Quote

Retail Opportunity Investments owns and manages a diverse portfolio of necessity-based retail properties. This includes mainly community and neighborhood shopping centers that are anchored by national or regional supermarkets and drugstores. The company has an Earnings ESP of -3.85% and a Zacks Rank #2. Though a favorable Zacks Rank increases predictive power of ESP, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident of an earnings beat.

RETAIL OPPURTUN Price and EPS Surprise

RETAIL OPPURTUN Price and EPS Surprise | RETAIL OPPURTUN Quote

Simon Property Group is engaged in acquiring, owning and leasing retail properties, mainly regional malls, premium outlets and mills. The company has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #2. Despite its favorable Zacks Rank, a 0.00% ESP lowers the chances of a beat this quarter.

With solid demand for retail quality space and manageable supply, Simon Property is expected to have experienced growth in rent and occupancy. But any robust growth might be limited due to competition from alternative types of retail such as catalogs and e-Commerce websites. (Read more: Simon Property's Q2 Earnings Peek: What to Expect?)

SIMON PROPERTY Price and EPS Surprise

SIMON PROPERTY Price and EPS Surprise | SIMON PROPERTY Quote

Stay tuned! Check back on our full write-up on earnings releases of these stocks.

Note: All EPS numbers presented in this write up represent funds from operations (“FFO”) per share. FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.

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SIMON PROPERTY (SPG): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
KIMCO REALTY CO (KIM): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
EQUITY ONE INC (EQY): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
RETAIL OPPURTUN (ROIC): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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