6 Undervalued REITs - Specialized Stocks for Friday, July 19

By Omar Beirat
July 19, 2024
Diamond graphic indicating best value stocks in their industry
Featured Tickers:

Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 6 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the REITs - Specialized industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Why Focus on Undervalued REITs - Specialized Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

Click the button below to learn more about A+ Investor and subscribe today.

Learn More About A+ Investor

6 Undervalued REITs - Specialized Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 6 undervalued stocks in the REITs - Specialized industry for Friday, July 19, 2024. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the REITs - Specialized industry median.

Company Ticker Price/Sales Price/Earnings EV/EBITDA Shareholder Yield Price/Book Value Price/Free Cash Flow Value Grade
Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp ACRE 2.07 na na 13.5% 0.69 na A
AFC Gamma Inc AFCG 3.13 17.4 4.5 20.1% 0.61 na A
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust PEB 1.15 na 13.3 2.4% 0.60 na B
PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust PMT 1.11 11.7 48.8 12.1% 0.89 na B
Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc SHO 2.20 11.6 12.6 5.3% 1.12 na B
Uniti Group Inc UNIT 0.76 na 7.8 15.9% na na A

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score ACRE Industry Median
Price/Sales 56 2.07 2.18
Price/Earnings na na 23.8
EV/EBITDA na na 16.5
Shareholder Yield 5 13.5% 4.5%
Price/Book Value 16 0.69 0.97
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 55.7

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation is a specialty finance company. The Company is primarily engaged in originating and investing in commercial real estate (CRE) loans and related investments. The Company operates through its segment, which is primarily focused on directly originating and managing a diversified portfolio of CRE debt-related investments for the Company’s own account. The Company’s target investments include senior mortgage loans, subordinated debt, preferred equity, mezzanine loans and other CRE investments, including commercial mortgage-backed securities. These investments are generally held for investment and are secured, directly or indirectly, by office, multifamily, retail, industrial, lodging, self-storage, student housing, residential, and other commercial real estate properties, or by ownership interests therein. The Company’s portfolio is externally managed by Ares Commercial Real Estate Management LLC (the Manager).

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp has a Value Score of 90, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp’s price-to-sales ratio at 2.07 compared to the industry median at 2.18, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 4.46%. Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 0.97. This could make Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

AFC Gamma Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score AFCG Industry Median
Price/Sales 69 3.13 2.18
Price/Earnings 46 17.4 23.8
EV/EBITDA 12 4.5 16.5
Shareholder Yield 3 20.1% 4.5%
Price/Book Value 13 0.61 0.97
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 55.7

AFC Gamma, Inc. is an institutional lender that originates, structures, and underwrites loans secured by commercial real estate and other types of financing solutions. The Company targets direct lending and bridge loan opportunities typically ranging from $10 million to $100 million across multiple real estate sectors, with a specialization in lending to state-law compliant cannabis operators. The Company’s objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns over time through cash distributions and capital appreciation primarily by providing loans to real estate developers and state-law compliant cannabis companies. The loans it originates are primarily structured as senior loans secured by real estate, equipment, value associated with licenses (where applicable) and/or other assets of the loan parties to the extent permitted by applicable laws and the regulations governing such loan parties. The Company is externally managed by AFC Management, LLC.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

AFC Gamma Inc has a Value Score of 86, which is considered to be undervalued.

AFC Gamma Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 17.4 compared to the industry median at 23.8. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes AFC Gamma Inc more attractive for value investors.

AFC Gamma Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make AFC Gamma Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.97.

You can read more about AFC Gamma Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score PEB Industry Median
Price/Sales 37 1.15 2.18
Price/Earnings na na 23.8
EV/EBITDA 61 13.3 16.5
Shareholder Yield 29 2.4% 4.5%
Price/Book Value 13 0.60 0.97
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 55.7

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is a real estate investment trust (REIT) and the owner of urban and resort lifestyle hotels in the United States. The Company owns 46 hotels and resorts, totaling approximately 11,924 guest rooms across 13 urban and resort markets. Its hotel properties include 1 Hotel San Francisco, Argonaut Hotel, Chamberlain West Hollywood Hotel, Chaminade Resort & Spa, Embassy Suites San Diego Bay-Downtown, Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, George Hotel, Harbor Court Hotel San Francisco, Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, Hotel Monaco Washington DC, Hotel Zelos San Francisco, Hotel Palomar Los Angeles Beverly Hills, Hotel Zeppelin San Francisco, and others. The Company is focused on both branded and independent full-service hotels in the upper-upscale segment of the lodging industry. The full-service hotels on which the Company focuses its investment activity generally have one or more restaurants, lounges, meeting facilities, and other amenities, as well as customer service.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has a Value Score of 74, which is considered to be undervalued.

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Pebblebrook Hotel Trust less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.97.

You can read more about Pebblebrook Hotel Trust’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score PMT Industry Median
Price/Sales 36 1.11 2.18
Price/Earnings 28 11.7 23.8
EV/EBITDA 93 48.8 16.5
Shareholder Yield 5 12.1% 4.5%
Price/Book Value 24 0.89 0.97
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 55.7

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust is a specialty finance company. The Company invests primarily in mortgage-related assets. The Company conducts all its operations, and makes investments, through PennyMac Operating Partnership, L.P. and its subsidiaries. The Company's segments include credit sensitive strategies, interest rate sensitive strategies, correspondent production, and corporate. The credit sensitive strategies segment represents its investments in credit risk transfer (CRT) arrangements, subordinate mortgage-backed securities (MBS), distressed loans, and real estate. The interest rate sensitive strategies segment represents its investments in MSRs, excess servicing spread (ESS) purchased from PFSI, Agency and senior non-Agency MBS and the related interest rate hedging activities. The Correspondent Production segment serves as an intermediary between lenders and the capital markets by purchasing, pooling and reselling credit quality loans.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust has a Value Score of 69, which is considered to be undervalued.

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust’s price-earnings ratio is 11.7 compared to the industry median at 23.8. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust more attractive for value investors.

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.97.

You can read more about PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score SHO Industry Median
Price/Sales 58 2.20 2.18
Price/Earnings 27 11.6 23.8
EV/EBITDA 58 12.6 16.5
Shareholder Yield 16 5.3% 4.5%
Price/Book Value 32 1.12 0.97
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 55.7

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. is a real estate investment trust. The Company owns approximately 14 hotels, comprised of 6,675 rooms, located in six states and in Washington, DC. The Company’s portfolio consists of luxury hotels located in convention, resort destinations and urban markets. It is the owner of Long-Term Relevant Real Estate (LTRR) in the lodging industry, specifically hotels in urban and resort destination locations. The Company's hotels are operated by third-party managers under long-term management agreements with TRS Lessee or its subsidiaries. It is operated by third-party managers under long-term management agreements with the TRS Lessee or its subsidiaries. Its third-party managers include subsidiaries of Marriott International, Inc.; managers of six of the Company’s hotels; Hyatt Hotels Corporation, manager of two of its hotels; and Four Seasons Hotels Limited, Highgate Hotels L.P. and an affiliate, Hilton Worldwide, and Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc has a Value Score of 67, which is considered to be undervalued.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc’s price-earnings ratio is 11.6 compared to the industry median at 23.8. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc more attractive for value investors.

Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its peers. This could make Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc more attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.97.

You can read more about Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Uniti Group Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score UNIT Industry Median
Price/Sales 27 0.76 2.18
Price/Earnings na na 23.8
EV/EBITDA 33 7.8 16.5
Shareholder Yield 4 15.9% 4.5%
Price/Book Value na na 0.97
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 55.7

Uniti Group Inc. is an independent, internally managed real estate investment trust (REIT), which is engaged in the acquisition, construction, and leasing of mission critical infrastructure in the communications industry. The Company is principally focused on acquiring and constructing fiber optic, copper and coaxial broadband networks and data centers. The Company’s lines of business include Uniti Leasing and Uniti Fiber. The Uniti Leasing is engaged in acquiring and constructing mission-critical communications assets, such as fiber, data centers, next generation consumer broadband, coaxial and upgradeable copper, and leasing them back to anchor customers on either an exclusive or shared-tenant basis. The Uniti Fiber is a provider of infrastructure solutions, including cell site backhaul and small cell for wireless operators and ethernet, wavelengths and dark fiber for telecommunications carriers and enterprises. The Company owns approximately 1,40,000 fiber network route miles.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Uniti Group Inc has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

You can read more about Uniti Group Inc’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Learn More About A+ Investor

Other REITs - Specialized Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about REITs - Specialized stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 6 Best REITs - Specialized Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

  • Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • AFC Gamma Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Pebblebrook Hotel Trust stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Uniti Group Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 6 undervalued stocks in the REITs - Specialized industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

Additional Resources About REITs - Specialized Stocks

Want to learn more about REITs - Specialized stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



Find New Stock Opportunities With Included With AAII Platinum
Zweig Screen: 11.3% Compared to S&P 500
at only 6.9%

Gain Since Inception. Data as of 12/31/2024.




Try AAII Platinum and get full access to
769.3% Stock Superstars Portfolio Total Return Since Inception
Compare to:
710.3% iShare DOW Jones
U.S. Index ETF (IYY)

SSR Group 3 O'Shaughnessy portfolio has a 411.2% gain since inception performance compared to IYY at only 119.1%% Performance as of 11/29/24.

Get your free copy of our special report analyzing the tech stocks most likely to outperform the market.

Download the FREE Report Here:

BECOME A MEMBER FOR ONLY $2

Get access to powerful investment discovery tools and a wealth of investment education to help you achieve your financial goals.