5 Undervalued REITs - Specialized Stocks for Thursday, August 08

By Omar Beirat
August 08, 2024
Diamond graphic indicating best value stocks in their industry
Featured Tickers:
ACRE AFCG BHR RC SOHO

Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 5 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.

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5 Undervalued REITs - Specialized Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 5 undervalued stocks in the REITs - Specialized industry for Thursday, August 08, 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 1.86 na na 14.4% 0.64 na A
AFC Gamma Inc AFCG 3.16 17.6 2.2 20.0% 0.61 na A
Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc BHR 0.26 na 10.6 7.1% 0.62 na A
Ready Capital Corp RC 1.67 5.4 na (41.7%) 0.66 na B
Sotherly Hotels Inc SOHO 0.13 na 8.6 (15.5%) 0.47 1.7 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 55 1.86 2.03
Price/Earnings na na 24.5
EV/EBITDA na na 16.5
Shareholder Yield 4 14.4% 4.3%
Price/Book Value 17 0.64 0.91
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 39.7

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 1.86 compared to the industry median at 2.03, 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 4.32%. 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 0.91. 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 72 3.16 2.03
Price/Earnings 49 17.6 24.5
EV/EBITDA 5 2.2 16.5
Shareholder Yield 3 20.0% 4.3%
Price/Book Value 15 0.61 0.91
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 39.7

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 17.6 compared to the industry median at 24.5. 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 0.91.

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.

Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score BHR Industry Median
Price/Sales 11 0.26 2.03
Price/Earnings na na 24.5
EV/EBITDA 49 10.6 16.5
Shareholder Yield 11 7.1% 4.3%
Price/Book Value 15 0.62 0.91
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 39.7

Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. is a real estate investment trust focused on investing in luxury hotels and resorts. Its business objectives are to generate attractive returns on its invested capital and long-term growth in cash flow to maximize total returns to its stockholders. The Company operates in the direct hotel investment segment of the hotel lodging industry. It owns interests in 16 hotel properties in seven states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands with 4,192 total rooms, or 3,957 net rooms. The hotel properties in its portfolio are predominantly located in the United States urban and resort locations. It also owns 14 of its hotel properties directly, and the remaining two hotel properties through an investment in a majority-owned consolidated joint venture entity. All of the hotel properties in its portfolio are asset-managed by Ashford LLC. The Company's hotel properties include Capital Hilton, The Clancy, The Notary Hotel and others.

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.

Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc has a Value Score of 94, which is considered to be undervalued.

Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.91.

You can read more about Braemar Hotels & Resorts 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.

Ready Capital Corp’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score RC Industry Median
Price/Sales 51 1.67 2.03
Price/Earnings 7 5.4 24.5
EV/EBITDA na na 16.5
Shareholder Yield 90 (41.7%) 4.3%
Price/Book Value 17 0.66 0.91
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 39.7

Ready Capital Corporation is a multi-strategy real estate finance company that originates, acquires, finances and services small- to medium-sized balance commercial loans. Its segments include LMM Commercial Real Estate and Small Business Lending. The LMM Commercial Real Estate segment originates lower-to-middle-market commercial real estate (LMM) loans across the full life cycle of an LMM property including construction, bridge, stabilized and agency loan origination channels through its wholly owned subsidiary, ReadyCap Commercial, LLC. These originated loans are generally held-for-investment or placed into securitization structures. As part of this segment, it originates and services multi-family loan products under the Freddie Mac SBL program. The Small Business Lending segment acquires, originates and services owner-occupied loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under its SBA Section 7(a) Program through its wholly owned subsidiary, ReadyCap Lending, 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.

Ready Capital Corp has a Value Score of 62, which is considered to be undervalued.

Ready Capital Corp’s price-earnings ratio is 5.4 compared to the industry median at 24.5. This means that it has a lower price relative to its earnings compared to its peers. This makes Ready Capital Corp more attractive for value investors.

Ready Capital Corp’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Ready Capital Corp less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.91.

You can read more about Ready Capital Corp’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.

Sotherly Hotels Inc’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score SOHO Industry Median
Price/Sales 6 0.13 2.03
Price/Earnings na na 24.5
EV/EBITDA 38 8.6 16.5
Shareholder Yield 82 (15.5%) 4.3%
Price/Book Value 10 0.47 0.91
Price/Free Cash Flow 3 1.7 39.7

Sotherly Hotels Inc. is a self-managed and self-administered lodging real estate investment trust. The Company is focused on the acquisition, renovation, up branding and repositioning of upscale to upper-upscale full-service hotels in the Southern United States. The Company conducts its business through Sotherly Hotels LP, its operating partnership (the Operating Partnership). Its portfolio consists of ten full-service, primarily upscale and upper-upscale hotels located in seven states with an aggregate of 2,786 hotel rooms, and interests in two condominium hotels and their associated rental programs. Its wholly owned properties include The DeSoto; DoubleTree by Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront; DoubleTree by Hilton Laurel; DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Airport; DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hollywood Beach; Georgian Terrace; Hotel Alba Tampa, Tapestry Collection by Hilton; Hotel Ballast Wilmington, Tapestry Collection by Hilton; Hyatt Centric Arlington and The Whitehall.

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.

Sotherly Hotels Inc has a Value Score of 87, which is considered to be undervalued.

Sotherly Hotels Inc’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Sotherly Hotels Inc less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 0.91.

You can read more about Sotherly Hotels 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.

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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 5 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.
  • Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Ready Capital Corp stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Sotherly Hotels Inc stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 5 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.

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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.



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