Shares of BXP Inc. BXP have rallied 19.5% in the past three months, outperforming the industry's growth of 15.6%.
Last month, BXP reported second-quarter 2024 funds from operations (FFO) per share of $1.77, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.72. Results reflected better-than-anticipated revenues on healthy leasing activity.
The company, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), also raised its guidance for 2024. It now expects FFO per share in the range of $7.09-$7.15, up from the $6.98-$7.10 band projected earlier.
Analysts seem bullish about the company, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2024 FFO per share revised upward marginally over the past month to $7.07.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Let us decipher the factors behind the surge in the stock price and check whether this trend will last or not.
BXP's portfolio of premier office assets, concentrated in a few select high-rent, high barrier-to-entry geographic markets, and a solid tenant base, including several industry bellwethers, enable it to generate stable rental revenues, even during periods of economic downturn. The rise in demand for top-quality office spaces continues to be driven by technology and life science businesses, positioning the company well for long-term growth.
With the pandemic’s impact waning, the return-to-office policies implemented by many companies, coupled with a relatively low unemployment rate and consistent job growth, are likely to drive the demand for BXP's strategically located, high-quality office properties. In the second quarter of 2024, the company executed 73 leases totaling around 1.3 million square feet with a weighted average lease term of nine years.
BXP has been focusing on successfully executing its capital reallocation strategy. In particular, it is boosting its portfolio quality through repositioning initiatives by acquisitions, developing properties in core markets and shedding properties in non-core markets. Such moves highlight the company’s prudent capital management practices and relieve the pressure on its balance sheet.
BXP also has an encouraging development and redevelopment pipeline, which bodes well for its long-term growth. As of Jun 30, 2024, BXP’s portfolio comprised 186 properties encompassing 53.5 million square feet of space. This included 10 properties under construction/redevelopment.
BXP has a healthy balance sheet position with ample liquidity. As of Jun 30, 2024, the company had $2.3 billion of liquidity. BXP’s share of net debt to EBITDAre (annualized) was 7.91X, while the fixed charge coverage ratio was 2.69 times as of the same date. Given its solid financial position and prudent capital management, BXP seems well-poised to navigate any economic uncertainty and industry choppiness and capitalize on future growth opportunities.
Key Risks
The rising supply of office properties in certain markets is likely to fuel competition and a huge development outlay raises concerns for BXP. High interest rates add to its woes.
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks from the REIT sector are Cousins Properties CUZ and Healthpeak Properties, Inc. DOC, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cousins Properties’ 2024 FFO per share has moved marginally northward in the past month to $2.66.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Healthpeak Properties’ 2024 FFO per share has increased marginally over the past three months to $1.79.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
