2017 Top 50 Commercial Owners

By Chris Nebenzahl, Senior Analyst, Yardi Matrix

You can also read our 2016 Top Owners and 2015 Top Owners rankings.

Diversification Is Key

While geopolitical, macroeconomic and real estate market uncertainty contributed to a modest slowdown in commercial real estate transaction activity to start off 2017, volume picked up as the year progressed, with prices remaining high and cap rates and interest rates still at historic lows. Investors are becoming more selective as the cycle continues to mature, although with ample capital available there are still certain markets and property types attracting capital.

The owners that topped the CPE-MHN 2017 Top 50 Owners ranking remain well diversified, as nine of the top 10 firms operate property in at least five separate asset classes. Clarion Partners took the top spot this year, with one of the highest portfolio values and total square footage in its owned portfolio. Tough competition for high-quality assets in the multifamily and office sectors and the retail sector’s struggle to balance stores against e-commerce have many real estate owners looking to diversify their portfolios by investing in asset classes like industrial, self-storage and medical office to capture additional yield and long-term appreciation.

Geographic diversification also played a key role for many of our top-ranked firms in 2017. Most of the top owners operate assets across the United States and internationally. The growing interconnectivity within global markets allows and encourages real estate owners to grow their portfolios overseas.

As the current real estate cycle extends and many industry insiders question when the next downturn will occur, the leading owners should be well positioned to withstand a future market correction.

Methodology

The 2017 CPE-MHN Ranking of the Top 50 Owners utilized self-reported data for all firms. The ranking results from a weighted formula based on a variety of factors (only a few of which are specified here), including the total square footage and number of units owned, owned portfolio value, historic performance and a focused or diversified participation in property sectors. The ranking represents what we feel is a logical balance between firm growth and market share, as well as property diversity.

Originally appearing in the November 2017 issue of CPE.