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Best REIT Stocks to Buy for Reliable Income Heading Into 2026
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Key Takeaways
Prologis sees record lease sign-ups and high occupancy, boosting FFO growth.
Simon Property's malls report 96.4% occupancy and a 4.8% dividend increase in Q3 2025.
Cousins Properties raises FFO guidance with strong Sun Belt leasing and a 32-cent quarterly dividend.
As investors look ahead to the new year, income and stability are back at the top of the priority list. REITs meet that need well, offering steady cash flows and attractive dividends tied to real assets. After a volatile stretch for markets, real estate stocks are starting to regain attention as conditions turn more supportive.
REITs could prosper in 2026 due to a healthier economic backdrop and easing financial pressure. Recent rate cut, cooling inflation and strong GDP growth point to improving demand across many property types. With earnings growth expected to accelerate and balance sheets in good shape, REITs are positioned to benefit as transaction activity and valuations slowly recover.
This draws our attention to REITs that cater to different asset categories, like Prologis, Inc. (PLD - Free Report) , Simon Property Group, Inc. (SPG - Free Report) and Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ - Free Report) .
Industrial real estate remains one of the strongest corners of the market, and demand rebounded in late 2025 with the easing of trade policy uncertainty. Demand from e-commerce, logistics and supply-chain reshoring continues to support high occupancy and steady rent growth. Limited new supply in key markets has kept fundamentals tight, allowing industrial REITs to generate reliable cash flows and maintain pricing power even through economic swings.
The office sector is showing signs of improvement after a long reset. Higher-quality buildings in strong locations are attracting tenants as companies refine hybrid work strategies. With new construction muted and leasing slowly improving, well-capitalized office REITs have room to benefit from rising utilization and selective rent growth over the next cycle.
Retail real estate has quietly rebuilt its foundation and now looks healthier than many expect. With supply growth limited and consumers supported by rising incomes and tax relief, retail REITs are positioned to deliver stable income and gradual growth in 2026.
3 REIT Picks
Prologis is the world’s largest owner of logistics real estate, owning and operating roughly 1.3 billion square feet of logistics and distribution space in 20 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. It serves major logistics users, from e-commerce and transportation to manufacturing, making it central to global supply chains. Known for its scale and strategic locations, Prologis consistently ranks as a leader in industrial property investment and development.
Investors are expected to find Prologis compelling due to its strong leasing momentum and resilient fundamentals, exemplified by a third-quarter 2025 record lease sign-up activity and core FFO growth that beat expectations, while raising full-year guidance. Portfolio occupancy remains high near mid-90% levels, and same-store net operating income is advancing. Its diversified global exposure, strategic expansion into data center power capacity and stable quarterly dividend enhance its total return profile. In the last five years, Prologis has increased its dividend five times, and its five-year annualized dividend growth rate is 12.66%. Check Prologis’ dividend history here.
The recent estimate revision trend indicates that analysts are bullish on this stock. Over the past two months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 FFO per share has moved upward to $5.80. The same for 2026 has also been trending northward. The projections also suggest a 4.32% and 4.94% rise, respectively. PLD currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Simon Property Group is one of the world’s largest retail REITs, focused on premier shopping, dining, entertainment, and mixed-use destinations across North America, Europe, and Asia. The company owns and operates a diversified portfolio of malls, premium outlets, and lifestyle centers that attract millions of visitors and billions in annual sales, reinforcing its position as a dominant retail landlord. Simon continues to refine its portfolio through targeted acquisitions, including Phillips Place in Charlotte and full ownership of Taubman Realty Group, strengthening its exposure to top-tier retail assets.
Investors should note Simon’s resilient operational performance and growth trajectory. In the third quarter of 2025, the company reported real estate FFO of $3.22 per share, up about 5.6% year over year, while occupancy for its U.S. malls and premium outlets reached 96.4%, indicating strong tenant demand. Simon raised its quarterly dividend by 4.8% to $2.20 per share, reflecting confidence in cash flow generation and shareholder returns. Strategic acquisitions, such as the full ownership of Taubman Realty Group and Phillips Place, strengthen the portfolio’s quality and future income potential.
Analysts seem bullish on this stock, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2025 and 2026 FFO per share being revised 1.4% and 0.9% upward to $12.67 and $12.94, respectively, over the past two months. SPG currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. Simon Property has delivered 14 dividend hikes over the past five years, with payouts rising nearly 11.7% in that period. Check Simon Property’s dividend history here.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Cousins Properties is an office REIT headquartered in Atlanta, focused on Class A office buildings in high-growth Sun Belt markets such as Austin, Atlanta, Charlotte and Phoenix. Founded in 1958, it develops, acquires, leases and manages premier office assets designed to attract strong corporate tenants and support long-term value creation. Its portfolio emphasizes quality locations where demand remains comparatively resilient.
Cousins has shown solid operational momentum with robust leasing activity, including more than 550,000 square feet of executed office leases in the third quarter of 2025, and second-generation net rent per square foot up around 4-5% on a cash basis, reflecting tenant willingness to renew at higher rents. Its FFO per share guidance has been raised to roughly $2.82-$2.86 for 2025, underscoring improved cash flow expectations. The company also pays a regular quarterly dividend of 32 cents per share, providing income alongside growth potential as office demand re-accelerates in key Sun Belt markets.
CUZ currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CUZ’s 2025 and 2026 sales implies a year-over-year increase of 14.75% and 5.13%, respectively. What is also encouraging is that the consensus mark for the current year and 2026 FFO per share has witnessed upward revisions to $2.84 and $2.92, calling for a 5.58% and 2.70% year-over-year increase, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Conclusion
Overall, the outlook for these REITs heading into 2026 looks encouraging. Improving economic conditions, disciplined balance sheets and strengthening property fundamentals create a supportive setup. For income-focused investors, select REITs across resilient sectors can offer stability, yield and measured upside as confidence returns.
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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Best REIT Stocks to Buy for Reliable Income Heading Into 2026
Key Takeaways
As investors look ahead to the new year, income and stability are back at the top of the priority list. REITs meet that need well, offering steady cash flows and attractive dividends tied to real assets. After a volatile stretch for markets, real estate stocks are starting to regain attention as conditions turn more supportive.
REITs could prosper in 2026 due to a healthier economic backdrop and easing financial pressure. Recent rate cut, cooling inflation and strong GDP growth point to improving demand across many property types. With earnings growth expected to accelerate and balance sheets in good shape, REITs are positioned to benefit as transaction activity and valuations slowly recover.
This draws our attention to REITs that cater to different asset categories, like Prologis, Inc. (PLD - Free Report) , Simon Property Group, Inc. (SPG - Free Report) and Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ - Free Report) .
Industrial real estate remains one of the strongest corners of the market, and demand rebounded in late 2025 with the easing of trade policy uncertainty. Demand from e-commerce, logistics and supply-chain reshoring continues to support high occupancy and steady rent growth. Limited new supply in key markets has kept fundamentals tight, allowing industrial REITs to generate reliable cash flows and maintain pricing power even through economic swings.
The office sector is showing signs of improvement after a long reset. Higher-quality buildings in strong locations are attracting tenants as companies refine hybrid work strategies. With new construction muted and leasing slowly improving, well-capitalized office REITs have room to benefit from rising utilization and selective rent growth over the next cycle.
Retail real estate has quietly rebuilt its foundation and now looks healthier than many expect. With supply growth limited and consumers supported by rising incomes and tax relief, retail REITs are positioned to deliver stable income and gradual growth in 2026.
3 REIT Picks
Prologis is the world’s largest owner of logistics real estate, owning and operating roughly 1.3 billion square feet of logistics and distribution space in 20 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. It serves major logistics users, from e-commerce and transportation to manufacturing, making it central to global supply chains. Known for its scale and strategic locations, Prologis consistently ranks as a leader in industrial property investment and development.
Investors are expected to find Prologis compelling due to its strong leasing momentum and resilient fundamentals, exemplified by a third-quarter 2025 record lease sign-up activity and core FFO growth that beat expectations, while raising full-year guidance. Portfolio occupancy remains high near mid-90% levels, and same-store net operating income is advancing. Its diversified global exposure, strategic expansion into data center power capacity and stable quarterly dividend enhance its total return profile. In the last five years, Prologis has increased its dividend five times, and its five-year annualized dividend growth rate is 12.66%. Check Prologis’ dividend history here.
The recent estimate revision trend indicates that analysts are bullish on this stock. Over the past two months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 FFO per share has moved upward to $5.80. The same for 2026 has also been trending northward. The projections also suggest a 4.32% and 4.94% rise, respectively. PLD currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Simon Property Group is one of the world’s largest retail REITs, focused on premier shopping, dining, entertainment, and mixed-use destinations across North America, Europe, and Asia. The company owns and operates a diversified portfolio of malls, premium outlets, and lifestyle centers that attract millions of visitors and billions in annual sales, reinforcing its position as a dominant retail landlord. Simon continues to refine its portfolio through targeted acquisitions, including Phillips Place in Charlotte and full ownership of Taubman Realty Group, strengthening its exposure to top-tier retail assets.
Investors should note Simon’s resilient operational performance and growth trajectory. In the third quarter of 2025, the company reported real estate FFO of $3.22 per share, up about 5.6% year over year, while occupancy for its U.S. malls and premium outlets reached 96.4%, indicating strong tenant demand. Simon raised its quarterly dividend by 4.8% to $2.20 per share, reflecting confidence in cash flow generation and shareholder returns. Strategic acquisitions, such as the full ownership of Taubman Realty Group and Phillips Place, strengthen the portfolio’s quality and future income potential.
Analysts seem bullish on this stock, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2025 and 2026 FFO per share being revised 1.4% and 0.9% upward to $12.67 and $12.94, respectively, over the past two months. SPG currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. Simon Property has delivered 14 dividend hikes over the past five years, with payouts rising nearly 11.7% in that period. Check Simon Property’s dividend history here.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Cousins Properties is an office REIT headquartered in Atlanta, focused on Class A office buildings in high-growth Sun Belt markets such as Austin, Atlanta, Charlotte and Phoenix. Founded in 1958, it develops, acquires, leases and manages premier office assets designed to attract strong corporate tenants and support long-term value creation. Its portfolio emphasizes quality locations where demand remains comparatively resilient.
Cousins has shown solid operational momentum with robust leasing activity, including more than 550,000 square feet of executed office leases in the third quarter of 2025, and second-generation net rent per square foot up around 4-5% on a cash basis, reflecting tenant willingness to renew at higher rents. Its FFO per share guidance has been raised to roughly $2.82-$2.86 for 2025, underscoring improved cash flow expectations. The company also pays a regular quarterly dividend of 32 cents per share, providing income alongside growth potential as office demand re-accelerates in key Sun Belt markets.
CUZ currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CUZ’s 2025 and 2026 sales implies a year-over-year increase of 14.75% and 5.13%, respectively. What is also encouraging is that the consensus mark for the current year and 2026 FFO per share has witnessed upward revisions to $2.84 and $2.92, calling for a 5.58% and 2.70% year-over-year increase, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Conclusion
Overall, the outlook for these REITs heading into 2026 looks encouraging. Improving economic conditions, disciplined balance sheets and strengthening property fundamentals create a supportive setup. For income-focused investors, select REITs across resilient sectors can offer stability, yield and measured upside as confidence returns.
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.