Morgan Stanley analysts led by Richard Hill upgraded their sector view for North American REITs to In-Line from Cautious, noting that REIT growth is stabilizing and more appropriately priced, the setup for the sector relative to the broader market is favorable and the defensive characteristics of the group in a slowing economy. Calling the sector upgrade a "relative, not an absolute call," the analyst team identified CyrusOne (CONE), Essex Property Trust (ESS), Gaming and Leisure Properties (GLPI), Hudson Pacific (HPP), Prologis (PLD), Regency Centers (REG), SBA Communications (SBAC) and Store Capital (STOR) as their top picks.

Barclays analyst Ross Smotrich upgraded his sector rating on U.S. Real Estate Investment Trusts to Positive from Neutral. Late cycle concerns around slowing growth, rising interest rates and full asset values are overdone, Smotrich tells investors in a research note. The analyst believes that real estate fundamentals "have a good runway for continued strength, particularly compared to the slowing broader market." In Multifamily, the analyst upgraded the sub-sector to Positive, reiterates Overweight ratings on Essex Property Trust (ESS) and MAA (MAA), upgraded Camden Property Trust (CPT) to Overweight from Equal Weight for exposure to "18 hour cities" and downgraded Aimco (AIV) to Equal Weight from Overweight on slowing growth. In Office, Smotrich keeps a Neutral sub-sector rating "with a Positive tilt." His outlook for the sector is improving given "healthy underlying fundamentals and attractive valuations." He upgraded both SL Green Realty (SLG) and Brandywine Realty (BDN) to Overweight from Equal Weight, and Douglas Emmett (DEI) to Equal Weight from Underweight. The analyst maintain Overweight ratings on Alexandria Real Estate (ARE), Boston Properties (BXP) and Hudson Pacific (HPP). In Retail, the analyst tells investors to stay selective. He prefers larger companies with "better-quality assets, balance sheet flexibility, the ability to take share and grow earnings even as retailers evolve and rationalization store counts." Smotrich upgraded Regency Centers (REG) to Overweight from Equal Weight, reaffirmed Overweights on both Kimco Realty (KIM) and Simon Property (SPG), and downgraded Kite Realty Group (KRG) to Equal Weight from Overweight.