NAREIT, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, has named the winners of its 2015 Investor CARE Awards. The annual awards honor stock exchange-listed REITs and real estate operating companies (REOCs) that demonstrate superior shareholder communications and reporting excellence.
In the Large Cap Equity REIT category, the Gold award was presented to Alexandria Real Estate Equities. The Silver Large Cap winner was Boston Properties, and the Bronze Large Cap award went to Camden Property Trust.
For Small Cap Equity REITs, this year's Gold award winner was Physicians Realty Trust. Armada Hoffler Properties captured the Silver award, and the Bronze award went to QTS Realty Trust.
In the Mortgage REIT category, the Gold award was won by Starwood Property Trust.
Gold, Silver and Bronze awards were presented to both large cap and small cap Equity REITs. A Gold award was presented in the Mortgage REIT category. Judging criteria consisted of online presence, including a company's web site; quality of SEC filings; and investor relations practices, including the quality of earnings calls and management's accessibility to investors.
"REITs bring transparency to real estate investment, and the REIT industry has been recognized within the equities marketplace for the quality of its governance and the transparency of its disclosure to investors," said NAREIT Ppresident and CEO Steven Wechsler. "The winners of our Investor CARE Awards demonstrate these characteristics exceptionally well, and we congratulate them for their achievements."
This year's NAREIT CARE Awards judges included: Blane Cheatham, REIT Analyst; Bruce Garrison, managing director; and Matthew Werner, portfolio manager and analyst, of the Chilton REIT Team; Sophia Banar, portfolio manager and Douglas Funke, portfolio manager, of the Forum Securities Team; Gautam Garg, vice president, global real estate; and Jay Leupp, managing director, global real estate, of Lazard Freres & Co.; Eden Levinson, senior vice president, Harrison Street Securities; Keven Lindemann, director of the real estate group of SNL Financial; Prudential Real Estate Investors; and the RBC REIT Team.
The awards were presented at REITWeek 2015, NAREIT's Investor Forum, in New York.