Boston Properties (BXP) is arguably the king of office space: It owns prime properties in New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles. It owns approximately 51.9 million square feet and 196 properties, including the Times Square Tower in New York City and the Prudential Center in Boston.
Office space is economically sensitive, and as the economy has slowed, so have office REITs, which have lagged the average real estate investment trust over the past 12 months. Indeed, BXP shares have delivered a total return of less than half the FTSE Nareit All Equity REIT Index in that time.
BXP is one of the best REITs to buy in a difficult segment of real estate. Boston Properties’ high-quality holdings are a good place if you’re hoping the economy will improve soon – or if you simply want a stake in the nation’s hottest office markets. The rapidly growing dividend is also a good thing.