AEW Capital Management, managed by Jeffrey Furber, has recently submitted its 13F with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the reporting period of June 30, 2015, revealing ownership of a public equity portfolio valued at $4.50 billion, down from $4.97 billion at the end of the previous quarter. In this article, we will look into AEW Capital Management’s top three REITs going into the third quarter of 2015, which include Simon Property Group Inc (NYSE:SPG), Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR), and Boston Properties, Inc. (NYSE:BXP).
AEW Capital Management provides real estate investment management services to investors around the world and has around $47.9 billion in real estate assets and securities. Jeffrey Furber acts as the firm’s CEO, while AEW’s equity portfolio is managed by Matt Troxell, who serves as the Senior Portfolio Manager and oversees AEW’s U.S. real estate equity securities portfolios as well as securities teams in North America, Europe and Asia.
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Having clarified that, let’s now look at Simon Property Group Inc (NYSE:SPG), which was the top REIT stock pick of AEW Capital Management at the end of the second quarter of 2015. According to the fund’s 13F filing, it held a total of 2.97 million shares of the REIT, with a market value of $513.89 million, representing 11.43% of its portfolio. This is after the fund reduced its stake in the stock by 40,300 shares during the second quarter. The real estate company recently issued senior notes valued at $1.1 billion. The sale will be effected by the company’s subsidiary Simon Property Group, L.P., which will be issuing $500 million worth of notes due on September 1, 2020, and another $600 million due on September 1, 2025. Simon Property Group Inc (NYSE:SPG) has delivered a solid performance over the past year, gaining 14.04%, including 5.23% year-to-date. At the end of the second quarter of 2015, Forward Management, headed by J. Alan Reid, Jr., held a total of 35,493 shares with a market value of $6.14 million after reducing its stake by 1,000 shares. Waratah Capital Advisors, managed by Brad Dunkley and Blair Levinsky, held a total of 41,050 shares with a market value of $7.10 million. The fund was quite bullish on the stock, adding 29,625 shares to its stake during the quarter.
