Jim Nelson, CEO of Global Net Lease, Inc. (NYSE: GNL), participated in a video interview in conjunction with Nareit’s REITweek: 2022 Investor Conference in New York on June 7-9.
Nelson described how Global Net Lease has positioned its portfolio in the United States and Continental Europe. About 60% of the portfolio is in the U.S., with about 40% in Europe. “We’re very agnostic as to where the deals come from, it’s more the quality of the tenant, credit rating of the tenant, and location and quality of the real estate,” he said.
The value of Global Net Lease is the quality of the portfolio, Nelson said, and noted that 60% is comprised of investment grade tenants. The REIT also collected 99% of rents during covid. “At volatile times, the most important thing is the quality of your tenants and we’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of high quality tenants.”
As for key priorities for Global Net Lease for the rest of 2022, Nelson said the REIT is carefully watching the markets. Now is a time for companies to be selective as to how they deploy capital, he noted.
Nelson also stressed the need to have a long term perspective in real estate. “REITs are a great investment right now,” he said.