Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 182,448 Shares of Realty Income Corporation $O

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group cut its stake in Realty Income by 8.6%, selling 182,448 shares and leaving it with 1,943,514 shares (about 0.21% of the company) valued at roughly $109.56 million.
• Realty Income beat FFO and revenue expectations for the quarter (FFO $1.13 vs. $1.10; revenue $1.55B vs. ~$1.39B) and raised parts of its outlook, but GAAP EPS missed ($0.33 vs. $0.40) and FY2026 EPS guidance of $4.410–4.440 sits a touch below the Street consensus.
• The company announced a monthly dividend of $0.2705 (ex-dividend April 30, payable May 15), implying a ~5.1% yield and a reported payout ratio of 277.78%.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O - Free Report) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,943,514 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 182,448 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of Realty Income worth $109,556,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in O. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Realty Income by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 7,844 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Trust Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Realty Income by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 23,266 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,311,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in Realty Income by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 56,665 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,445,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Realty Income by 21.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,097 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Florida Trust Wealth Management Co lifted its stake in Realty Income by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co now owns 41,235 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,507,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 70.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Realty Income Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Realty Income stock opened at $64.04 on Thursday. Realty Income Corporation has a 12-month low of $54.38 and a 12-month high of $67.93. The stock has a market cap of $59.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business's 50 day moving average is $63.64 and its 200-day moving average is $60.78.

Realty Income (NYSE:O - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.39 billion. Realty Income had a net margin of 18.41% and a return on equity of 2.68%. The firm's revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.06 earnings per share. Realty Income has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.410-4.440 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Realty Income Corporation will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Realty Income Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be given a $0.2705 dividend. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 30th. Realty Income's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 277.78%.

Realty Income News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Realty Income this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FFO beat — Realty Income reported funds from operations (FFO) of $1.13/share vs. the Zacks consensus of $1.10, an improvement from $1.06 a year ago; for REIT investors FFO is a key profitability metric and this beat supports dividend coverage and valuation. Realty Income Corp. (O) Q1 FFO and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and operating strength — Total revenue exceeded expectations ($1.55B vs. ~$1.39B est.) and management described a strong quarter, prompting an upward revision to parts of its outlook; that operational strength is likely the primary catalyst behind today’s positive price action. Realty Income boosts 2026 outlook after strong quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary on monthly dividend appeal — Several consumer finance pieces and dividend‑income roundups continue to highlight Realty Income as a core monthly‑payout holding; these stories support investor interest but are not immediate catalysts. Want Reliable Dividend Income in May? These 2 Stocks Deliver
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and slightly cautious FY26 guidance — GAAP EPS came in at $0.33 (below the $0.40 consensus), and the updated FY2026 EPS range (4.410–4.440) sits a hair below the Street consensus (~4.450). Those points are weighing on sentiment for investors focused on near‑term EPS and analyst targets. Realty Income reported earnings (MarketBeat)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

O has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price target on shares of Realty Income in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Evercore restated a "positive" rating on shares of Realty Income in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Realty Income from $67.75 to $70.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Loop Capital set a $69.00 price target on shares of Realty Income in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Freedom Capital cut shares of Realty Income from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $67.19.

Insider Buying and Selling at Realty Income

In other news, insider Michelle Bushore sold 7,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.42, for a total value of $461,908.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 67,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,222,151.22. This represents a 9.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Realty Income

Realty Income Corporation NYSE: O is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, owns and manages commercial properties subject primarily to long-term net lease agreements. The company's business model focuses on generating predictable, contractual rental income by leasing properties to tenants under agreements that typically place responsibility for taxes, insurance and maintenance on the tenant. Realty Income is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and markets itself as a reliable income-oriented REIT.

Realty Income's portfolio is concentrated in single-tenant, retail and service-oriented properties such as drugstores, convenience stores, dollar and discount retailers, restaurants, and other essential-service businesses.

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