Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O) Short Interest Update

03 Mar 2026, 20:04 by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat Gem

Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O – Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 27,137,724 shares, a decrease of 18.5% from the January 29th total of 33,300,010 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,039,522 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 7,039,522 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.9 days. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on O shares. Evercore reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Realty Income in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $61.00 target price on shares of Realty Income in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Realty Income from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays upped their price target on Realty Income from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Realty Income from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $69.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.18.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on O

Realty Income News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Analysts/media continue to highlight Realty Income’s steady monthly dividend and long-term income track record, which supports demand from income-focused investors. These S&P 500 Dividend Stocks Are Quietly Crushing the Index — And Paying You Monthly
Positive Sentiment: Retail/income-focused publications list Realty Income among “safe” monthly-pay dividend names for conservative investors, reinforcing its appeal to retirement and income portfolios. Time for Boomers to Play It Safe: Our 5 Safest Monthly Pay Dividend Stocks
Positive Sentiment: Feature pieces recount Realty Income’s strong dividend payout history (what 100 shares produced over 10 years), which can support long-term investor confidence. Here’s How Much Dividend Income You’d Have Collected If You Bought 100 Shares of Realty Income 10 Years Ago
Neutral Sentiment: CEO Sumit Roy presented at Citi’s Global Property CEO Conference; the presentation/transcript provides management color on strategy, M&A appetite and portfolio performance — useful for assessing forward guidance but not an immediate catalyst on its own. Realty Income Corporation (O) Presents at Citi’s Miami Global Property CEO Conference 2026 Transcript
Negative Sentiment: Realty Income announced the planned departure of EVP & Chief Legal Officer Michelle Bushore (continuing through Sept. 2, 2026). While framed as an orderly transition, leadership turnover in a role central to M&A and governance raises near-term execution and governance risk perceptions. Realty Income Plans Legal Leadership Transition While Pursuing Ongoing M&A Growth
Negative Sentiment: Commentary questions whether Realty Income’s recent ~ $8B expansion and scale still serve shareholders, potentially stoking concerns about acquisition discipline, capital allocation, and dilution risk. Realty Income’s $8B Expansion Tests Whether Scale Still Serves Shareholders
Negative Sentiment: Critical takeaways from recent quarter reviews raise mixed reactions (some positives on revenue and EPS in line, but concerns remain on margins/ROE and growth trade-offs). These analyses can increase short-term volatility as investors digest trade-offs between yield and long-term returns. Realty Income’s Q4 Results: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Realty Income

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Realty Income during the second quarter worth $676,500,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Realty Income by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 146,136,211 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $8,418,907,000 after buying an additional 3,624,852 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Realty Income by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 18,291,294 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,031,080,000 after acquiring an additional 3,252,091 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Realty Income by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,979,134 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,548,687,000 after acquiring an additional 2,058,031 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in shares of Realty Income by 420.0% in the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,139,550 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $123,259,000 after acquiring an additional 1,728,082 shares during the last quarter. 70.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Realty Income Price Performance

Shares of O traded down $1.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $66.54. The company had a trading volume of 6,164,933 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,781,697. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company has a market capitalization of $62.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.77. Realty Income has a twelve month low of $50.71 and a twelve month high of $67.93. The company’s 50-day moving average is $61.43 and its 200-day moving average is $59.50.

Realty Income (NYSE:O – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. Realty Income had a return on equity of 2.68% and a net margin of 18.41%.The business’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share. Realty Income has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.380-4.420 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Realty Income will post 4.19 EPS for the current year.

Realty Income Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Realty Income’s payout ratio is 276.92%.

Realty Income Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.