Finding Steady Yields: 3 REITs Built for Turbulent Markets

When equity markets turn choppy, traditional growth stocks often take the hardest hits. But real estate investment trusts offer a different path—assets that provide income alongside lower volatility exposure. These three REITs combine strong fundamentals with meaningful yields, making them worth examining in today’s uncertain landscape.

Digital Realty Trust: Capitalizing on the Data Center Megatrend

Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) operates a sprawling network of over 300 data centers serving more than 5,000 clients globally. Its facilities power everything from web hosting to cloud infrastructure, but the real catalyst may be artificial intelligence.

The stock has dropped 14% this year—a disconnect that puzzles some investors. The company is posting double-digit revenue growth and expanding margins while simultaneously tackling $18.2 billion in debt. Management is methodically paying down obligations using strong cash generation, and the stock currently yields about 3.2%.

What’s particularly bullish: Digital Realty ended Q3 with an $852 million project backlog. Management has lifted guidance each quarter in 2025, raising both revenue and adjusted EBITDA forecasts. Once its AI-capable data centers fully operationalize—a multi-year project—the company already has relationships with major tech players ready to activate those facilities. This structural advantage could drive meaningful upside as artificial intelligence infrastructure demands surge.

Welltower: The Demographic Dividend Play

Welltower (NYSE: WELL) demonstrates that healthcare-focused REITs can beat the broad market over extended periods. The stock has nearly tripled in five years, tracking a portfolio of 2,000+ senior living and wellness properties. Current yield sits around 1.6%.

Q3 results were stellar: revenue jumped over 30% year-over-year, while operating income surged 59% to $293.1 million. Residential fees, services, and rental income accelerated faster than interest income declined, showing the core business gaining momentum.

The tailwind is demographic. Grand View Research forecasts 4.42% annual growth in the senior housing sector through 2033—driven by aging baby boomers seeking quality communities. Welltower’s scale and management execution position it to capture this structural shift in housing demand.

Rexford Industrial Realty: California’s Logistics Backbone

Rexford Industrial Realty (NYSE: REXR) owns and operates 420 industrial properties concentrated in Southern California—arguably America’s most critical logistics corridor. The REIT maintains consistently high net margins near 30%.

Even in Q3, revenue expanded while margins held firm. Its 96.8% occupancy rate across same-property units reflects strong tenant demand. Major e-commerce and logistics operators depend on these properties to access Pacific shipping lanes and continental distribution networks—assets that cannot simply relocate.

The dividend has tripled over ten years. The stock trades roughly 10% below its 52-week peak but has still advanced 7% year-to-date, offering a 4.2% yield. For risk-averse income investors, Rexford’s stable tenant base and irreplaceable locations provide defensive characteristics most growth stocks cannot match.

The Volatility Play

Volatile markets often punish stocks with binary outcomes. REITs like these three offer something different: consistent cash flows, meaningful yields, and assets that retain value through economic cycles. Digital Realty benefits from tech infrastructure tailwinds, Welltower captures demographic inevitability, and Rexford controls irreplaceable real estate. Together, they represent a balanced approach to volatility.