NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- With the NCAA basketball tournament behind us, it's time to focus on baseball and golf. However, for REIT investors, the "Nothing but net" sector is continuing to build up steam. As Dick Vitale would say: "Let's fire up the nets, baby!"
Driven by sustainably high-quality income, the Triple-Net REIT sector has recently become the "golden child" for fixed-income investors. Differentiated by contractual long-term leases and "wide moat" diversification fundamentals, the Triple-Net REIT players have all become beacons for durably attractive dividend investors. The demand for repeatable dividend income has pushed shares higher for many REITs while also creating a wave of consolidation in the $14.8 billion investment category. Still smaller than the primary real estate food group -- shopping centers, apartments, office, and industrial -- the Triple-Net sector is beginning to blossom into a primary investment classification. Realty Income ( O), National Retail Properties ( NNN), and W.P. Carey (WPC) are all veteran Triple-Net REITs that have paid AND increased dividends for a combined 50 years in a row! Now these pros know how to shoot free throws and win games...
