REITs Should Prepare for Possibility of Increased Activist Investor Interest Following Crisis

REITs need to take a proactive stance to ensure they are ready to deal with activist investors that could emerge in the wake of the current coronavirus market uncertainty, according to a REIT corporate governance expert.

John Haggerty, co-chair, public M&A/corporate governance at Goodwin, told an April 2 webinar that activist investors see increased buying opportunities in the current environment “and are sitting on a lot of cash that has long-duration lockup, so they’ve got it there to use.”