Top 12 Beaten-Down REITs Ready for a Rotation Rally

10. Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 14

Year-To-Date Performance: -11.74%

Stock Upside: 28.87%

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) is one of the top beaten-down REITs ready for a rotation rally. On June 15, Ladder Capital Corp.’s (NYSE:LADR) board of directors declared a second-quarter 2026 dividend of $0.23 per share of Class A common stock. The company will distribute the payout on July 15 to stockholders of record as of June 30. This payout translates to a yield of about 9.1%.

This dividend decision builds on the company’s Q1 FY2026 earnings, reported on April 23. Ladder posted distributable earnings of $28 million, or $0.22 per share, which was just one cent short of the $0.23 dividend it had already paid out for that quarter on April 15. On the earnings call, CFO Paul Miceli confirmed the $0.23 dividend had been paid and explained that as the loan portfolio continues to scale and interest income grows, the company expects dividend coverage to expand. This scenario would position the company for potential future dividend growth once fully deployed, said Miceli.

When analyst Jade Rahmani of KBW asked management about when distributable earnings would exceed the dividend, CEO Brian Harris said next quarter, meaning the second quarter of 2026. This is the very period covered by the newly declared $0.23 dividend.

Pamela McCormack, President of the company, said on the earnings call that that expected improvement is tied to loan portfolio growth of nearly 60% since March 31, 2025. Balance sheet loans now make up 46% of total assets and leverage rose modestly back toward 3 times, as the company continues rotating capital out of lower-yielding securities and into higher-yielding loans. She added that each dollar redeployed from the $2.1 billion securities portfolio into loans generates meaningful incremental yield, and projected that yields could climb from the current 5.3% average toward nearly 7% as the shift completes. This, McCormack noted, directly supports future dividend coverage.

Ladder Capital Corp (NYSE:LADR) is a real estate investment trust. It operates through Loans, Securities, and Real Estate segments. The company originates conduit first mortgage loans; invests in commercial mortgage-backed securities, US treasury and agency securities, corporate bonds, and equity securities; and owns and leases commercial properties.