Jay Whitehurst, president and CEO of National Retail Properties, Inc. (NYSE: NNN), participated in a video interview at Nareit’s REITworld: 2019 Annual Conference in Los Angeles.
Whitehurst said that National Retail’s portfolio is very healthy, with its long-term occupancy rate at about 98% and the overall portfolio 99% occupied.
“What’s more important to us than specific geographic locations is getting good, well-located retail sites along high-traffic roads leased to strong operators engaged in e-commerce-resistant businesses,” he said.
Whitehurst said that from an environmental perspective, National Retail is very focused on the quality of the real estate parcels that make up its portfolio.
“[We apply] a very thorough due diligence process, and do business with strong national and regional operators,” Whitehurst said.
Whitehurst added that National Retail has raised its dividend for 30 years in a row, putting the REIT in a select group of less than 90 public companies that have done so.