Real Estate Stocks to Watch Today: VICI, Blackstone, Opendoor, Apollo, and Welltower
MarketBeat’s “Real Estate Stocks To Follow Now” list for Dec. 17, 2025 flags VICI Properties (VICI), Blackstone (BX), Opendoor Technologies (OPEN), Apollo Global Management (APO), and Welltower (WELL)—driven by the highest dollar trading volume among real-estate names in recent days.
Below is a complete, investor-friendly blog-style breakdown of what each company does, why it’s showing up on watchlists, and what to monitor in today’s market action.
Quick snapshot (prices as of the latest tape)
- VICI: $28.39
- BX: $153.19
- OPEN: $6.12
- APO: $146.40
- WELL: $189.16
(Intraday moves can change fast—use these as a “starting point” for today’s watch.)
Why these names are “real estate stocks” (even if they’re not all REITs)
When most people say “real estate stocks,” they mean REITs—companies that own income-producing property and often pay dividends. But market screeners commonly include companies that own, finance, or profit from real-estate activity, including:
- REITs (property owners): VICI, WELL
- Alternative asset managers with massive real estate exposure: BX, APO
- Real-estate transaction/platform plays: OPEN
The common thread: performance often reacts to interest rates, credit conditions, housing data, cap rates, and economic growth expectations.
1) VICI Properties (VICI): Experiential REIT tied to gaming & hospitality
What it is
VICI is an S&P 500 “experiential” REIT owning major gaming/hospitality destinations, including iconic Las Vegas assets like Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, and the Venetian.
Why it’s on the radar today
- High trading activity (per the MarketBeat volume-based screen).
- Dividend focus: VICI recently declared a $0.45 quarterly dividend (payable Jan 8, 2026, record date Dec 17, 2025).
- Company commentary has highlighted continued growth in key cash-flow metrics and dividend increases in 2025.
What to watch
- Rates and REIT sentiment (REITs often move inversely to rate spikes)
- Tenant/lease headlines (big single-tenant exposures can matter)
- Dividend yield vs. bond yields (income investors rotate based on relative value)
Key risks
- Concentration in gaming/hospitality real estate cycles
- Higher rates can pressure REIT multiples and financing costs
2) Blackstone (BX): Real estate powerhouse inside an alternatives giant
What it is
Blackstone is a global alternative asset manager spanning real estate, private equity, credit, and more.
Even though it isn’t a REIT, it’s one of the most important public-market proxies for institutional real estate.
Why it’s on the radar today
- Screens often pick up BX when:
- real estate funds see inflows/outflows,
- large deals hit the tape,
- credit spreads move,
- or the market reprices “higher for longer” rates.
What to watch
- Credit spreads & financing markets (impact deal activity and valuations)
- Real estate transaction volume (confidence signal)
- Earnings/fee-related metrics and AUM headlines (manager stocks trade on flows + fee power)
Key risks
- Real estate valuation resets in weak markets
- Fundraising slowdowns during risk-off periods
3) Opendoor (OPEN): Housing-market velocity and affordability in one ticker
What it is
Opendoor runs a digital platform for residential real estate transactions and is known for buying and selling homes (iBuying), plus listing/marketplace tools.
Why it’s on the radar today
OPEN can move sharply on:
- mortgage-rate changes,
- housing supply/demand prints,
- earnings and guidance,
- and general “risk-on/risk-off” sentiment.
(Opendoor’s recent results have shown the market remains highly sensitive to profitability and housing conditions.)
What to watch
- Mortgage rates and home affordability indicators
- Housing data (pending sales, inventory, price indices)
- Earnings commentary around margins, inventory risk, and unit economics
Key risks
- Housing market downturns can hit pricing, volumes, and inventory marks
- High volatility / sentiment-driven moves
4) Apollo Global Management (APO): Credit + real estate + yield-sensitive exposure
What it is
Apollo is an alternatives manager investing across credit, private equity, infrastructure, and real estate, including complex deal structures and opportunistic strategies.
Why it’s on the radar today
APO often reacts to:
- changes in interest-rate expectations,
- private credit demand,
- deal headlines,
- and broader financial conditions.
What to watch
- Bond market direction (helps set the tone for credit-oriented managers)
- Capital markets activity (issuance, M&A, refinancing cycles)
- Earnings/distribution updates and fundraising momentum
Key risks
- Credit-cycle stress (defaults, recovery values, liquidity)
- Reduced deal flow in tight capital markets
5) Welltower (WELL): Mega-cap healthcare REIT levered to senior housing
What it is
Welltower is a major healthcare REIT focused on seniors housing and care infrastructure, partnering with operators and health systems.
Why it’s on the radar today
- Market activity and sector attention: WELL has been drawing headlines for notable moves and trading days.
- Fundamental momentum (from its Q3 2025 release): Welltower reported normalized FFO per diluted share of $1.34, up 20.7% YoY, and highlighted meaningful same-store NOI growth and large transaction activity.
What to watch
- Occupancy and rent growth trends in seniors housing
- Acquisition/disposition cadence (WELL is active and scale matters)
- Rate sensitivity (REIT valuation multiples often hinge on yields)
Key risks
- Higher rates can compress REIT valuations
- Operator performance and labor-cost pressures in healthcare real estate
A simple “today watch” checklist (useful for traders and long-term investors)
- Rate pulse check (10Y yield & Fed expectations): often the #1 driver for REITs and rate-sensitive real estate.
- Volume + price action: these names were selected due to high dollar volume recently—watch whether volume expands with trend continuation.
- News scan:
- dividends/corporate actions (especially VICI income headlines)
- acquisitions/dispositions and earnings follow-through (WELL)
- Housing data / mortgage rates (particularly for OPEN).
Bottom line
This MarketBeat list blends income-oriented REITs (VICI, WELL) with institutional real estate/credit giants (BX, APO) and a housing transaction disruptor (OPEN)—so you’re not watching a single theme, but a cross-section of what’s moving “real estate” capital today.
*Disclosure: This is educational content, not investment advice. Real estate and rate-sensitive equities can be volatile—consider your horizon and risk tolerance.*
Reviewed by Aparna Decors
on
December 18, 2025
Rating:
