Kimco Realty Stock Rises 9.4% In 3 Months: Will The Momentum Last?

Shares of Kimco Realty KIM have gained 9.4% in the past three months compared with the industry’s upside of 10%.

This Jericho, NY-based retail REIT is well-positioned to benefit from its portfolio of premium, predominantly grocery-anchored shopping centers located in first-ring suburban markets across key Sunbelt and coastal metros. Its diversified tenant base supports stable cash flows, while a strategic focus on mixed-use development enhances long-term growth prospects.

Analysts seem bullish on this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2026 funds from operations (FFO) per share increased 2 cents in the past two months to $1.81.

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Factors Behind KIM Stock’s Price Rise: Will This Trend Last?

Kimco’s properties are located in the drivable first-ring suburbs within the top major metropolitan Sunbelt and coastal markets. Particularly, 82% of the annual base rent (ABR) comes from its top major metro markets. Its top coastal markets have superior trade area demographics, exceeding the U.S. average by 27% for the median household income. Given the strategic location of its properties, it is likely to witness healthy demand in the near term.

During uncertain times, the grocery component has supported retail REITs. In 2025, Kimco achieved 86% annualized base revenue (ABR) from its grocery-anchored portfolio, up from 78% in 2020. Given the necessity-driven nature of Kimco’s grocery-anchored portfolio, it is likely to continue witnessing healthy leasing activity in the upcoming period and remains well-positioned to tide over challenging times.

Kimco enjoys a diverse tenant base, led by a healthy mix of essential, necessity-based tenants and omni-channel retailers. National/regional tenants accounted for 81% of KIM’s pro rata ABR as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2025. Given the strength of its retailers with a developed omnichannel presence, the company is likely to generate stable cash flows.

The company emphasizes mixed-use assets clustered in strong economic metropolitan statistical areas. The mixed-use assets category is benefiting from the recovery in both the apartment and retail sectors. In particular, the company is targeting an increase in net asset value through a selected collection of mixed-use projects, redevelopments and active investment management.

Kimco maintains a solid balance sheet position. It exited the fourth quarter of 2025 with $2.2 billion of immediate liquidity. In December 2025, Moody’s upgraded Kimco’s senior unsecured credit rating to A3 from Baa1, with a stable outlook. The move strengthens the company’s credit profile and positions it to access debt at more favorable rates.

Risks Likely to Affect KIM’s Positive Trend

A rise in e-commerce adoption and efforts by online retailers to expand into the grocery business remain concerns. Kimco faces competition from several real estate companies and developers that compete with the company for leasing space in shopping centers. This may affect the company’s ability to raise rental rates, including renewal rates and fill vacancies.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other top-ranked stocks from the retail REIT sector are Curbline Properties Corp. CURB and EPR Properties EPR, each currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CURB’s 2026 FFO per share is pegged at $1.19, indicating an increase of 12.3% from the year-ago reported figure.

The consensus estimate for EPR’s 2026 FFO per share is pinned at $5.28, suggesting year-over-year growth of 2.7%.

Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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