Cantor Fitzgerald launches REIT research team

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. has established a dedicated real estate investment trust research team, it said today, and will start coverage of REITs this month as part of a larger expansion of the firm’s equity-research division.

According to the Wall Street Journal, David Toti, who previously headed a team covering FBR capital markets research at Cantor, will be a part of the new division, as well as Sri Nagarajan, Cantor’s senior research analyst.

“I think we probably would have done REITs regardless [of their recent success,]” Natasha Boyden, head of Cantor’s U.S. equity research, said. “But, obviously given the fact that they are strong means there is more attention paid to the sector and… that is going to be more helpful as we seek to expand our expertise in that area.” [WSJ]