American Assets Trust, Inc. AAT

Competitive advantage analysis · real-estate

REIT Specialized
Overall moat score
66/100
Moderate

About American Assets Trust, Inc.

American Assets Trust, Inc. is a full service, vertically integrated and self-administered real estate investment trust ("REIT"), headquartered in San Diego, California. The company has over 55 years of experience in acquiring, improving, developing and managing premier office, retail, and residential properties throughout the United States in some of the nation's most dynamic, high-barrier-to-entry markets primarily in Southern California, Northern … Full AAT analysis →

Competitive advantage assessment

Key strengths

  • Strong NOI Margins NOI margins are strong (score 0.71), demonstrating rent pricing power.
  • Stable NOI Performance NOI stability is excellent (score 0.95), suggesting reliable rent streams.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

Upgrade to unlock the signals and evidence behind each defense.

Premium access

Unlock full defense analysis

Get key signals, strengths, and risks for every moat dimension.

Upgrade to Premium Unlock all moat defenses and evidence.

Rent Pricing Power

Strong
83

Where AAT ranks in REIT - Diversified

American Assets Trust, Inc. ranks #7 of 20 scored companies in REIT - Diversified by moat score — the top 35%. The widest moat in the group is Gladstone Commercial Corporatio (GOOD) at 78/100.

Moat scores for companies ranked near AAT in REIT - Diversified
# Company Moat score Rating
3 Broadstone Net Lease, Inc. BNL 77/100 Strong
4 One Liberty Properties, Inc. OLP 73/100 Moderate
5 W. P. Carey Inc. REIT WPC 71/100 Moderate
6 Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. ESRT 67/100 Moderate
7 American Assets Trust, Inc. AAT 66/100 Moderate
8 CTO Realty Growth, Inc. CTO 64/100 Moderate
9 VICI Properties Inc. VICI 64/100 Moderate
10 Presidio Property Trust, Inc. - SQFTP 52/100 Moderate
11 Presidio Property Trust, Inc. S SQFTW 51/100 Moderate

See every Real Estate Investment Trusts company ranked by moat score →

How AAT scores on the REIT Specialized defenses

Rent Pricing Power

Score 83 · 20% of the moat score

For a REIT, pricing power is the ability to raise rents at renewal and still keep the space occupied.

AFFO Strength

Score 49 · 18% of the moat score

AFFO — adjusted funds from operations — is the cash a REIT can actually distribute after the recurring capital spending buildings need in order to stay leasable.

Balance Sheet & Cost of Capital

Score 79 · 20% of the moat score

Real estate is bought with borrowed money, so a REIT's cost of capital is its competitive advantage.

Capital Recycling & Growth

Score 54 · 16% of the moat score

REITs grow by issuing shares and debt to buy more property, which creates value only when the yield on the asset exceeds the cost of the capital raised.

Operational Efficiency

Score 62 · 14% of the moat score

Running property — leasing, maintenance, taxes, management — is the part of the business a REIT genuinely controls.

Portfolio Quality & Diversification

Score 64 · 12% of the moat score

Portfolio quality is really a question about what happens when a tenant fails.

How each REIT Specialized defense is measured, in full →

Understanding AAT's moat

What is American Assets Trust, Inc.'s moat score?

American Assets Trust, Inc. (AAT) scores 66 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #7 of 20 scored companies in REIT - Diversified, the top 35%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 21 companies in REIT - Diversified. Its strongest defense is Rent Pricing Power (83/100) and its weakest is AFFO Strength (49/100).

How does American Assets Trust, Inc. compare with other REIT - Diversified companies?

American Assets Trust, Inc. ranks #7 of 20 scored companies in REIT - Diversified by moat score. The widest moat in REIT - Diversified is Gladstone Commercial Corporatio (GOOD) at 78/100. The companies ranked closest are Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (ESRT) at 67 just above it and CTO Realty Growth, Inc. (CTO) at 64 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — REIT Specialized in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 21 companies in REIT - Diversified. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is American Assets Trust, Inc. scored with the REIT Specialized template?

A REIT is a portfolio of buildings financed with debt and required to distribute most of its taxable income. Reported earnings are dominated by depreciation on assets that often appreciate, so net income says very little; the real question is how much cash the properties distribute, and how securely. The REIT template scores what determines that: rent pricing, distributable cash, cost of capital, and the discipline behind growth.

Which competitive defenses are measured for American Assets Trust, Inc.?

The REIT Specialized template measures 6 defenses, and AAT scores: Rent Pricing Power (83), AFFO Strength (49), Balance Sheet & Cost of Capital (79), Capital Recycling & Growth (54), Operational Efficiency (62), Portfolio Quality & Diversification (64). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

Send Feedback
Please select a category.
0/1000