Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM) vs Realty Income Corporation (O) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | KIM | 14.2% revenue growth vs O's 9.1% |
| Value | KIM | Lower P/E (30.4x vs 41.8x) |
| Quality / Margins | KIM | 27.3% net margin vs O's 18.4% |
| Stability / Safety | O | Beta 0.19 vs KIM's 0.70 |
| Dividends | KIM | 4.3% yield; O pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | O | +23.6% vs KIM's +11.1% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | KIM | 3.0% ROA vs O's 1.5%, ROIC 2.7% vs 2.3% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Kimco Realty is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates open-air, grocery-anchored shopping centers and mixed-use properties across the United States. It generates revenue primarily through collecting rent from retail tenants—with grocery stores serving as anchor tenants that drive consistent foot traffic—and earns additional income from property management and development services. The company's competitive advantage lies in its strategic focus on grocery-anchored centers in high-density metropolitan markets, which provides recession-resistant cash flow due to the essential nature of grocery retail.
Realty Income is a real estate investment trust that owns and leases single-tenant commercial properties to retail and service-oriented businesses. It generates revenue primarily through long-term triple-net leases—where tenants pay rent plus property expenses—with retail clients like convenience stores and drugstores accounting for roughly 80% of its portfolio. The company's moat lies in its massive scale, diversified tenant base, and long-term lease structure that provides predictable monthly cash flow supporting its famous monthly dividend payments.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
O leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Risk & Volatility). KIM leads in 2 (Valuation Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
O is the larger business by revenue, generating $5.7B annually — 2.7x KIM's $2.1B. KIM is the more profitable business, keeping 27.3% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to O's 18.4%. On growth, O holds the edge at +11.0% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | KIMKimco Realty Corp… | ORealty Income Cor… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $2.1B | $5.7B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $1.1B | $4.1B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $584M | $1.1B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $630M | $2.8B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +69.1% | +89.8% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +36.0% | +28.3% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +27.3% | +18.4% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +29.4% | +48.5% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +3.2% | +11.0% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -4.3% | +39.1% |
Valuation Metrics
At 42.8x trailing earnings, KIM trades at a 25% valuation discount to O's 57.3x P/E. On an enterprise value basis, O's 15.2x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than KIM's 19.4x.
| Metric | KIMKimco Realty Corp… | ORealty Income Cor… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $16.0B | $62.6B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $23.9B | $62.1B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 42.82x | 57.27x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 30.43x | 41.80x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 80.25x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 19.38x | 15.16x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 7.86x | 10.88x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 1.46x | 1.51x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 23.49x | 15.66x |
Profitability & Efficiency
KIM delivers a 5.5% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $6 in annual profit, vs $3 for O.
| Metric | KIMKimco Realty Corp… | ORealty Income Cor… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +5.5% | +2.6% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +3.0% | +1.5% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +2.7% | +2.3% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +3.3% | +2.3% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 5 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.79x | — |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $7.9B | -$435M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $689M | $435M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $8.6B | $0 |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 2.04x | — |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in KIM five years ago would be worth $15,116 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $14,035 for O. Over the past 12 months, O leads with a +23.6% total return vs KIM's +11.1%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors KIM at 8.8% vs O's 6.3% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | KIMKimco Realty Corp… | ORealty Income Cor… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +17.4% | +17.9% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +11.1% | +23.6% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +28.8% | +19.9% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +51.2% | +40.3% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +23.3% | +67.6% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +8.8% | +6.3% |
Risk & Volatility
O is the less volatile stock with a 0.19 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than KIM's 0.70 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500.
| Metric | KIMKimco Realty Corp… | ORealty Income Cor… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.70x | 0.19x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $23.91 | $67.94 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $17.93 | $50.71 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +98.5% | +98.6% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 76.3 | 70.7 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 4.4M | 5.4M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates KIM as "Hold" and O as "Hold". Consensus price targets imply 2.5% upside for KIM (target: $24) vs -5.4% for O (target: $63). KIM is the only dividend payer here at 4.33% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | KIMKimco Realty Corp… | ORealty Income Cor… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $24.14 | $63.38 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 36 | 33 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +4.3% | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | 27 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $1.02 | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimco Realty Corpor… (KIM) | 100 | 116.89 | +16.9% |
| Realty Income Corpo… (O) | 100 | 83.35 | -16.6% |
Kimco Realty Corpor… (KIM) returned +51% over 5 years vs Realty Income Corpo… (O)'s +40%. A $10,000 investment in KIM 5 years ago would be worth $15,116 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimco Realty Corpor… (KIM) | $1.2B | $2.0B | +74.0% |
| Realty Income Corpo… (O) | $1.1B | $5.7B | +421.2% |
Realty Income Corporation's revenue grew from $1.1B (2016) to $5.7B (2025) — a 20.1% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimco Realty Corpor… (KIM) | 32.4% | 20.2% | -37.7% |
| Realty Income Corpo… (O) | 28.6% | 18.4% | -35.6% |
Realty Income Corporation's net margin went from 29% (2016) to 18% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 9 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimco Realty Corpor… (KIM) | 20.9 | 42.6 | +103.8% |
| Realty Income Corpo… (O) | 50.2 | 48.2 | -4.0% |
Kimco Realty Corporation has traded in a 7x–132x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~43x. Realty Income Corporation has traded in a 45x–82x P/E range over 9 years; current trailing P/E is ~57x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimco Realty Corpor… (KIM) | 0.79 | 0.55 | -30.4% |
| Realty Income Corpo… (O) | 1.13 | 1.17 | +3.5% |
Realty Income Corporation's EPS grew from $1.13 (2016) to $1.17 (2025) — a 0% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Kimco Realty Corporation generated $681M FCF in 2024 (+10% vs 2021). Realty Income Corporation generated $4B FCF in 2025 (+207% vs 2021).
KIM vs O: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is KIM or O a better buy right now?
Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM) offers the better valuation at 42.8x trailing P/E (30.4x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM) a "Hold" — based on 36 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — KIM or O?
On trailing P/E, Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM) is the cheapest at 42.8x versus Realty Income Corporation at 57.3x. On forward P/E, Kimco Realty Corporation is actually cheaper at 30.4x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — KIM or O?
Over the past 5 years, Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM) delivered a total return of +51.2%, compared to +40.3% for Realty Income Corporation (O). A $10,000 investment in KIM five years ago would be worth approximately $15K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: O returned +67.6% versus KIM's +23.3%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — KIM or O?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Realty Income Corporation (O) is the lower-risk stock at 0.19β versus Kimco Realty Corporation's 0.70β — meaning KIM is approximately 268% more volatile than O relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — KIM or O?
Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM) is the more profitable company, earning 20.2% net margin versus 18.4% for Realty Income Corporation — meaning it keeps 20.2% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: KIM leads at 30.9% versus 28.3% for O. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — O leads at 89.8%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Is KIM or O more undervalued right now?
On forward earnings alone, Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM) trades at 30.4x forward P/E versus 41.8x for Realty Income Corporation — 11.4x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis. Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for KIM: 2.5% to $24.14.
07Which pays a better dividend — KIM or O?
In this comparison, KIM (4.3% yield) pays a dividend. O does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
08Is KIM or O better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Kimco Realty Corporation (KIM) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.70), 4.3% yield). Both have compounded well over 10 years (KIM: +23.3%, O: +67.6%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
09What are the main differences between KIM and O?
Both stocks operate in the Real Estate sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: KIM is a mid-cap income-oriented stock; O is a mid-cap quality compounder stock. KIM pays a dividend while O does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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