As real-estate investment trusts try to hoard cash, shareholders are poised to lose out on some $4.76bn of dividend payments over the next year.

This is giving some investors pause, given that dividends are the core driver for investing in REITs, which must pay at least 90% of their taxable income out as quarterly payouts.

Within the past 10 months, roughly 30% of all listed REITs have suspended, cut or switched to paying part of their dividend in company stock, according to data compiled by BMO Capital Markets.

Wall Street Journal