Company Description
Global Net Lease, Inc. (NYSE: GNL) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on acquiring and managing a global portfolio of income-producing net lease assets. According to the company’s disclosures, Global Net Lease concentrates on commercial real estate properties that generate rental income under net lease structures across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Western and Northern Europe.
Global Net Lease is organized as an internally managed REIT. The company states that it focuses on a globally diversified portfolio of strategically located commercial real estate properties. Its business activities include the ownership, management, operation, leasing, acquisition, investment in, and sale of portfolio assets. The company’s common stock and several series of preferred stock are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols GNL, GNL PR A, GNL PR B, GNL PR D, and GNL PR E.
Property Portfolio and Segments
Global Net Lease reports that, as of September 30, 2025, its portfolio consisted of 852 net lease properties comprising approximately 43 million rentable square feet located in ten countries and territories. The company operates in three reportable segments based on property type: Industrial & Distribution, Retail, and Office, based on annualized straight-line rent. Earlier descriptions also reference industrial and distribution, multi-tenant retail, single-tenant retail, and office as key categories of its commercial real estate portfolio.
The company notes that its portfolio is highly leased and supported by long-term contracts. As of September 30, 2025, Global Net Lease reported a 97% leased rate with a remaining weighted-average lease term of 6.2 years, based on square feet. The company also reports that 87% of the portfolio contains contractual rent increases based on annualized straight-line rent, and that a significant portion of its annualized straight-line rent is derived from tenants with investment-grade or implied investment-grade credit profiles.
Global Net Lease describes its tenant base as diversified by industry and geography. As of September 30, 2025, it reported that 70% of annualized straight-line rent was derived from properties in the United States and Canada and 30% from Europe. By property type, 48% of annualized straight-line rent was from industrial and distribution properties, 26% from retail, and 26% from office properties.
Net Lease Focus and Business Model
As a net lease REIT, Global Net Lease’s business model centers on owning income-producing commercial properties that are leased to tenants under net lease arrangements. Under these structures, tenants typically bear many property-level expenses, and the REIT focuses on managing the portfolio, maintaining occupancy, and structuring leases with contractual rent escalations. The company’s disclosures emphasize income-producing net lease assets and highlight that its strategy includes acquiring and managing properties that can provide stable rental income over time.
Global Net Lease has also emphasized the quality of its tenant base. In its third quarter 2025 reporting, the company stated that 60% of its portfolio’s annualized straight-line rent was derived from investment-grade and implied investment-grade rated tenants, based on annualized cash rent as of September 30, 2025. The company describes this as contributing to stable, predictable cash flows across its portfolio.
Geographic Footprint
According to the company’s public information, Global Net Lease operates across multiple regions. It focuses on income-producing net lease assets across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Western and Northern Europe. Earlier descriptions also reference operations in Canada and Europe more broadly. This geographic reach is reflected in the reported split of annualized straight-line rent between North America and Europe.
The company’s properties include industrial and distribution facilities, retail properties, and office buildings. Within its historical portfolio, Global Net Lease has held both single-tenant and multi-tenant assets. The company has also disclosed that it has undertaken a strategic disposition program that included the sale of multi-tenant retail properties and other non-core assets, with the goal of repositioning the portfolio.
Strategic Disposition Program and Portfolio Repositioning
Global Net Lease has described a multi-year strategic disposition program focused on selling non-core assets and repositioning the portfolio. The company reported that, since launching this program in 2024, it completed approximately $3.3 billion in sales of non-core assets over a period of about 23 months. These sales included occupied single-tenant non-core assets and occupied multi-tenant assets.
A notable transaction within this program was the sale of the McLaren Campus, a three-building, 840,000-square-foot property located in Woking, Surrey, England. Global Net Lease disclosed that it acquired the McLaren Campus in April 2021 and later entered into an agreement to sell the property for £250 million at a 7.4% cash cap rate. The company reported that the sale generated an approximate £80 million gain compared to its original purchase price and represented a 210 basis-point compression in the cash cap rate from acquisition. The company highlighted this transaction as an example of value creation and as part of its effort to reduce exposure to the automotive industry.
Through these dispositions, Global Net Lease has stated that it repositioned itself as a pure-play single-tenant net lease REIT. The company has indicated that the disposition program is effectively complete and that it has transitioned to a new strategic phase focused on driving earnings growth, while continuing to consider opportunistic asset sales when value is compelling.
Capital Structure, Leverage, and Credit Profile
Global Net Lease has emphasized its focus on balance sheet management and leverage reduction. The company reports that it has used net proceeds from non-core asset sales to reduce outstanding debt and strengthen its balance sheet. As of the third quarter of 2025, Global Net Lease stated that it had reduced net debt by $2.0 billion since the third quarter of 2024. It also reported that net debt totaled $2.9 billion as of September 30, 2025, including gross mortgage debt, and that the percentage of fixed-rate debt (including variable rate debt fixed with swaps) was 87%.
The company has also highlighted improvements in liquidity and access to capital. As of September 30, 2025, Global Net Lease reported liquidity of $1.1 billion and capacity of $1.2 billion under its revolving credit facility, using its definition of liquidity and capacity. In August 2025, the company completed a refinancing of its $1.8 billion revolving credit facility, which it stated improved pricing, increased liquidity, and extended its weighted average debt maturity. The company also reported a decrease in its weighted average interest rate on total combined debt.
Global Net Lease’s credit profile has been recognized by rating agencies. The company disclosed that Fitch Ratings upgraded its corporate credit rating to investment-grade BBB- from BB+. It also reported that S&P Global raised its corporate rating and upgraded its issuer-level rating on unsecured notes to investment-grade BBB- from BB-. The company attributes these rating actions to its efforts to reduce leverage, streamline operations, and enhance liquidity through asset dispositions and capital management.
Share Repurchases and Capital Allocation
In addition to asset sales and debt reduction, Global Net Lease has undertaken a share repurchase program. The company reported that it initiated a share repurchase program in February 2025 and has used incremental net proceeds from non-core asset sales to repurchase common shares. By late 2025, Global Net Lease disclosed that it had repurchased millions of shares at a weighted average price that it described as representing an approximate 12% adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) yield. The company has stated that it views repurchasing shares at this yield as a more compelling use of capital relative to certain acquisition opportunities in the prevailing environment.
Global Net Lease has also maintained access to equity capital markets. The company has filed shelf registration statements and prospectus supplements, including an ATM Equity Offering Sales Agreement that allows for at-the-market offerings of common stock and related forward sale agreements. It has also registered the resale of common shares held by certain selling stockholders under a resale prospectus supplement. The company has terminated prior equity distribution agreements tied to an expired universal shelf registration and replaced them with new arrangements under its current registration statement.
Leasing Activity and Tenant Relationships
Leasing performance is a key element of Global Net Lease’s operations. In its third quarter 2025 results, the company reported that it had leased over 1.0 million square feet during the quarter, resulting in over $10.5 million of new straight-line rent. It also reported renewal leasing spreads of 26% on certain renewals, with a weighted average renewal term of 7.3 years, and new leases with a weighted average term of 5.0 years. The company has highlighted its practice of engaging tenants early and working closely throughout the lease process to support occupancy, retention, and rental growth.
Global Net Lease also notes that a portion of its portfolio is subject to leases with contractual rent increases, including leases with annual rent escalations and leases that are linked to consumer price index (CPI) measures. The company reports that 87% of its portfolio includes contractual rent increases based on annualized straight-line rent, and that a subset of the portfolio has CPI-linked leases that have historically experienced higher rental increases.
Dividends and Shareholder Distributions
Global Net Lease pays regular dividends on its common and preferred stock. The company has announced quarterly dividends on its common stock, with dividends typically paid in arrears during the first month following the end of each fiscal quarter to stockholders of record on the applicable record date. It has also declared quarterly dividends on its outstanding preferred stock, including its Series A, Series B, Series D, and Series E cumulative redeemable preferred shares. These dividend announcements are disclosed through press releases and corresponding Form 8-K filings.
Regulatory Filings and Investor Communications
As a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Global Net Lease files periodic and current reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These include Forms 10-K and 10-Q, as well as numerous Forms 8-K covering earnings releases, investor presentations, registration statements, equity offering agreements, and material transactions such as major asset sales. The company also provides supplemental financial information and investor presentations that discuss its portfolio metrics, capital structure, and strategic priorities.
Global Net Lease hosts conference calls and webcasts to discuss its financial and operating results, and it furnishes transcripts and supplemental materials via Form 8-K. The company also uses press releases to announce key developments, such as credit rating changes, refinancing of its revolving credit facility, and progress on its strategic disposition program.
Position Within the Finance and Insurance Sector
Within the broader finance and insurance sector, Global Net Lease is classified in the category of other financial vehicles due to its REIT structure and focus on real estate investment. The company’s activities center on owning and managing commercial real estate under net lease arrangements rather than providing traditional banking or insurance services. Its disclosures emphasize income-producing properties, long-term leases, and a tenant base that includes a significant proportion of investment-grade or implied investment-grade tenants.