S&P Global Market Intelligence offers our top picks of real estate news stories published throughout the week.

A total of 68 or 40.2% of all U.S. publicly traded equity real estate investment trusts hiked their dividends in the first six months of 2022, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Seven REITs declared higher payouts in June, with BRT Apartments Corp. announcing the largest dividend increase of the month. The multifamily REIT will pay 25 cents per share, an 8.7% improvement of its quarterly payout. Other REITs that raised dividends during the month included Safehold Inc., Essential Properties Realty Trust Inc. and Saul Centers Inc.

Retail-focused CT Real Estate Investment Trust was the only Canadian REIT to announce a dividend hike in June, raising its monthly distribution 3.4% to 7.232 Canadian cents per share.

Read more about the most recent REIT dividend hikes.

CHART OF THE WEEK: Office foot traffic nears pre-pandemic levels

⮞ Office foot traffic in San Francisco, New York City, Boston and Chicago is approaching pre-pandemic levels as of the first half, according to analytics firm Placer.ai. There is clearly a rebound taking place, Placer.ai Vice President of Marketing Ethan Chernofsky said.

Megadeals

* American Tower Corp. agreed to sell a 29% stake in its U.S. datacenter business to Stonepeak Partners LP in a deal valued at $2.5 billion, Dow Jones Newswires' MarketWatch reported.

* The Necessity Retail REIT Inc. completed the acquisition of 81 multitenant power, anchored and grocery centers from certain CIM Real Estate Finance Trust Inc. subsidiaries. The purchase price totaled $1.3 billion, including $356 million in assumed debt.

Property transactions

* Cedar Realty Trust Inc. completed its sale of 33 grocery-anchored shopping centers and a redevelopment property. A joint venture comprising a DRA Advisors LLC-managed fund and KPR Centers bought the assets for gross proceeds of roughly $879 million, including assumed debt.

* Healthcare Realty Trust Inc. is under contract with five counterparties to sell or contribute 27 properties to a joint venture for a total of $807 million. The company is also under a letter of intent with three counterparties to sell 10 assets for a total of $295 million.

Data Dispatch: US equity REIT capital offerings recover in June

Data Dispatch: J.P. Morgan tops REIT M&A league table in H1

Data Dispatch: Citigroup keeps lead in equity REIT common stock offering underwriters in H1

Data Dispatch: US REITs edge higher than broader market amid rising interest rates