GTY vs NNN: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: GTY is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. GTY and NNN share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined GTY and NNN exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Getty Realty Corp. is a publicly traded net lease real estate investment trust focused on convenience, automotive, and other single-tenant retail properties. As of the first quarter of 2026 its portfolio spanned roughly 1,190 properties across 45 states plus Washington, D.C., leased to tenants that operate convenience stores, express car washes, automotive service centers, quick-service restaurants, and auto-parts stores under long-term triple-net leases where the tenant covers taxes, insurance, and maintenance. The company has been deliberately diversifying away from its legacy Northeast gas-station roots, growing non-gas properties from under 3% of rent in 2019 to roughly a quarter of rent today while maintaining occupancy near 99%.

Full GTY guide

NNN REIT, Inc. is a Maryland corporation formed in 1984 and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and it operates as a fully integrated real estate investment trust focused on freestanding, single-tenant retail property leased under long-term net leases. Known as National Retail Properties before its 2023 renaming, the company owned 3,774 properties covering roughly 40.4 million square feet as of June 30, 2026, with occupancy at 99.1% and a weighted average remaining lease term of 10.1 years. Tenants sign leases where they cover taxes, insurance and maintenance, which keeps NNN's own capital expenditure minimal and makes rent close to a pass-through. Annualized base rent reached $959.1 million at the end of the second quarter, up 7.3% year over year. Exposure skews toward service and experience retail rather than goods that ship in a box: automotive service was 18.6% of annualized base rent at the end of 2025, convenience stores 16.3%, restaurants of both kinds 14.3%, entertainment 7.2% and dealerships 6.6%. Its five largest tenants, 7-Eleven, Mister Car Wash, Dave & Buster's, Camping World and Kent Distributors, together account for 17.8% of rent, and no single tenant reached 10% of rental income.

Full NNN guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• GTY drivers: Acquisition-led external growth; Portfolio diversification beyond gas.
• NNN drivers: A 37-year dividend increase streak with room underneath it; Acquisition spread wider than the cost of the money funding it.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: As a REIT, Getty is sensitive to interest rates, which raise borrowing costs and pressure property valuations and the stock. For NNN, interest rates sit at the center of the risk list, because a higher risk-free yield both compresses what income investors will pay for NNN's dividend and raises the borrowing cost that determines whether new acquisitions are accretive at all.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick GTY if you believe its drivers more; NNN if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the GTY and NNN guides.

GTY. Getty trades at a discount to larger net lease REITs, at roughly 12 to 13 times forward FFO, which is the main reason value and income investors follow it. First-quarter 2026 rental revenue rose to about $57 million and AFFO per share grew nearly 7% year over year, prompting a modest guidance raise. The mid-to-high single-digit dividend yield reflects both the payout and the market's caution on a small, fuel-and-automotive-concentrated REIT.

NNN. Net-lease REITs are valued on funds from operations rather than earnings, because heavy real estate depreciation makes GAAP net income understate cash generation; NNN reported trailing twelve-month diluted EPS near $2.03, which puts the trailing P/E around 23x while the price to AFFO multiple sits near 13x, and the second figure is the one the sector trades on. Second quarter 2026 results, reported August 5, showed revenue of $244.3 million (up 7.7% year over year), Core FFO of $0.89 per share (up 6.0%) and AFFO of $0.90 per share (up 5.9%), with management raising both AFFO guidance and its acquisition volume target. Compared with larger peer Realty Income, NNN trades at a similar AFFO multiple on a smaller, U.S.-only, service-retail-weighted portfolio, so the valuation debate usually comes down to whether a more concentrated tenant roster deserves the same multiple as a globally diversified one.

Headline figures (approximate, JULY 2026): GTY shows revenue (ttm) ~$225M, affo per share (2026 guide) ~$2.50 to $2.52, ffo per share (2025) ~$2.34, net income (ttm) ~$90M; NNN shows revenue (ttm through june 30, 2026) ~$953 million, market capitalization ~$8.9 billion (~192 million shares near ~$46), affo per share (2026 guidance, raised august 2026) ~$3.55 to $3.59, price to affo (2026 guidance midpoint) ~13x.

GTY and NNN are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined GTY and NNN exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.