March 12, 2026 – SLB Capital Advisors’ Q4’25 sale leaseback results cited by WSJ in Dow Jones Market Talk
Rising merger and acquisition activity across the U.S. fueled a rebound in property sale leaseback deals toward the end of last year, according to SLB Capital Advisors.
Sale leasebacks totaled $4.7 billion during last year’s fourth quarter, rising roughly 56% from $3 billion in the previous quarter, SLB says.
“Historically, when corporate M&A transaction activity improves, sale leasebacks follow as companies seek to unlock capital from owned real estate,” SLB Managing Partner Scott Merkle says. That’s particularly true of buyout targets that use sale leasebacks to shore up their balance sheets after the acquisitions, but SLB also noted that more companies are “pursuing sale leasebacks as a strategic financing tool.”