UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 26, 2015

NATIONAL RETAIL PROPERTIES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (407) 265-7348

Not applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

On February 26, 2015, National Retail Properties, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into separate equity distribution agreements (collectively, the “Agreements”) with each of Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, BB&T Capital Markets, a division of BB&T Securities, LLC, Capital One Securities, Inc., Citigroup Global Market Inc., Jefferies LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. (collectively, the “Managers”). Under the terms of the Agreements, the Company may issue and sell, from time to time, up to 10,000,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, through the Managers, acting as agent and/or principal.

Sales of the Shares, if any, will be made by means of ordinary brokers’ transactions that are deemed “at the market” offerings, in block transactions, or as otherwise agreed with the Managers. The Company will pay each Manager a commission that will not to exceed 2.0% of the gross sales price per Share of the Shares sold through such Manager as agent under the applicable Agreement. Under the terms of the Agreements, the Company may also sell Shares to any of the Managers as principal for its own account at a price agreed upon at the time of sale. If the Company sells Shares to a Manager as principal, the Company will enter into a separate terms agreement with the applicable Manager.

The Managers are not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of the Shares, but will use reasonable efforts, as agents and subject to the terms of the Agreements, to sell the Shares, as instructed by the Company.

The form of the Agreements is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing description of the material terms of the Agreements is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.

The exhibits listed in the following index relate to the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-202237) of the Company and are filed herewith for incorporation by reference into such Registration Statement.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated: February 26, 2015