May 2 (Reuters) - Multifamily residential REIT Camden Property Trust beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter funds from operations (FFO) on Thursday, helped by strong demand for rental spaces in markets such as Southern California and Southeast Florida.

Camden has 172 properties containing 58,634 apartment homes in 15 major markets across the U.S., according to its latest annual report.

The Houston, Texas-based company reported FFO, a key performance measure for REITs, of $1.67 per share in the quarter ended March 31, compared with analysts' average estimate of $1.66 per share, according to LSEG data.

The REIT reported property revenues of $383 million, up from $378 million last year.

However, the company maintained its full-year FFO forecast, stating it expects higher interest expenses for the remainder of the year, with low odds of the U.S. Federal Reserve cutting rates.

Shares of the company were down about 5% in trading after the bell.

(Reporting by Rupali Chaudhary and Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)