Topic: Dividend Stocks

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $27 – Toronto symbol REI.UN

p>RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $27 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 298.6 million; Market cap: $8.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.0; Dividend yield: 5.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) has completed its deal to buy full control of 21 shopping malls in the U.S. from Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc. (New York symbol CDR).Previously, RioCan had an 80% stake in these malls through a joint venture with Cedar. It now owns 49 malls in the U.S., and 289 in Canada.

RioCan paid $39.0 million U.S. for these properties. To put that price in context, it earned $125 million (Canadian) in the three months ended September 30, 2012. That’s down 25.6% from $168 million a year earlier. Earnings per unit fell 33.3%, to $0.42 from $0.63, on more units outstanding.

However, the best way to assess a real estate investment trust’s operating performance is to look at its cash flow. That’s because it excludes nonrecurring items, like gains on the sale of real estate. RioCan’s cash flow rose 18.6% in the quarter, to a record $115 million from $97 million. Cash flow per unit rose 8.1%, to $0.40 from $0.37.

Acquisitions and new developments expanded RioCan’s rental space by 9.9% in the past year. The trust also continues to see strong demand from renters: its occupancy rate is a high 97.3%. These were the main reasons behind the higher cash flow.

RioCan is a buy

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