Topic: Dividend Stocks

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

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $27 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 300.1 million; Market cap: $8.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.8; Dividend yield: 5.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) is Canada largest real estate investment trust (REIT), with 294 retail properties, including 11 under development. It also owns 52 malls in the U.S.

RioCan continues to expand beyond suburban big-box-style malls. It recently formed a joint venture with Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (Toronto symbol AP.UN) to redevelop certain properties in Toronto as mixed-use office, retail and residential complexes.

The REIT has also agreed to pay $362 million for an enclosed shopping centre and 50% of another mall, both in southern Ontario. Enclosed malls now supply 16.1% of its Canadian rental revenue.

Expanding by acquisition adds risk. However, purchases like these lower the trust’s exposure to consumer spending. RioCan is also increasing its focus on major cities. As part of this strategy, it aims to sell 14 of its less-important malls for $645 million.

RioCan’s new properties helped push up its revenue by 14.2% in 2012, to $1.1 billion from $988 million in 2011. Earnings jumped 54.0%, to $1.3 billion from $873 million. RioCan often sells new units to finance its acquisitions. Due to more units outstanding, earnings per unit rose at a slower pace of 40.6%, to $4.57 from $3.25.

REIT investors often prefer to focus on cash flow, which excludes non-cash items like accounting gains on property sales. RioCan’s cash flow per unit rose 6.3% in 2012, to $1.52 from $1.43.

RioCan recently raised its monthly distribution for the first time since 2008. The new annual rate of $1.41 a unit, up 2.2% from $1.38, yields 5.2%.

Distributions accounted for 90.8% of RioCan’s cash flow in 2012. However, 26.9% of its unitholders opt to receive additional units instead of cash. On a cash basis, distributions represented a more reasonable 66.4% of its cash flow.

The REIT should also benefit from U.S.-based retailer Target’s plan to open 124 stores in Canada this year; 24 of these stores will be in RioCan’s shopping centres. That should push up its 2013 cash flow to $1.58 per unit. The units trade at a high, but still reasonable, 17.1 times that forecast.

RioCan is a buy.

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