Falling interest rates just add to their appeal

Article Excerpt

In recent years, higher interest rates increased the demand for bonds and hurt that for REITs. Still, with rates now falling, Choice Properties and RioCan remain excellent ways for investors to earn high, steady income. We see both as buys. RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, $19.23, is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 297.2 million; Market cap: $5.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 6.0%; www.riocan.com) owns all or part of 186 shopping centres and other properties across Canada, including eight projects under development. Its overall occupancy rate is a high 98.0%. RioCan continues to benefit from its October 2017 strategy to focus on six major urban markets: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The REIT is also benefitting from its tenant focus on grocery stores, restaurants and theatres, which encourage repeat customer visits, as well as its expansion into mixed-use (retail, office and residential) projects. In the three months ended December 31, 2024, revenue rose 20.4%, to $357.6 million from $296.9 million…