Higher rents support this distribution

Article Excerpt

DREAM OFFICE REIT $11 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol D.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio; Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 37.9 million; Market cap: $416.9 million; Dividend yield: 9.1%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Average; www.dream.ca) owns 28 office properties, including two under development. The downtown Toronto market supplies 75% of rental revenue and accounts for 82% of the portfolio’s value. Dream Office currently pays a monthly distribution of $0.0833 a unit—the annual rate of $1.00 yields a high 9.1%. The REIT’s payout ratio in the 12 months ended September 30, 2023, was 69.9%. Note, the REIT continues to renew leases at higher rents. That should lift its projected cash flow by about 3%, from $1.42 a unit in 2023 to $1.46 in 2024. The units trade at a moderate 7.5 times that 2024 estimate. Dream Office REIT is still a buy. buy…