H&R lowers risk for investors

Article Excerpt

H&R REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $16 is a buy. Due to COVID-19, the REIT (Toronto symbol HR.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 286.9 million; Market cap: $4.6 billion; Distribution yield: 4.3%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Average; www.hr-reit.com) cut its monthly distribution by 50% with the May 2020 payment, to $0.0575 a unit from $0.115. The new annual rate of $0.69 nonetheless yields a high 4.3%. H&R has now agreed to sell The Bow office tower in Calgary and an office complex in Mississauga, Ontario, for net proceeds of roughly $800 million. The deal cuts H&R’s exposure to Calgary’s struggling office market to 3% of its portfolio from 9%. As well, Ovintiv Inc., The Bow’s major tenant, will now account for a safer 2% of H&R’s revenue instead of 12%. The REIT plans to use the cash to pay down its corporate debt (excluding mortgages), which totalled $2.8 billion as of June 30, 2021. H&R REIT is a buy. buy…