H&R’s focus will pay off

Article Excerpt

H&R REIT, $12.68, is a buy. Through your units in this REIT (Toronto symbol HR.UN; Units o/s: 285.1 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 4.1%; www.hr-reit.com) you tap income from 416 properties: 27 office buildings, 286 retail developments, 71 industrial buildings and 24 residential properties. The trust’s overall occupancy rate is a high 95.8%. H&R recently spun off most of its retail properties, including all of its enclosed shopping malls, to a new publicly traded REIT called Primaris. The spinoff is part of H&R’s new strategy to focus on its more-promising residential and industrial properties in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and the U.S. Sun Belt and Gateway cities (which contain corporate headquarters, educational and cultural institutions). In the quarter ended June 30, 2022, H&R’s revenue fell 23.4%, to $202.4 million from $264.3 million a year earlier. The REIT sold some properties—and spun off Primaris. Cash flow per unit fell 26.0%, to $0.284 from $0.384. The REIT yields a high 4.1%. H&R REIT…