Lower interest rates help your REIT income

Article Excerpt

The Bank of Canada has cut its benchmark interest rate three times since June, from 5.00% to 4.25%. Lower rates are good news for these two REITs, as they make it easier to attract new tenants and service their debt. ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $20 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 128.0 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; Distribution yield: 9.0%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.alliedreit.com) owns 192 office buildings and 10 properties under development, mainly in major Canadian cities. Its occupancy rate is 87.1%. Allied last raised your monthly distribution with the January 2023 payment by 2.9%. The current annual rate of $1.80 a unit yields a very high 9.0%. On April 1, 2024, Allied acquired a 90% ownership interest in 400 West Georgia Street in Vancouver and increased its ownership in 19 Duncan Street in Toronto to 95% from 50%. These acquisitions will add to cash flow once it completes leasing up the…