Their focus on adding value will pay off

Article Excerpt

ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $52.72 (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Units outstanding: 116.3 million; Market cap: $6.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 3.0%; www.alliedreit.com) owns 188 office buildings, mainly in major Canadian cities. Most of those are classified as Class I buildings. Together, they comprise over 11.5 million square feet of leasable area. The REIT’s occupancy rate is 96.3%. Class I refers to 19th- and early-20th-century industrial buildings that are now used as office space. They often have exposed beams and brick walls, and hardwood floors. Allied continues to grow steadily by acquisition. In 2017, it spent $122.7 million on six properties. In 2018, it spent $143.4 million on 11 more buildings. So far this year, the REIT has spent $504 on new properties. That includes buying 700 de la Gauchetière Street West in Montréal for $322.5 million. Altogether, new properties helped raise the trust’s revenue by 9.0% for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, to $117.8 million from $107.0 million…