These office REITs are still reliable payers

Article Excerpt

Worries about the trend to remote work, even as the pandemic lifted, have weighed on these two office-focused REITs. However, their high-quality properties should continue to attract tenants and support their distributions. ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $23 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 139.8 million; Market cap: $3.2 billion; Distribution yield: 7.8%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.alliedreit.com) owns 199 office buildings and 13 properties under development, mainly in major Canadian cities. With the January 2023 payment, Allied raised its monthly distribution by 2.9%. The new annual rate of $1.80 a unit yields a high 7.8%. Allied acquired six office properties in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver from Choice Properties REIT (Toronto symbol CHP.UN) for $774.6 million in March 2022. It also recently paid $126.2 million for a property in Montreal. The purchases are largely why its revenue in the quarter ended March 31, 2023, rose 14.5%, to $138.5 million from $120.9 million a year earlier. As…