These REITs offer high, sustainable yields

Article Excerpt

The market plunge in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis lowered prices for most REITs. That’s because the pandemic forced many businesses to temporarily close. That hurt rent collection for REITs, and cut cash available for distributions. However, payments from these two REITs still look secure thanks to their high-quality properties and tenants. RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, $15.01, is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units o/s: 317.7 million; Market cap: $4.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Divd. yield: 9.6%; www.riocan.com) offers you a stake in 221 shopping centres and other properties across Canada. They include 15 projects under development. In all, RioCan controls 38.6 million square feet of rentable space. Its overall occupancy rate is a high 96.4%. COVID-19 forced many of RioCan’s tenants, mainly apparel retailers, to temporarily shut down their stores. As a result, it collected just 73.3% of its rental payments in the quarter ended June 30, 2020. Government support programs and deferrals covered another 13.5%. However, the…