Hang onto this REIT fund

Article Excerpt

ISHARES S&P/TSX REIT INDEX ETF, $18.40, is a hold. The ETF (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) lets investors tap all 18 Canadian real estate investment trusts in the S&P/TSX REIT Index. Investors pay an MER of 0.61%, and the fund gives you a 4.4% yield. The ETF’s top holdings are Canadian Apart. REIT (13.8%), RioCan REIT (11.6%), Granite REIT (8.7%), Choice Properties REIT (6.8%), Summit Industrial REIT (6.6%), First Capital Reality REIT (6.4%) Allied Properties REIT (6.3%), SmartCentres REIT (6.0%), Dream Industrial (5.8%), and H&R REIT (5.7%). Beyond those top holdings, investors also have exposure to Killam REIT (3.6%), Northwest Healthcare REIT (3.5%), Boardwalk REIT (3.4%), InterRent (3.3%), Crombie REIT (2.9%), Primaris REIT (2.5%), CT REIT (2.0%) and Artis REIT (1.3%). We like some of the 18 REITs this ETF holds, but there are others we don’t view as buys. iShares S&P/TSX REIT is a hold. hold…