Hold this top REIT ETF

Article Excerpt

ISHARES S&P/TSX REIT INDEX ETF, $15.09, is a hold. The ETF (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) lets investors tap all 16 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 5.1% yield. The ETF’s top holdings are Canadian Apart. REIT (16.4%), RioCan REIT (11.3%), Granite REIT (9.2%), Choice Properties REIT (7.6%), Dream Industrial (7.4%), First Capital Reality REIT (6.9%), SmartCentres REIT (6.3%), Boardwalk REIT (6.2%), H&R REIT (5.2%) and Allied Properties REIT (4.7%). Beyond those top holdings, investors also have exposure to Killam REIT (4.4%), InterRent (3.7%), Crombie REIT (3.0%), Primaris REIT (2.8%), Northwest Healthcare REIT (2.3%) and CT REIT (2.1%). We like some of the 16 REITs this ETF holds, but there are others we don’t currrently view as buys. iShares S&P/TSX REIT is a hold. hold…