New approach paying off

Article Excerpt

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $26.85 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 307.8 million; Market cap: $8.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.3%; www.riocan.com) continues to open new shopping malls and, with partners, mixeduse properties with office and residential space. The trust is also selling off less profitable properties. In the third quarter of 2014, RioCan’s net leasable area shrank by 2.5%, to 71.6 million square feet from 73.5 million a year earlier. But thanks to strong demand from retailers, it’s renewing leases at higher rental rates. That’s why its cash flow rose 7.4% in the latest quarter, to $131 million from $122 million. Cash flow per unit gained 5.0%, to $0.42 from $0.40, on more units outstanding. RioCan’s revenue rose 10.0%, to $296 million from $269 million. The trust trades at a reasonable 15.3 times its expected 2015 cash flow of $1.76 a unit. The $1.41 distribution yields 5.3%. RioCan is a buy. buy. …