Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What do you think about the prospects of Plazacorp Retail? I think it's concentrated in eastern Canada.

Article Excerpt

Plazacorp Retail Properties Ltd., $4.80, symbol PLZ on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 60.3 million; Market cap: $289.4 million; www.plaza.ca), owns strip malls and enclosed shopping malls throughout the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. Plazacorp owns interests in 115 properties, which together contain 5.1 million square feet of leasable area. The Atlantic provinces account for 71% of the company’s square footage, followed by Quebec (24%) and Ontario (5%). The trust’s occupancy rate is 95.7% at the strip malls and 96.1% at the enclosed malls. National and regional chains, such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Dollarama and Staples, account for 93.6% of the Plazacorp’s tenants. In 2011, Plazacorp’s revenue rose 8.4%, to $55.6 million from $51.3 million in 2010. Overall cash flow rose 4.4%, to $14.1 million from $13.5 million. However, cash flow per share fell 3.3%, to $0.263 from $0.272, on more shares outstanding. The company’s long-term debt of $317.5 million is equal to 116% of its market cap. Plazacorp recently raised its quarterly dividend by…