Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What do you think about this real-estate stock: Plazacorp? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

Plazacorp Retail Properties Ltd., $4.20, symbol PLZ on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 59.7 million; Market cap: $241.2 million; www.plaza.ca), owns strip malls and enclosed shopping malls throughout the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. Plazacorp owns interests in 112 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 97.4% at the strip malls and 95.9% at the enclosed malls. National chains, such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Dollarama and Staples, account for 89.8% of the Plazacorp’s tenants. In the three months ended June 30, 2011, Plazacorp’s revenue rose 8.4%, to $13.6 million from $12.6 million a year earlier. Cash flow per share rose 7.9%, to $0.068 from $0.063. The company’s long-term debt of $306.9 million is equal to 125% of market cap. Plazacorp pays a $0.0525 quarterly dividend, for a 5.0% yield. The company pays out about 74% of its cash…