Topic: How To Invest

Q: Dear Pat: Please comment on high-dividend-paying NorthWest HealthCare Properties. As usual your assessment of the various strengths and risks is much appreciated.

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Q: Dear Pat: Please comment on high-dividend-paying NorthWest HealthCare Properties. As usual your assessment of the various strengths and risks is much appreciated. A: NorthWest HealthCare Properties REIT, $10.86, symbol NWH.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 87.4 million; Market cap: $949.1 million; www.nwhp.ca), owns 141 properties, with a focus on medical office buildings and clinics. The real estate investment trust is Canada’s largest non-government owner and operator of medical office buildings. NorthWest’s properties contain 9.5 million square feet of leasable area. Its Canadian holdings are concentrated in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax. It also owns buildings in Brazil, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. NorthWest has an overall occupancy rate of 95.7%. The REIT began trading on Toronto on March 25, 2010; it offered units to the public at $10 each. In the three months ended March 31, 2017, NorthWest’s revenue rose 11.6%, to $72.5 million from $64.9 million a year earlier. Cash flow jumped 47.2%, to $23.1 million from $15.7 million. Cash…