Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: Can I have your recommendation on NorthWest Healthcare Properties REIT? It seems to be in a good niche. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: NorthWest Healthcare Properties REIT, $11.36, symbol NWH.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 102.4 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; www.nwhp.ca), owns 146 health-care properties, including  medical office buildings, clinics and hospitals. The REIT is Canada’s largest non-government owner and operator of medical office buildings. Offering its units at $10 each, NorthWest began trading March 25, 2010, on Toronto. Currently, its properties comprise 10.2 million square feet of leasable area. Of the overall 146 properties, 57 are in Canada, 59 are in Australasia, 23 are in Germany, and 7 are in Brazil. While 61% of them are medical office buildings, 39% are hospitals. NorthWest has an overall occupancy rate of 95.9%. New property acquisitions (69 from the start of 2013 to the end of 2017) drove the REIT’s 109.2% jump in revenue, from $150.1 million in 2013 to $314.0 million in 2017. Over that period, cash flow soared 144.8%, from $39.4 million to $96.8 million. However, cash flow per unit rose just 7.1%, from $0.85 to…