Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: What do you think about investing in Artis REIT? It has a very high dividend yield. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Artis REIT, $13.67, symbol AX.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 149.3 million; Market cap: $2.1 billion; www.artisreit.com), owns 237 properties, totalling 24.8 million square feet of office (42.3%), industrial (43.7%) and retail (14.0%) space. The REIT has holdings in both Canada and the U.S.: Alberta (16.5% of the total), Ontario (16.0%), Manitoba (15.7%), Saskatchewan (5.9%), B.C. (3.4%), Minnesota (23.1%), Arizona (7.3%), Wisconsin (6.8%), and elsewhere in the U.S. (5.3%). Artis has an overall occupancy rate of 93.2%. Due mostly to acquisitions, Artis’s revenue has risen steadily, from $463.4 million in 2013 to $572.5 million in 2016. It then dropped to $542.9 million in 2017 as the trust sold off some properties. Cash flow over the same period rose from $150.3 million ($1.21 per unit) in 2013 to $164.6 million ($1.23 per unit) in 2014. It increased again in 2015, to $180.3 million ($1.30 per unit). Revenue then decreased to $168.8 million ($1.16 per unit) in 2016 before falling further in 2017, to $157.5 million…