RioCan adds to its U.S. malls

Article Excerpt

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $21.02 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 243.4 million; Market cap: $5.1 billion; SI Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 6.6%) operates 267 retail properties in Canada, mainly outdoor shopping malls. It also owns nine malls in the U.S. through a joint venture with Cedar Shopping Centers Inc. (New York symbol CDR). RioCan owns 80% of this joint venture. The joint venture recently agreed to buy six malls in Pennsylvania, Virginia and New Jersey. RioCan and Cedar also agreed to buy a seventh property on a 50/50 basis. In all, RioCan will pay $150 million for these malls. Four of the seven malls have grocery stores as anchor tenants. That helps cut the risk of these purchases, because these retailers stay busy no matter what the economy is doing. As well, tenants of these malls have an average of 9.2 years remaining on their leases. RioCan is a buy. buy…