Smart acquisitions boost these REITs

Article Excerpt

All of our real estate investment trust (REIT) recommendations are up this year, despite volatile markets. That’s partly because REITs are exempt from Ottawa’s income trust tax, which came into effect on January 1, 2011. That makes REITs’ high yields attractive, because many other trusts have converted to corporations or cut their distributions. Even with their gains, we think our REIT picks still offer strong long-term returns with lower risk. ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $23.93 (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Units outstanding: 49.2 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 5.5%; www.alliedpropertiesreit.com) owns office buildings in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Winnipeg. These mainly Class I properties contain over 7.8 million square feet of leasable area. Class I refers to 19th- and early 20th-century light industrial buildings that have been restored and converted to office and retail space. These properties usually feature high ceilings, natural light, exposed beams, interior brick and hardwood floors. In the first nine months of 2011,…