Top REITs for income and growth

Article Excerpt

Most real estate investment trusts (REITs), including our recommendations, are exempt from Ottawa’s new tax on income-trust distributions, which comes into effect on January 1, 2011. As a result, these REITs should continue to attract investor interest as the tax prompts more trusts to convert to corporations and cut their distributions. RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $23.15 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 250.9 million; Market cap: $5.8 billion; SI Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 6.0%; www.riocan.com) is Canada’s largest REIT. RioCan has interests in 289 shopping malls across Canada, including 11 under development. In all, these properties contain over 66 million square feet of leasable area. The trust has a 97.1% occupancy rate. RioCan is Canada’s largest owner of neighbourhood shopping centres, which are enclosed malls in smaller cities. But the trust’s strongest growth is in its “New Format” malls, in the suburbs of larger cities. RioCan is Canada’s largest owner of these malls, which have lots of parking and room…