Tariff fight could hurt these takeovers

Article Excerpt

These two Canadian firms are under activist pressure to improve their operations, or put themselves up for sale. However, the Canadian government would probably block any takeover offer from a U.S.-based firm due to current tension over trade policy and tariffs. INTERRENT REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $11 is a hold. The REIT (Toronto symbol IIP.UN; Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 147.5 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; Distribution yield: 3.7%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.irent.com) owns and operates rental apartment properties with a total of 13,435 suites. Its core markets are Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa in Ontario, as well as Montreal and Vancouver. Its occupancy rate is a high 97.0%. InterRent spent $55.8 million on acquisitions of new properties in 2024. It also sold 10 buildings for a total of $143.5 million. It used some of that cash to buy back $13.5 million of its outstanding units. Activist investor Anson Funds, which owns about 9% of the units, wants the REIT to stop buying new properties and focus instead…