These real estate firms are now targets

Article Excerpt

MACK-CALI REALTY CORP. $23 (New York symbol CLI; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 90.3 million; Market cap: $2.1 billion; Dividend yield: 3.4%; Takeover Target Rating: Highest; www.mack-cali.com) is a New Jersey-based real estate investment trust that owns, manages and develops 74 properties in the Northeastern U.S. This includes 45 office buildings, 22 multi-family residential properties, 4 parking/retail properties, 2 hotels and an undeveloped property. The company recently settled a dispute with activist investor Bow Street, which owns about 4.5% of Mack-Cali. It had pressured the company to spin off its apartment buildings. As a result, Bow Street will place four of its nominees on Mack-Cali’s 15-member board of directors. As well, the company has opted out of Maryland’s unsolicited takeovers statute, which discourages hostile takeovers. Mack-Cali has now formed a special committee of directors to evaluate ways to improve shareholder value, including the possible sale of the entire company. The REIT’s highly attractive properties in Manhattan and Brooklyn should strengthen its appeal for potential buyers. Mack-Cali is…