riocan real estate investment trust

More people are shopping online, forcing retailers to close stores and print fewer advertising flyers. This trend is weighing on mall operators, like RioCan, and printing firms, such as Transcontinental (see box). Both companies are diversifying beyond retail in response. That cuts their risk and supports their current payout rates. RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $28 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 317.9 million; Market cap: $8.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.9; Dividend yield: 5.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) owns all or part of 290 shopping centres in Canada, including 15 under development. These holdings account for 84% of the trust’s rental revenue. The remaining 16% comes from 48 malls in the U.S. Former tenant Target Canada recently abandoned 26 stores in RioCan’s malls, representing 1.9% of the trust’s annual rental revenue....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $27.20 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 317.8 million; Market cap: $8.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.2%; www.riocan.com) is Canada’s largest real estate investment trust (REIT), with interests in 338 shopping malls containing over 92 million square feet of leasable area. That total includes 48 U.S. malls with over 13 million square feet. In the three months ended March 31, 2015, RioCan’s revenue rose 7.7%, to $331.0 million from $307.4 million a year earlier. Cash flow per unit gained 4.8%, to $0.44 from $0.42. The trust’s latest acquisitions increased its rental space by 1.7%. It’s also doing a good job of renewing current tenants at higher rates: rents on renewals rose 9.8% in Canada and 8.3% in the U.S....

SNC-LAVALIN GROUP INC., $46.40, Toronto symbol SNC, gained 3% this week on speculation that larger engineering firms in Spain and Australia are interested in buying the company. The stock fell to $36.24 in March 2015 after the RCMP laid charges against SNC and two of its subsidiaries for using bribes to win construction contracts in Libya between 2001 and 2011. These are the same allegations that prompted the company to replace its senior executives in 2012 and bring in a new program to enforce ethical practices. SNC plans to fight these charges....

BOMBARDIER INC., Toronto symbols BBD.A $2.65 and BBD.B $2.63, plans to sell shares in its transportation division to the public. This business makes passenger railcars and accounts for 45% of Bombardier’s total revenue. The company expects to complete the sale in the fourth quarter of 2015. The new shares will mainly trade on Germany’s stock exchange because that’s where this business is based. Bombardier will hang on to a majority stake. Meanwhile, the company earned $170 million, or $0.09 a share, in the first quarter of 2015 (all amounts except share price in U.S. dollars). These figures exclude unusual items, such as costs related to its recent decision to suspend development of the Learjet 85 business jet. On that basis, the latest earnings beat the consensus estimate of $0.05 a share. They are also up 12.6% from $151 million, or $0.08 a share, a year earlier. Revenue gained 1.0%, to $4.40 billion from $4.35 billion....

PLEASE NOTE: Our next Hotline will go out on Friday, April 10, 2015. RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, $29.47, Toronto symbol REI.UN, has agreed to swap some properties with U.S.-based Kimco Realty (New York symbol KIM). Under the deal, RioCan will acquire Kimco’s 50% interests in a mall in Calgary and another in Mississauga for a total of $87.5 million. That will give the trust 100% of both malls, making it easier for it to expand or redevelop them....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $28 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 315.4 million; Market cap: $8.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 7.0; Dividend yield: 5.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) owns all or part of 292 shopping centres in Canada, including 15 under development. These holdings account for 84% of the REIT’s rental revenue. The remaining 16% comes from 48 malls in the U.S.

In the past few years, RioCan took advantage of lower property values and interest rates to expand its portfolio. As a result, its revenue jumped 39.8%, from $882 million in 2010 to $1.2 billion in 2014.

Due to gains and losses on property sales, earnings fell from $6.04 a unit (or a total of $1.5 billion) in 2010 to $3.25 (or $873 million) in 2011. Earnings rebounded to $4.57 a unit (or $1.3 billion) in 2012 but declined to $2.10 a unit (or $663 million) in 2014.

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Building on the strong performance of its shopping mall empire, RioCan REIT unlocks more property value in a deal with Hudson’s Bay.

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $28 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 315.4 million; Market cap: $8.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 7.0; Dividend yield: 5.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) owns all or part of 292 shopping centres in Canada, including 15 under development. These holdings account for 84% of the REIT’s rental revenue. The remaining 16% comes from 48 malls in the U.S. In the past few years, RioCan took advantage of lower property values and interest rates to expand its portfolio. As a result, its revenue jumped 39.8%, from $882 million in 2010 to $1.2 billion in 2014. Due to gains and losses on property sales, earnings fell from $6.04 a unit (or a total of $1.5 billion) in 2010 to $3.25 (or $873 million) in 2011. Earnings rebounded to $4.57 a unit (or $1.3 billion) in 2012 but declined to $2.10 a unit (or $663 million) in 2014....

AGRIUM INC., $144.38, Toronto symbol AGU, hit a new all-time high of $145.07 this week after reporting better-than-expected quarterly earnings. It also raised its outlook for 2015. In the three months ended December 31, 2014, Agrium’s earnings gained 4.1%, to $0.77 a share from $0.74 a year earlier (all amounts expect share price in U.S. dollars). These results exclude unusual items, mainly losses on contracts the company uses to lock in foreign exchange rates and commodity prices. On that basis, the latest earnings easily beat the consensus estimate of $0.60 a share. Revenue fell 5.7%, to $2.7 billion from $2.9 billion. That’s because Agrium had to cut production at its Vanscoy potash mine in Saskatchewan to complete a major expansion. An unplanned outage at its Redwater, Alberta, plant also slowed nitrogen-fertilizer output. Sales at its retail stores, which sell fertilizer and seeds to farmers, declined 2.1%....

CAE INC., $15.58, Toronto symbol CAE, earned $52.1 million, or $0.20 a share, in its fiscal 2015 third quarter, which ended December 31, 2014. That beat the consensus forecast of $0.19. The latest earnings are also up 14.5% from $45.5 million, or $0.17 a share, a year earlier. Overall revenue rose 11.0%, to $559.1 million from $503.9 million, also beating the consensus forecast of $554.4 million. Revenue from sales of flight simulators and pilot-training services to commercial airlines (57% of the total) rose 14.2%. That’s mainly due to higher simulator sales and the positive impact of the lower Canadian dollar (overseas customers supply 90% of CAE’s revenue)....