riocan real estate investment trust

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $25.51 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 267.0 million; Market cap: $6.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.4%; www.riocan.com) recently formed a new joint venture with U.S.-based Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (New York symbol SKT). This week, the partners agreed to buy the Cookstown Outlet Mall, which is about 50 kilometres north of Toronto. RioCan’s share of the $62 million price is $31 million. Tanger and RioCan are also buying 50 acres of land near Ottawa for an undisclosed sum. They plan to develop a Tanger outlet center on the site....

SHAWCOR LTD., $24.80, Toronto symbol SCL.A, won two major contracts this week. The company makes sealants and coatings that protect onshore and offshore oil and natural gas pipelines from corrosion. It also makes industrial equipment, such as electrical wire and protective sheaths. One of these new deals is a $400 million U.S. agreement to provide coatings and other services to a natural gas pipeline on the Ichthys gas field off the northern coast of Australia. ShawCor did not say when the work would begin or how long the job would take....

Canada’s real estate investment trusts (REITs) were the only category of trusts exempted from the federal government’s income trust tax. This has helped them remain popular with investors seeking both income and capital gains. Today we examine the expansion plans of the largest of those trusts, a specialist in shopping malls. RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $25 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; www.riocan.com) is the largest of Canada’s REITs. It specializes in big-box-style outdoor malls, and owns 314 retail properties, 10 of which are under development. Most are in suburban areas, where land is generally cheaper than in towns and cities....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $25 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 269.6 million; Market cap: $6.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.3; Dividend yield: 5.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) is Canada’s largest real estate investment trust (REIT). It specializes in big-box-style outdoor malls, and owns 314 retail properties, 10 of which are under development. Most are in suburban areas, where land is generally cheaper than in towns and cities. RioCan also owns 38 malls in the U.S. through a joint venture with Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc. (New York symbol CDR). The trust owns 80% of this joint venture, as well as 14.3% of Cedar. RioCan often leaves room at its malls for expanding existing stores, and building new ones. This makes its easy to add more tenants....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $25 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 264.0 million; Market cap: $6.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.5%; www.riocan.com) specializes in big-box style outdoor shopping malls. However, over the past few years, the trust has expanded into other developments. For example, RioCan and partner KingSett Capital are now buying the Sheppard Centre in north Toronto. This property includes offices (100% leased), retail stores (96.1% leased) and residential units. RioCan plans to expand the property’s retail and residential portions. RioCan’s share of the $218-million purchase price is $109 million. To help pay for this acquisition, RioCan will issue up to $126.5 million of new units for $24.85 each. The unit issue will increase the trust’s total number of units outstanding by around 2%....

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY CO., $63.80, Toronto symbol CP, reported higher revenue in its latest quarter. However, earnings fell short of the consensus estimate. In the three months ended September 30, 2011, CP’s revenue rose 4.3%, to $1.34 billion from $1.29 billion. That’s mainly because the company raised its shipping rates and fuel surcharges. In addition, CP shipped more coal and potash during the quarter; that offset lower volumes of manufactured goods and grain. Even with the higher revenue, earnings fell 5.3%, to $186.8 million, or $1.10 a share. That missed the consensus estimate of $1.11 a share. However, costs related to the early repayment of long-term notes cut earnings by $0.04 a share in the latest quarter. A year earlier, the company earned $197.3 million, or $1.17 a share....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $25.57 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 264.0 million; Market cap: $6.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.4%; www.riocan.com) is Canada’s largest REIT. It has interests in 305 shopping malls in Canada, including 10 under development. These properties contain over 73 million square feet of leasable area. RioCan’s occupancy rate is 97.5%. RioCan also owns an 80% interest in 35 malls in the U.S. through joint ventures. As well, it owns 14% of Cedar Shopping Centers, a U.S. REIT that owns malls anchored by supermarkets and drug stores, mainly in the northeastern U.S. In the three months ended June 30, 2011, revenue rose 12.3%, to $228 million from $203 million a year earlier. Cash flow per unit rose 5.9%, to $0.36 from $0.34. RioCan’s units yield 5.4%....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $25 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 263.4 million; Market cap: $6.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.0; Dividend yield: 5.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) has interests in 305 shopping malls in Canada, including 10 under development. RioCan also owns stakes in 35 malls in the U.S. through joint ventures. In the first six months of 2011, the trust bought or increased its stake in 16 properties. These purchases cost it a total of $230 million ($139 million in Canada and $91 million in the U.S.). That’s 25.7% more than its cash flow of $183 million, or $0.70 a unit, in the first half of 2011. However, these properties have grocery stores and other major retailers as anchor tenants. That cuts their risk. In the current quarter, RioCan plans to spend $245.9 million to buy or raise its interest in 11 more properties....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $25.90 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 248.4 million; Market cap: $6.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.3%; www.riocan.com) reports that U.S.-based Target Corp. now plans to convert 21 of the 34 Zellers stores in RioCan’s malls to the Target banner. Target will make a decision on the rest later this year. Any locations it doesn’t convert will operate as Zellers stores until their leases expire. The Target stores should help draw more shoppers to RioCan’s malls. More customer traffic would make it easier to charge higher rents to other tenants....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $25 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 262.1 million; Market cap: $6.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 7.2; Dividend yield: 5.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan.com) stands to gain from the acquisition of the Zellers department-store chain by U.S.-based Target Corp. (New York symbol TGT). Target plans to convert 21 of the 34 Zellers stores in RioCan’s malls to the Target banner. It will make a decision on the rest later this year. If Target decides not to convert the remaining stores, they will operate as Zellers stores until their leases expire. The Target stores should help draw more shoppers to RioCan’s malls. As a result, it would receive higher revenue from leases that are based on a percentage of a tenant’s sales. More customer traffic would also make it easier to charge higher rents....