riocan real estate investment trust

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) have moved up lately, but are still down from last year’s highs. That’s mainly due to fears that slowing consumer spending will hurt cash flows. However, top-quality REITs continue to have high occupancy rates and rising lease rates. As well, lower interest rates will help REITs fund their expansion plans.

We still advise against overindulging in Real Estate Investment Trusts. But if you stick with the highest quality, like the Real Estate Investment Trusts we recommend on this page, you should make attractive long-term returns with relatively low risk.

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $21.51 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; SI Rating: Average) is Canada’s largest REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). RioCan has ownership interests in a portfolio of 227 retail properties across Canada, including 15 under development. These properties contain over 59 million square feet of leasable area. Portfolio occupancy stands at 97.0%.

RioCan’s revenue in the three months ended June 30, 2008 was $169.9 million, up 7.1% from $158.3 million a year earlier. Cash flow per unit rose 5.3%, to $0.40 from $0.38. RioCan’s annual distribution of $1.35 gives the units a yield of 6.2%.

RioCan is still a buy.

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TECK COMINCO LTD. $45.00, Toronto symbol TCK.B, has agreed to buy the 80.1% of FORDING CANADIAN COAL TRUST $89.90, Toronto symbol FDG.UN, that it does not already own. Fording unitholders will receive $82.00 U.S. in cash and 0.245 of a Teck class B subordinate voting share per unit. Fording’s units are trading about 5% below the implied value of the offer of $95.07, which indicates that a higher bid is unlikely. Teck’s offer is worth about $14.1 billion, including $1.5 billion in new shares. The purchase price is a high 67% of Teck’s market cap of $21 billion. However, Fording’s main asset is the Elk Valley coal project in British Columbia, which Teck currently manages. That eliminates the possibility of an unpleasant surprise. As well, full control of Fording will immediately add to both earnings and cash flow. Teck aims to complete the takeover by the end of October. Teck is a buy. Fording investors should hold, and tender their units to get the full amount without paying brokerage fees....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $21 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 212.0 million; Market cap: $4.5 billion; SI Rating: Average) has formed a second joint venture with U.S.-based real estate developer Kimco Realty Corp....

ARBOR MEMORIAL SERVICES INC. $27 (Toronto symbol ABO.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 10.7 million; Market cap: $288.9 million; SI Rating: Average) owns 41 cemeteries, 27 crematoria, four reception centres located on cemetery premises and 90 funeral homes in eight provinces. In its second fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2008, Arbor earned $0.60 a share, down 9.1% from $0.66 a year earlier. Revenue fell 1.5%, to $58.4 million from $59.3 million. Arbor is a buy for aggressive investors. RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $21 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 212.0 million; Market cap: $4.5 billion; SI Rating: Average) has formed a second joint venture with U.S.-based real estate developer Kimco Realty Corp. This new 50-50 partnership has agreed to buy 10 retail shopping centres in central and eastern Canada. RioCan will manage these properties....

CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE $58.24, Toronto symbol CM, moved down this week after Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the credit ratings of several bond insurers. These insurers provide CIBC and other banks with guarantees on securities they hold, such as bonds backed by U.S. subprime mortgages. The downgrades could lead to fresh writedowns of about $1 billion. In the three months ended April 30, 2008, CIBC lost $1.1 billion or $3.00 a share, mainly due to a $1.7 billion (after-tax) writedown of illiquid securities. However, CIBC still has enough capital to conduct its operations and satisfy regulatory requirements. Even the $3.48 dividend seems secure, and it yields 6.0%. CIBC is a buy....

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $51.41 (Toronto symbol BNS: SI Rating: Above average) earned $980 million in its second fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2008, down 5.8% from $1.04 billion a year earlier. Per-share earnings fell 5.8%, to $0.97 from $1.03. The declines were largely due to higher provisions for loan losses, which jumped to $153 million from an unusually low $20 million in the year-earlier quarter. Revenue rose 3.2%, to $3.2 billion from $3.1 billion, partly due to acquisitions. The bank has increased its quarterly dividend 4.3%, from $0.47 a share to $0.49. The new annual rate of $1.96 yields 3.8%. Bank of Nova Scotia is a buy....

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust $22 (Toronto symbol REI.UN Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 212.0 million; Market cap: $4.7 billion; SI Rating: Average) is Canada’s largest real estate investment trust. It owns 214 retail properties, including 12 under development, comprising an aggregate of almost 55 million square feet. RioCan specializes in “New Format” shopping centres. These are large, outdoor malls made up of “Big Box” stores in the suburbs of larger cities. They feature plenty of room for parking and future expansion. RioCan also operates smaller outdoor shopping centres, as well as enclosed malls in urban areas. The trust’s revenue rose from $474.5 million in 2003 to $719.9 million in 2007. Its earnings fell from $1.03 a unit (total $174.4 million) in 2003 to $0.69 a unit ($134.9 million) in 2005, but rose to $0.83 a unit ($163.8 million) in 2006. In 2007, a non-cash charge of $144 million related to changes in the way Ottawa taxes REITs cut earnings to $0.16 a unit ($32.4 million). If you exclude this adjustment, RioCan would have earned$0.85 a unit in 2007. Cash flow per unit grew from $1.26 in 2003 to $1.51 in 2007....

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are among the most stable of the royalty and investment trusts. That’s because they own non-depleting assets, and can lock in lease rates and financing costs for long terms. The best REITs have good management, well-located properties and balance sheets strong enough to weather an economic downturn. They have high-quality tenants, and carefully match their debt with their leases. They also have room to build or expand on existing properties. We don’t think you should overindulge in REITs. But if you stick with the highest-quality issues, like RioCan, you’ll likely make steady returns with low risk....

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA $49.75, Toronto symbol BNS, earned $980 million in its second fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2008, down 5.8% from $1.04 billion a year earlier. Per-share earnings fell 5.8%, to $0.97 from $1.03. The declines were largely due to higher provisions for loan losses, which jumped to $153 million from an unusually low $20 million in the year-earlier quarter. Revenue rose 3.2%, to $3.2 billion from $3.1 billion, partly due to acquisitions. The bank has increased its quarterly dividend 4.3%, from $0.47 a share to $0.49. The new annual rate of $1.96 yields 3.9%. Bank of Nova Scotia is a buy....

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $21 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 210.9 million; Market cap: $4.4 billion; SI Rating: Average) has signed a long-term leasing deal with Lowe’s, the second-largest home improvement chain in the United States after Home Depot. Lowe’s will initially operate two stores in RioCan’s Toronto area malls. It aims to open more than 20 new stores in Canada over the next few years. RioCan did not provide financial details. However, high-quality tenants such as Lowe’s will help RioCan maintain its $1.35 distribution rate (6.4% yield). RioCan is a buy.