A yield to caution

Article Excerpt

AUTOMOTIVE PROPERTIES REIT $13.50 (Toronto symbol APR.UN; Units outstanding: 39.1 million; Market cap: $527.9 million; Dividend yield: 5.9%; www.automotivereit.ca) is a real estate investment trust that owns 66 commercial properties across cities in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, B.C. and Quebec. The REIT’s properties offer 2.5 million square feet of space for a wide variety of car dealerships. Automotive Properties pays monthly distributions of $0.067 a unit; the annual rate of $0.80 yields a high 5.9%. The Dilawri Group exclusively occupies 36 of the REIT’s dealerships and is the REIT’s largest tenant; it accounts for about 62% of Auto Properties’ rental income. As well, Dilawri owns 28.1% of the REIT. Since it first sold units to the public in July 2015, Automotive Properties has purchased 40 new sites. This includes 12 since the start of 2019. These property acquisitions have also attracted several luxury car brands such as Jaguar, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Mercedes. The REIT’s units trade at a low 13.9 times its forecast 2022 cash flow of…