Buy these office REITs for their distributions

Article Excerpt

Demand for office space remains depressed as employees continue to work from home due to COVID-19. However, vaccines should see many offices re-open in the next several months. That will let these two REITs maintain their current payments, or even raise them. ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $43 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 127.3 million; Market cap: $5.5 billion; Dividend yield: 4.0%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.alliedreit.com) owns 194 office buildings and 10 properties under development, mainly in major Canadian cities. Its overall occupancy rate is a high 91.1%. Starting with the January 2021 payment, the REIT raised its monthly distribution by 3.0%. As a result, investors now receive $0.1417 a unit instead of $0.1375. The annual rate of $1.70 yields a solid 4.0%. Allied’s revenue increased by 2.3% in the quarter ended June 30, 2021, to $140.1 million from $136.9 million a year earlier. It collected 97.2% of the…