Dream Office has an overlooked asset

Article Excerpt

DREAM OFFICE REIT $24 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol D.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio; Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 54.9 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; Dividend yield: 4.2%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Average; www.dream.ca) sold roughly 138 properties in 2016 as part of a new strategic plan. Due to those sales, in July 2017, Dream cut its monthly distribution by a third, to $0.0833 a unit from $0.125. The new annual rate of $1.00 yields a high 4.2%. Dream now has 30 office properties, including one under development. The downtown Toronto market supplies 79% of the REIT’s rental revenue and accounts for 82% of the portfolio’s value. As well, the REIT has an under-appreciated asset: its 11.6% stake in Dream Industrial REIT (Toronto symbol DIR.UN), which owns a diversified portfolio of industrial and logistics space in North America. As of September 30, 2021, that investment was worth $431.0 million. Dream Office REIT is a buy. buy…