High-quality properties fuel their distributions

Article Excerpt

The best way to cut your risk when investing in REITs is to focus on those with high-quality properties and tenants. Here are two of our favourites. CHOICE PROPERTIES REIT $13 is a buy. Canada’s biggest REIT (Toronto symbol CHP.UN; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 723.6 million; Market cap: $9.4 billion; Distribution yield: 5.8%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.choicereit.ca) owns 703 retail, industrial, office space and residential properties, for a total gross leasable area of 64.2 million square feet. George Weston Ltd. (Toronto symbol WN) owns 61.7% of the trust. With the April 2023, payment, the REIT raised your monthly distribution by 1.4%, to $0.0625 a unit from $0.061667. The new annual rate of $0.75 yields 5.8%. During the quarter ended March 31, 2023, the REIT opened four new properties worth $10.6 million. It also sold two properties for $53.0 million. As a result, Choice’s revenue rose 0.4% in the quarter, to $229.4 million from $228.5 million a year earlier. As well, cash…