High-quality properties support their payouts

Article Excerpt

These two REITs have held their distributions steady for the last several years. Going forward, dependable rental payments from their high-quality tenants and properties should continue to support their current payout levels. CHOICE PROPERTIES REIT $13 is a buy. Canada’s biggest REIT (Toronto symbol CHP.UN; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio; Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 723.5 million; Market cap: $9.4 billion; Distribution yield: 5.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.choicereit.ca) owns 701 retail, industrial, office space and residential properties. George Weston Ltd. (Toronto symbol WN) owns 61.7% of the trust. Choice pays a monthly $0.061667 per unit distribution. The annual rate of $0.74 yields a high 5.7%. In the latest quarter, those payments totalled 76.4% of its cash flow. During the quarter ended June 30, 2022, the REIT completed $227.9 million in purchases. That included 85% interest in a 97-acre parcel of land in Caledon, Ontario, for $86.7 million. The REIT also sold six office properties (3 in Toronto, 2 in Vancouver, and 1 in Montreal) to Allied Properties…