New brand to propel RioCan

Article Excerpt

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $24 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Units outstanding: 326.5 million; Market cap: $7.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.3; Dividend yield: 6.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.riocan. com) owns all or part of 289 shopping centres and other rental properties in Canada. That includes 17 projects now in development. The trust has formed a new brand—RioCan Living—to build and market residential apartments and condominiums. The trust is currently redeveloping eight of its properties (six in Toronto, and one for Ottawa and Calgary) to include residential units. RioCan is also studying the feasibility of redeveloping an additional 43 properties. Expanding into mixed-use developments helps cut the REIT’s reliance on retail tenants as they continue to face strong competition from online sellers. The trust’s focus on high-density properties close to transit lines also cuts its risk. Meantime, RioCan’s revenue for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, rose 0.6%, to $293.2 million from $291.6 million a year earlier. Its…