New businesses set to spur their dividends

Article Excerpt

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $26 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 303.8 million; Market cap: $7.9 billion; Dividend yield: 5.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.riocan.com) owns all or part of 230 shopping centres and other properties across Canada. They include 14 projects now under development. RioCan last raised its monthly distribution in January 2018. Investors now receive $0.12 a share, up from $0.1175. The annual rate of $1.44 yields a high 5.5%. The REIT’s revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2019, increased 11.7%, to $324.1 million from $290.1 million a year earlier. Its cash flow decreased by 4.7%, to $142.2 million from $149.2 million. However, cash flow per unit rose 2.2%, to $0.47 from $0.46, on fewer units outstanding. The trust continues to make progress with its plan to generate 90% of its revenue from Canada’s six major markets (Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa), including 50% alone from the Greater Toronto Area, by the end of…