Recent moves should lift their distributions

Article Excerpt

Allied Properties continues to build new projects, particularly in Toronto. Those developments will help it profit as more workers return to their offices. Meantime, H&R is spinning off its retail properties as part of a plan to focus on the residential and industrial segments. Both of these moves should lead to higher distributions in 2022. ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $44 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 127.3 million; Market cap: $5.6 billion; Dividend yield: 3.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.alliedreit.com) owns 194 office buildings and 11 properties under development, mainly in major Canadian cities. Its occupancy rate is a high 90.6%. Starting with the January 2021 payment, the REIT raised its monthly distribution by 3.0%. The new annual rate of $1.70 yields a solid 3.9%. Allied’s revenue increased by 2.1% in the quarter ended September 30, 2021, to $142.7 million from $139.7 million a year earlier. It collected 97.4% of the rent due in…