RioCan aims for big gain

Article Excerpt

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $24.44 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 318.0 million; Market cap: $7.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.9%; www.riocan.com) and department store operator Hudson’s Bay Co. (Toronto symbol HBC) co-own, or control, 10 Hudson’s Bay stores through a joint-venture partnership. Hudson’s Bay holds 88.1% of the shared firm, while RioCan owns 11.9%. The joint venture also has a 50% stake in two shopping malls. The partners are reportedly close to selling the Vancouver Hudson’s Bay flagship store—one of their key properties—for $650 million. RioCan’s share of the proceeds would total $77.35 million. That’s about 52% of the REIT’s first-quarter cash flow of $149.2 million, or $0.46 a unit. RioCan is a buy. buy…