RioCan raises its payout

Article Excerpt

RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, $17.22, is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 297.2 million; Market cap: $5.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 6.7%; www.riocan.com) cut its monthly distribution by 33.3% to $0.96 a unit (on an annual basis) in February 2021 as retailers shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the restrictions eased, the trust resumed annual distribution increases. Under that policy, RioCan increased your monthly distribution by 4.3% with the March 2025 payment. The new annual rate of $1.158 yields a solid 6.7%. Meantime, the trust now expects its cash flow per unit will rise about 6% in 2025 to between $1.89 and $1.92 per unit. The units trade at an attractive 9.0 times the midpoint of that range. RioCan REIT is a buy. buy…