These office REITs provide dependable income

Article Excerpt

The re-opening of offices as COVID-19 restrictions eased helped boost the occupancy levels—and cash flow—of these two REITs. That should also let them maintain their current distributions. ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $38 is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Cyclical-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing sector; Units outstanding: 128.0 million; Market cap: $4.9 billion; Dividend yield: 4.6%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.alliedreit.com) owns 200 office buildings and 12 properties under development, mainly in major Canadian cities. Its occupancy rate is 89.3%. Starting with the January 2022 payment, Allied raised its monthly distribution by 2.9%. The new annual rate of $1.75 yields a high 4.6%. The REIT’s payout ratio in the latest quarter was a moderate 78.2%. The REIT recently acquired six office properties in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver from Choice Properties REIT (Toronto symbol CHP.UN) for $794 million. That’s partly why its revenue in the quarter ended March 31, 2022, rose 2.8% to $144.8 million from $140.8 million a year earlier. Cash flow per unit…