These REITs promise you further gains

Article Excerpt

Investors in these two top REITs got the best of both worlds in 2019—rising unit prices plus high distributions. RioCan rose 13% and Choice climbed 21%. And even with those returns, RioCan still offers you a high 5.4% yield, and Choice is just behind at 5.3%. To keep up their momentum, both continue to focus on properties in the Greater Toronto Area and other big urban centres with lower vacancies and higher rents. This will let them maintain or increase their distributions. That should give their already-attractive yields for investors a boost. RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, $26.76, is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 303.8 million; Market cap: $8.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 5.4%; www.riocan.com) owns all or part of 225 shopping centres and other properties across Canada. They include 14 projects now under development. In all, RioCan controls 39.3 million square feet of rentable space. Its overall occupancy rate is a high 97.2%. The REIT continues to make progress…