Hold this REIT ETF

Article Excerpt

ISHARES S&P/TSX REIT INDEX ETF, $15.51, is a hold. The ETF (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) lets investors tap all 16 Canadian real estate investment trusts in the S&P/TSX REIT Index. Investors pay an MER of 0.61%, and the fund gives you a 5.3% yield. The ETF’s top holdings are Canadian Apartment REIT (14.9%), RioCan REIT (10.6%), Granite REIT (8.9%), Choice Properties REIT (8.4%), First Capital Reality REIT (7.8%), SmartCentres REIT (6.9%), Dream Industrial (6.5%), Boardwalk REIT (5.8%), H&R REIT (5.7%) and Killam REIT (4.8%). Beyond those top holdings, investors also have exposure to InterRent (4.1%), Allied Properties REIT (4.1%), Crombie REIT (3.3%), Primaris REIT (3.2%), CT REIT (2.4%), and Northwest Healthcare REIT (2.2%). We like some of the 16 REITs this ETF holds, but there are others we don’t currrently view as buys. iShares S&P/TSX REIT is a hold. hold…