Hold this top REIT ETF

Article Excerpt

ISHARES S&P/TSX REIT INDEX ETF, $16.39, 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 4.9% yield. The iShares S&P REIT Index ETF’s top holdings are Canadian Apartment REIT (16.3%), RioCan REIT (12.0%), Granite REIT (10.2%), Choice Properties REIT (7.4%), Dream Industrial REIT (7.0%), SmartCentres REIT (6.5%), First Capital Reality REIT (6.3%) Allied Properties REIT (5.8%), H&R REIT (5.4%) and Boardwalk REIT (4.4%). Beyond those top holdings, investors also have exposure to Killam REIT (4.0%), InterRent REIT (3.7%), Northwest Healthcare REIT (3.2%), Crombie REIT (3.1%), Primaris REIT (2.5%) and CT REIT (2.2%). We like some of the 16 REITs this ETF holds, but there are others we don’t view as buys. iShares S&P/TSX REIT is a hold. hold…