Topic: How To Invest

Dear Pat: What do you think about Plazacorp Retail Properties as an investment?

Article Excerpt

Plazacorp Retail Properties, $4.45, symbol PLZ on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 49.7 million; Market cap: $221.2 million; www.plaza.ca), is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns strip malls and enclosed shopping malls throughout the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. Plazacorp owns interests in 106 properties, which together contain 4.7 million square feet of leasable area. The Atlantic provinces account for 69% of the company’s square footage, followed by Quebec (26%) and Ontario (5%). The trust’s occupancy rate is 96.9% at the strip malls, and 96.6% at the enclosed malls. National chains, such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Dollarama and Staples, account for 88.7% of the Plazacorp’s tenants. In the three months ended September 30, 2010, Plazacorp’s revenue rose 7.0%, to $13.4 million from $12.5 million a year earlier. Cash flow per share fell slightly, to $0.074 from $0.076. Plazacorp pays a $0.050625 quarterly dividend, for a 4.6% yield. The company pays out about 78% of its cash flow as dividends. Companies that are…