Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat, what do you think about investing in Artis REIT? It looks like it’s making lots of changes. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Artis REIT, $9.31, symbol AX.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 153.8 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; www.artisreit.com), owns 234 properties, totalling 24.8 million square feet of office (42.5%), industrial (43.5%) and retail (14.0%) space. The REIT has holdings in both Canada and the U.S.: Alberta (15.6% of the total), Ontario (15.9%), Manitoba (15.6%), Saskatchewan (5.9%), B.C. (2.2%), Minnesota (23.1%), Arizona (8.0%), Wisconsin (6.8%), and elsewhere in the U.S. (6.9%). Artis has an overall occupancy rate of 91.2%. Due mostly to acquisitions, overall revenue rose steadily, from $463.4 million in 2013 to $572.5 million in 2016. It then dropped to $542.9 million in 2017 as the trust sold off some properties. Cash flow over the same period rose from $150.3 million ($1.21 per unit) in 2013 to $164.6 million ($1.23 per unit) in 2014. It increased again in 2015, to $180.3 million ($1.30 per unit). Cash flow then decreased to $168.8 million ($1.16 per unit) in 2016 before falling further in 2017, to $157.5 million…