Loved the REIT sector a few years ago. He watched this one a little bit but it didn’t fit into his qualifications. When you have a sector that is in a recovery mode and you have some that are not only laggards but are real dogs, you have to take a really strong look at financial statements to see why.
Convertible debenture maturing 12/11. You don't get the balance sheet protection that you think you are getting. This is a company that you do not want to get the equity of.
Basically a bet on Fort McMurray. Heavy concentration of decent quality apartments there. Had high-cost debt and in the process of selling assets to cover this. Lots of upside leverage if Fort McMurray comes back, which he thinks it is. High risk/high reward. No distribution at this point. (He owns some warrants, but no equity.)
One of the problems is a lot of debt and a high payout ratio. A huge portion of their assets is in Alberta and in the oil sands area. He would be careful on this one.
Multi-residential. Focused on secondary properties in western Canada. Highly levered to the oil sands. Over distributing, but can see this disappearing by the end of 2007.
One of the most extreme of the western plays. High yield. Probably overpaying its distributions. He feels it will earn its income and it will be a safe investment. Quite a bit of debt. Potentially, Alberta has a lot of risks.
Multi-residential REIT. Heavy exposure to western Canada, particularly Fort McMurray. Started in 2005 with high yield and payout ratios well in excess of 100%. Management has increased free cash flow and reduced payout ratio to 150%. Buy for growth, not yield.
Loved the REIT sector a few years ago. He watched this one a little bit but it didn’t fit into his qualifications. When you have a sector that is in a recovery mode and you have some that are not only laggards but are real dogs, you have to take a really strong look at financial statements to see why.