Canadian REITs (real estate investment trusts) can be an excellent source of yield for income investors at a reasonable price. And depending on where you look in the REIT scene, you may even be able to snag a bargain before the tailwind of lower interest rates really begins to give the broad basket of property plays a real shot in the arm. Of course, banking on the top REIT plays just because you think the Bank of Canada is just going to keep cutting rates from here isn’t the best idea in the world.
However, if you’re a fan of what it could mean to the growth projects of the most premier REITs in the market, I think the still-hefty REIT yields are worth pursuing, especially for those seeking an alternative asset class that might be able to dodge and weave past the headwinds and shocks that sparks some sort of market-wide correction or even a violent rotation out of tech, growth, momentum and all sorts of more speculative high-risk/high-reward types of securities and into good, old-fashioned blue chips and defensive dividend payers.
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The REITs might do well as investors rotate out of the “risky” trade
Indeed, given the hot run in gold prices this year, one could also make the argument that the safe-haven asset might not be as safe going into the new year, not when the easy money has been made and the price action is attracting folks that may be only in it to make a quick buck. Either way, the REIT scene stands out as one of the lesser-appreciated places to hide for yield and maybe even lower volatility.
Time will tell if it’s time to double down, but regardless, I think nibbling into some of the names in October could make sense if you’re ready to ring the register on a hot tech name as you look to rotate before the rest of Wall and Bay Street have the opportunity to. Indeed, it’s far better to rotate into some of the more defensive parts of the market before most others do in a fear-driven manner!
CT REIT looks cheap!
Enter shares of CT REIT (TSX: CRT.UN), a 5.81%-yielding REIT I’ve grown quite fond of in recent years. While it’s been a turbulent ride since bottoming out just over a year ago, I think dip-buyers have been rewarded handsomely. Now that shares are on the cusp of breaking out past two-year highs, I’m inclined to pound the table while the yield is still well above the 5% mark.
Indeed, the REIT, which gets a vast majority of its cash flows from one tenant (it’s Canadian Tire), looks like a pillar of stability that could withstand even the worst of market pullbacks. Indeed, I’ve described CT REIT as a more bountiful and less choppy way to ride on the back of one of Canada’s most iconic retailers. And while it’s far less diversified compared to most other REITs, I’d continue to stand by the argument (one which I’ve made in previous pieces) that it’s better to be invested heavily in a REIT that houses a single well-run firm with a pristine balance sheet and a wide economic moat than a portfolio of sub-par tenants. Indeed, you can always diversify into other REITs if you’re looking to limit your exposure to the Canadian icon.
And while lower rates and a potential rotation into defensives (especially if a so-called AI bubble were to cause a bout of panic-selling) might nudge CRT.UN shares higher over the medium term, I’d argue that the REIT is best bought as a Tax-Free Savings Account portfolio diversifier for the long haul. Indeed, when even gold seems pricey, I view the high-quality REIT as an absolute gem for value investors who may not know where to look as the TSX Index keeps blasting off to higher highs.
