REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS – AUSTRALIA

CLSA slaps a buy on listed retail landlords

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 20-Jul-17

Shares in Australian-listed real estate investment trusts have fallen sharply in 2017, with Westfield Corporation and Vicinity Centres shedding 16.7 per cent and 13.7 per cent respectively. The A-REIT sector has fallen by about 10 per cent in the last month, but Sholto Maconochie of CLSA is upbeat about the outlook for the sector, and retail property trusts in particular. CLSA favours Scentre Group and Vicinity Centres, and the firm’s rating on the latter has been upgraded to "outperform".

CORPORATES
WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, VICINITY CENTRES – ASX VCX, SCENTRE GROUP – ASX SCG, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CBRE PTY LTD, CHADSTONE SHOPPING CENTRE, DEXUS PROPERTY GROUP – ASX DXS, INVESTA OFFICE FUND – ASX IOF

‘Oversold’ retail trusts set to rebound

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Original article by Larry Schlesinger
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 3-Jul-17

Vicinity Centres, Scentre Group and Westfield Corporation all returned negative returns of at least 10 per cent in the year to 30 June 2017. This made them the worst performing stocks in the S&P/ASX 200-A REIT index, but fund managers believe that this now makes them good value, and expect them to perform much better in 2017-18. Fund managers contend that the three stocks – Australia’s biggest shopping centre owners – were oversold because of the perception that their tenants will be damaged by the arrival of Amazon in Australia.

CORPORATES
VICINITY CENTRES – ASX VCX, SCENTRE GROUP – ASX SCG, WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, SG HISCOCK AND COMPANY LIMITED, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, WHOLE FOODS MARKET INCORPORATED, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

ETFs could threaten A-REIT share prices

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Original article by Su-Lin Tan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 26-Jun-17

Australian-listed real estate investment trusts have become increasing popular with exchange-traded funds in recent years, according to Angelo Scasserra of Credit Suisse. Scentre, Stockland, Goodman and Mirvac are among the A-REITs to have attracted funds from ETFs, which Scasserra says are a very passive category of investors. He also says ETFs are very "reactionary", leading to potential share price volatility within the A-REIT sector.

CORPORATES
CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, SCENTRE GROUP – ASX SCG, STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, GOODMAN GROUP – ASX GMG, MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, VICINITY CENTRES – ASX VCX, DEXUS PROPERTY GROUP – ASX DXS, GPT GROUP – ASX GPT, VANGUARD AUSTRALIAN PROPERTY SECURITIES INDEX ETF – ASX VEU, BLACKSTONE REAL ESTATE ADVISORS LLC, ISHARES INCORPORATED, BETASHARES CAPITAL LIMITED, STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, INVESCO, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, LYXOR ASSET MANAGEMENT, RUSSELL INVESTMENT GROUP, CUSHMAN AND WAKEFIELD INCORPORATED

REITs at risk in housing slowdown

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Original article by Elizabeth Redman
The Australian – Page: 25 : 1-Jun-17

Data from CoreLogic shows that residential property values across five Australian capital cities fell by 1.1 per cent in May 2017. Analysts and fund managers warn that listed real estate investment trusts could be vulnerable to a slowdown in the housing market. Stuart Cartledge of Phoenix Portfolios notes that developers that have pre-sold apartments will not be hit by any downturn, although future sales volumes may be affected.

CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PHOENIX PORTFOLIOS PTY LTD, STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, CEDAR WOODS PROPERTIES LIMITED – ASX CWP, AVJENNINGS LIMITED – ASX AVJ, VILLA WORLD LIMITED – ASX VLW, RESOLUTION CAPITAL LIMITED, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOLKESTONE MAXIM ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Charter Hall Retail REIT portfolio grows by $130m

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 20-Dec-16

Charter Hall Retail REIT has reported that the value of its property portfolio increased by $A130 million, or 5.2 per cent, to $A2.695 billion. The portfolio weighted average capitalisation rate rose by 29 basis points to 6.71 per cent, from 6.42 per cent. Shopping Centres Australasia Property Group reported in mid-December 2016 that the value of its property portfolio increased by $A169.1 million. The total portfolio capitalisation rate improved by 51 basis points to 6.62 per cent.

CORPORATES
CHARTER HALL RETAIL REIT – ASX CQR, SHOPPING CENTRES AUSTRALASIA PROPERTY GROUP – ASX SCP

Troubled Estia puts Weiss in charge

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 19 & 23 : 13-Dec-16

Australian-listed Estia Health has advised that Gary Weiss will succeed Pat Grier as chairman of the aged-care group. Weiss became a director of Estia in 2015, following its acquisition of Kennedy Health Care. Estia will undertake a $A136.8m capital raising in order to reduce its debt, with the new shares to be offered at $A2.10 apiece. Estia shares were fetching $A2.68 on 12 December 2016, prior to a trading halt ahead of the capital raising.

CORPORATES
ESTIA HEALTH LIMITED – ASX EHE, KENNEDY HEALTH CARE, JAPARA HEALTHCARE LIMITED – ASX JHC, REGIS HEALTHCARE LIMITED – ASX REG, SUMMERSET GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SNZ

Scentre plans $1bn splurge

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Original article by Ben Wilmot
The Australian – Page: 26 : 23-Sep-16

Australian-listed shopping centre landlord Scentre Group will ramp up its development program in 2017. It has announced more than $A1bn of new projects, including a $A600m expansion of the Westfield Newmarket shopping centre in Auckland and the development of a 54,000sq m shopping centre at Coomera in Queensland. Scentre has also been actively divesting non-core assets.

CORPORATES
SCENTRE GROUP – ASX SCG, WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, CBUS PROPERTY PTY LTD, DAVID JONES LIMITED, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, EVENT CINEMAS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, GPT GROUP – ASX GPT

Growthpoint near victory with GPT bid

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Original article by Nick Lenaghan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 2-Aug-16

The GPT Metro Office Fund’s independent directors have expressed their support for a takeover offer from Growthpoint, which was judged to be superior to a rival bid from Centuria. Consequently, the latter decided against pursuing its bid. Investors in the GPT Metro fund can choose to receive either $A1.25 in cash and 0.3968 Growthpoint securities for each unit they hold or a cash offer of around $A2.50 per unit.

CORPORATES
GPT METRO OFFICE FUND – ASX GMF, CENTURIA METROPOLITAN REIT – ASX CMA, GROWTHPOINT PROPERTIES AUSTRALIA – ASX GOZ, GROWTHPOINT PROPERTIES LIMITED

Westfield Corp will still call Australia home

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 13-May-16

US-focused Westfield Corporation has ruled out shifting its primary listing from the Australian sharemarket to the US, although the group will consider a dual-listed structure. Chairman Frank Lowy says the board decided that there would be minimal benefit from relocating Westfield’s primary listing at present, and said he does not intend to retire from the board. Meanwhile, Westfield has advised that specialty retail sales at its shopping centres rose by 4.4 per cent in the year to March 2016.

CORPORATES
WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, SCENTRE GROUP – ASX SCG

Westfield posts US$2.3bn net profit in first full year

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Original article by Robert Harley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 35 : 25-Feb-16

Australian-listed Westfield Corporation has posted a net profit of $US2.3bn ($A3.2bn) for calendar 2015. The real estate investment trust was created in 2014 via a restructuring of the Westfield Group. The US and Europe-focused Westfield has reported funds from operations of $US783.4m for 2015, which equates to $A0.377 per security.

CORPORATES
WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD