REITs stand to gain, defensive qualities will shine in current trying times

Real estate investment trusts (REITs), which focus on higher-than-market average yields, will stand out in the current uncertain economic and market environment due to their defensive qualities.

The impending listing of IGB REIT and KLCC Property Holdings Bhd's planned REIT could potentially raise investor attention to a sector otherwise viewed as a low-beta proxy to the economy.

Analysts contacted by StarBiz said they did not discount the possibility of eventual increased attention on REITs, saying that this could be a prelude to a re-rating for the sector.

"These two REITs are huge in terms of potential flotation volume and market capitalisation. For IGB REIT, its asset valuation of RM4.6bil will make it the largest retail REIT to date," RHB Research Institute's REIT analyst Loong Kok Wen said over the telephone.

Loong said the huge asset base due to high liquidity in the financial system would also attract the attention of institutional investors.

"This is a good opportunity to buy into such initial public offering REITs amid the sustained global uncertainties," he added.

Loong noted that interest in REITs was currently high and this could be sustained, moving forward, should global uncertainties persist.

"There has been a lot of attention lately on consumer-based dividend-paying stocks and their prices have been going up.

"It is the same for REITs their asset revaluation had seen increased prices on the backdrop of high liquidity in the economic system," Loong added.

A property analyst with TA Research said the other qualities of REITs that would be appreciated by investors in these volatile times were their dividend yielding nature compared with other fixed-income securities.

"I am positive about retail REITs as their dividends are stable because these cash stream comes from their rents.

"Retailers are resilient amid booming economies in the East. And locally, consumers here are always shopping and buying goods during the weekends," the analyst said.

However, the analyst noted that while REIT yields had declined slightly from the past, one could still find yields as high as 8%.

Yields today still offer 2%-3% premium over fixed-deposit (FD) rates.

"For example, if I am a person with a lot of money, I would like to diversify my returns and risk. So REIT is the next best alternative after FD.

"Today, we are also looking at richer valuations for REIT stocks," the analyst said.

In a report, Hong Leong Investment Bank said foreign funds and investors were continuing to show strong interest in Malaysian retail assets due to their attractive yields and pricing.

"The retail segment is blessed with a highly favourable macroeconomic backdrop sustained consumption theme in Malaysia, rising disposable income and discretionary spending, high consumer confidence, strong employment market (and) the tourism boom of Malaysia," Hong Leong's REIT analyst Sean Lim wrote in the report.

Volatile year for real estate investment trusts

PETALING JAYA: Headwinds from the gloomy global economic and financial fronts, particularly in the United States and the eurozone, will pose challenges to the performance of the local real estate investment trusts (M-REITs) this year.

According to Malaysian REIT Managers Association chairman Stewart Labrooy, the M-REIT sector will face slower growth and competition for tenants as an oversupply situation emerges in the office market leading to lower rental yields.

“It is going to be a volatile year ahead with the eurozone uncertainty coupled with low growth in the European and US markets. These markets are very important to growth in Asia and the impact would be felt in all export-led countries. Capital market activity will remain muted worldwide in 2012,” Labrooy told StarBiz

In Kuala Lumpur, property prices are expected to remain flat for 2012 with some weaknesses in the high-end residential and office markets.

In the office sector, the seven million sq ft of new office space scheduled for completion this year would result in softening in rental and occupancy.

Despite the gloomy outlook, Labrooy said the Malaysian capital markets were expected to remain healthy this year with a significant number of deals notably the listing of Felda’s assets in the first half of 2012.

“We are fully aware of the issues involved as some of the M-REITs have been through the 2008 global financial crisis and are taking a pro-active stand to retain their tenants through this period and manage their gearing leverage conservatively.

“Most M-REITs have strong tenant covenants and long leases to counter cyclical financial events. They also practise very conservative valuations so we don’t see any downward pressure on them in 2012 and beyond.

In addition, the average gearing of most M-REITs are in the range of 20% to 40%, precluding any event of a default on their loan covenants,” he said.

Labrooy said a silver lining from the uncertainty and volatility of the global markets was that investors and fund managers had started shifting to dividend stocks with strong asset backing and renewed their interest in M-REITs as defensive stocks in uncertain times.

“I believe that we will continue to see a strong subscription in the M-REIT sector this year bearing in mind that the sector performed fairly well to outperform the KLCI in 2011,” he added.

He said the local market still faced liquidity problem as the size of M-REITs was still small by international standards with only five having market capitalisation of over RM1bil. This has contributed to the weak participation among retail investors.

Although the combined market capitalisation of M-REITs has climbed to over RM15bil, its market capitalisation is still way behind that of Singapore which has US$27bil in market capitalisation.

Labrooy, who is also the chief executive officer of Axis REIT Managers Bhd, said the recent listing of Sunway, CapitaMalls Malaysia Trust and Pavilion REITs had improved the liquidity of the domestic market.

Labrooy also said there was an absence of listing of foreign assets as REITs on the local bourse, adding that those who wanted to go for listing had opted to do so in Singapore due to its much higher liquidity and better tax structure. The local regulatory and tax framework must be improved to be on par with Singapore, and a comparable tax code would assist in getting greater retail participation.

On whether there was a scope for other types of REITs to come into the market, Labrooy said: “Malaysia probably has one of the most diversified REIT offerings in Asia. We are currently offering hospitals, plantations, office, retail, education, hospitality, industrial and diversified REITs.

“In addition three are syariah-compliant to cater to the Islamic investors.

“The sectors that will see growth are in industrial, medium cost housing, healthcare, education and tourism. These growth areas are in the Iskandar Malaysia in Johor, Greater Kuala Lumpur and Penang.”

Al-Hadharah Boustead REIT chairman Tan Sri Lodin Wok Kamaruddin concurred that the prospects for the REIT market has not been fully tapped in terms of awareness among potential investors.

He said M-REITs were viewed as a safer investment compared with other REITs in the region. This was due to the domestic-centric focus of their property investments, lower refinancing risks and relatively lower foreign shareholding.

“Malaysia is in a strong position for greater growth and has the potential to lead the REITs market in Asia given its good track record and stable market conditions in Malaysia.

“Generally, potential investors are not well informed about REITs. We believe the level of awareness can be increased nationwide as knowledge plays an important role,” he said.

Lodin pointed out. On the types of M-REITs, he said: “It would be good if the market could diversify to different types of REITs. Malaysia has a lot of property related assets with the potential of being “REITed”. The only factor at play right now is time. Once the conditions are favourable, industry specialists should develop these assets into REITs.”

Malaysia REIT yields expected to fall

The yields of Malaysian Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) are expected to come down next year in view of the surplus in office buildings with the completion of new projects.

The yield, which is also known as return on investment in properties, is derived by dividing rental with property value.

President of the Association of Valuers, Property Managers, Estate Agents and Property Consultants in the Private Sector, Malaysia, Choy Yue Kwong, said while the surplus in office buildings is expected if more developers receive the nod to build, there are very few premium-grade ‘A’ buildings.

“Investment-grade buildings with premium values are the ones foreigners are looking for,” Choy said in an interview.

Choy said while there are enough of good properties in Kuala Lumpur, not many of them are for sale.

“Some of them are owned by banks and most of them do not have the incentives to sell,” he said.

He said the owners, some of them big corporates like Boustead Holdings Bhd and its major shareholder, Armed Forces Fund Board, own a lot of properties but may not be motivated to sell them as they are in the business of investing in properties and collecting rentals to pay dividend to members.

However, Choy said, there are rare instances when corporates or REITs will sell.

In March this year, Pelaburan Hartanah Nasional Bhd, manager of Amanah Harta Tanah PNB (AHP) sold three parcels of land in Pahang, Perlis and Kedah, together with shopoffice units erected on the parcels, to Permodalan Nasional Bhd for RM2.01 million.

The proceeds from the disposal were used to part-finance the cost of upgrading and refurbishment of Plaza VADS in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, another property owned by AHP, a REIT.

Choy said that while investment-grade properties are most sought-after, there is no need to buy expensive properties, or Grade A buildings, to get a reasonable yield of seven per cent.

“For instance, you can buy a property in Cyberjaya and still get a reasonable yield.

“It is also important that buildings are rebranded to upmarket category,” he said.

He said one of the well-known office and commercial buildings in KL which has been extensively re-branded to upmarket brand is the Intermark, which is located at the junction of Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Ampang.

It sets new standards in design and quality by integrating green technology and a lifestyle environment for work and leisure.

The project, which consists of Grade A office towers, an international hotel and retail podium, was a refurbishment of several buildings — City Square, Empire Tower, Plaza Ampang and Crown Princess Hotel.

Choy said market rate of office space for premium Grade A office buildings in Kuala Lumpur is expected to be stable next year with market rate of between RM5 and RM7 per sq ft. — Bernama

REITs set to ride on recovering economy

PROPERTY is a relatively stable sector for investment, and with the better economic outlook, real estate investment trust (REIT) players are already looking to cash in on the improved sentiment.

AmanahRaya-REIT Managers Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Abas A. Jalil claims that many investors are already starting to look at the REIT market positively.

“Previously, people perceived that Malaysian REITS had slow growth in returns,” he tells StarBizWeek.

“However, with the announcement of Sunway City Bhd (SunCity) and Qatar-based REITs, you will see more activities in the local (REIT) scene, which will in turn become the engine for the overall property growth in Malaysia.”

According to Maybank Investment Bank’s recent research note, the asset size of Malaysian REIT market could double to RM18bil by year-end due to three impending listings – the SunCity REIT (with an asset size of RM4bil), CapitaRetail Malaysia Trust (up to RM3bil) and Malaysia’s first cross-border REIT, the Qatar REIT (RM1bil).

Abas believes that the local REITs will spark more interest among investors and the sector will become more vibrant.

“The old perception that the REIT market is not active is no longer there. Investors’ understanding of this segment has also changed,” he says.

“Now they (investors) are seeing REITs as an alternative form of liquid investment that provide a very stable yield as well as a potential upside in terms of pricing.”

AmanahRaya-REIT is the manager for AmanahRaya Real Estate Investment Trust (ARREIT), which is targeting to grow its total assets to RM1.5bil in the next two years, from RM748mil currently, by injecting new properties into its portfolio and improving the value of its existing assets.

Abas, who is confident of achieving this target, says ARREIT has a good mix of tenants with good occupancy rates. It will acquire Selayang Mall in Selayang, Selangor, and Dana 13 in Ara Damansara, which are expected to boost its total asset value to RM1bil.

“ARREIT was listed in February 2007 with an asset size of RM345mil. In three years, we have reached RM1bil. I think this is a good achievement,” he adds.

He says ARREIT also became the first local to be rated by Standard & Poor’s in early 2010, earning a rating of BB+.

Axis REIT Managers Bhd chief executive officer Stewart LaBrooy says the local REIT market has often been criticised by foreign funds as lacking depth and liquidity, adding however that the new listings will make it more attractive.

Axis REIT announced early this year it was targeting to grow its total assets to at least RM1bil from RM907.7mil as at end 2009. LaBrooy says the target is achievable.

“We have also announced our first acquisition for 2010 – a RM30mil logistics warehouse at the Port of Tanjong Pelapas in Johor. This brings our total assets under management to RM957.78mil and we should be on track to cross the RM1bil target before year-end,” he says in an e-mailed response.

Axis REIT Managers is the promoter of Axis REIT. Its strategy currently is to acquire office and industrial assets that are syariah-compliant, focusing on properties in the Klang Valley, Johor and Penang, says LaBrooy.

“We have just disclosed our first-quarter dividend of 3.7 sen, which is much higher that our peers in the Malaysian market. We are on track to improve on last year’s performance as our recently refurbished Quattro West and Shah Alam SADC 1 welcome new tenants,” he says.

Hall & Chadwick Asia Sdn Bhd chairman Kumar Tharmalingam believes that the REIT market is looking buoyant and recommends it to anyone looking for stable returns.

“The REITs purchase quality assets and the investments are mostly in commercial buildings. These buildings are mostly in the city centre and the tenancy rate is always good,” he adds.

He says REITs are defensive stocks with long-term capital appreciation, adding that he is optimistic about the Qatar-based REIT.

“I think the prospects are good. The country has good oil reserves and is not affected by the world economy. The only problem is that the property is overseas and the investor needs to travel to Qatar to see them.”

REIT players hope for better year

After two quiet years in the local real estate investment trust (REIT) market, industry players are hoping for a better year in 2010 through more active retail interest, asset expansion plans, and entry of new players.

According to Malaysian REIT Managers Association (MRMA) protem committee chairman Stewart LaBrooy, news of some existing REITs’ plans to grow their portfolios after a two -year hiatus is encouraging.

Quite a number of REITs have plans to expand their asset portfolio, with expansion by UOA REIT, AmanahRaya REIT and Al-Aqar REIT to involve new investments of RM1bil.

He said REITs would have better upside yields accretion potential if they had steady portfolio expansion through regular strategic asset acquisitions.

On whether raising enough funding for their asset expansion plans still posed a challenge to REITs, LaBrooy said: “Since the global financial crisis, there has been a game change on the regulatory environment that is helping REITs and capital markets cope with issues like faster capital raising and more self regulation.”

“Although under existing Securities Commission (SC) rules REITs can place out new units of only up to 20% of their unit base and it can be done only once every 12 months, the SC is prepared to grant specific approval to REITs to raise additional capital within 12 months on a case to case basis,” he told StarBiz.

It is possible that with the upcoming capital raising plans and new listings, there is potential for the market size to be increased to RM18bil from the current RM8bil.

LaBrooy said if the listing of a few more sizeable REITs took place by this year-end, it would further add to the depth and liquidity of the market.

The upcoming REITs include the Sunway REIT which is estimated to have asset value of around RM4bil and Malaysia’s first cross-border REIT, the RM1bil Qatar REIT.

“The coming onstream of these new players will inject a lot of liquidity into the market. This will create more excitement in the REIT sector in terms of size and asset class diversification and should place REITs on the radar of more local retail investors and larger foreign funds,” added LaBrooy, who is also Axis REIT Managers Bhd chief executive officer.

Currently, retail investors only account for 10% to 15% of the total REITs’ market capitalisation of close to RM6bil. The biggest portion comes from institutional investors who account for close to 60% and REITs promoters at 25%,

To promote greater trading interest and volume for REITs, the target is to raise the retail portion to 40% of the market capitalisation.

“With the huge liquidity in the local system now, there is huge potential to expand the retail interest for REITs,” LaBrooy said.

He added that retail investors were generally ill informed of the benefits of investing in REITs. “Investor education is essential and as a result the MRMA, has undertaken to conduct an investor outreach programme. So far we have conducted public roadshows in Penang, Ipoh, Klang Valley and Malacca. Our next roadshow will be held in Kuching on May 8.”

LaBrooy said to make REITs more popular with the retail investor, there was a need for more liberalisation on the regulatory front and the removal of the withholding tax for individuals.

Currently, both local and foreign retail investors have to pay 10% witholding tax to the Government.

He said the recently established MRMA, with nine out of the 11 REIT managers as members, would engage the regulators to overhaul the prevailing regulations and speak as an industry body on tax issues affecting REITs in time for the 2011 budget.

On challenges ahead, LaBrooy said: “The biggest challenge for local REITs is to reach a size of US$500mil and grow beyond this. This is the minimum requirement if we are to attract foreign funds to our market and has to be an aggressive strategy for each manager.

“To achieve this, the REITs have to have four conditions in place – stock price that trades at a premium to net asset value (NAV), so that capital can be raised in a non- dilutive manner; an identifiable pipeline of new assets to acquire; market yield that is achievable at the time of acquisition; and a recovery in the bond market so that new sources of financing can be obtained without reliance on bank lending,” he pointed out.