Reporting season for my Singapore counters is officially underway!
I kicked off the season with my sharing of iFAST Corporation Limited (SGX: AIY) exceptional results in my previous post. Next up, I will be sharing on the the five Singapore REITs that I owned: Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U), Mapletree Industrial Trust (SGX: ME8U), Mapletree Logistics Trust‘s (SGX: M44U), Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust (SGX: N2IU), and ParkwayLife REIT (SGX: C2PU).
This post will focus on FCT, MINT, and MLT. I will cover MPACT and PLife in a subsequent post once MPACT releases its results on Tuesday.
The above image shows the summary of the selected datas of the REITs. In general, the three REITs still enjoy good occupancy and rental reversion, especially FCT. However, that is offset by increasing borrowing cost, with the exception of MINT as it benefitted from the lower JPY loan after acquiring Osaka data centre.
FCT 3Q 2024: Another Quarter of Solid Performance
Nothing much has changed since I wrote the article “Unlock Your Future Income: 3 Top Singapore REITs to Consider Now”.
As seen from the numbers shared by the management, FCT continues to boost strong operating numbers. Almost 100% occupancy, including Tampines 1 with expected completion of AEI by September. Rental reversion stays around the same level as 1H (+7.5%), and shopper traffic and tenants’ sales continue to inch upwards.
With stabilising gearing and average borrowing cost, there are reasons to be hopeful that DPU can sustain or even increase in FY2025.
Do listen in to the 3Q24 presentation audio cast, as the management provided their insights on rental reversion, Tampines AEI, RTS (Rapid Transit System) Link (in short, they do not think it is a zero-sum game) when answering the analysts questions.
MINT 1Q 2024/25: A Stable Quarter
In my takeaways from MINT’s AGM, I shared that I expected MINT to sustain their DPU due to the divestment gain. It turned out slightly better as they managed to eke out a 1.2% YoY increase in DPU.
Occupancy, rental reversion, average borrowing cost did not differ much. So, overall it is a stable quarterly performance. Annualised DPU of 13.72 cents provides an attractive yield of 6.0% at the current price of $2.27.
MLT 1Q 2024/25 : DPU Under Pressure, But Yield Still Attractive
Despite mentally prepared for a drop in DPU, the initial feeling that hit was still bad. I’m only human, after all. Accepting the feeling, a closer look at the data shows that it’s still a commendable performance by MLT.
The lower DPU is due to the cumulative impact of higher borrowing costs, regional currency depreciation, weakness in China, lowered divestment gain, and enlarged unit base. While these challenges are likely to persist in the near term, they aren’t permanent. Any positive change would likely result in better performance in the future.
Annualised dividends of 8.272 cents provides an attractive yield of 6.4% at the current price of S$1.30. Even if divestment gain is excluded, the DPU of 7.8 cents still translates to a solid yield of 6%.
Is MINT a better investment than MLT?
Humans naturally gravitate towards recent events, making it tempting to conclude MINT is a better investment based solely on this quarter’s performance.
Hold the horse.
Using FY2021/2022 as the reference point, MINT saw a decrease in its DPU for the past two years. On the other hand, MLT was able to maintain its distribution. The acquisition of the Osaka data center likely contributed to stabilising MINT’s DPU last year.
Considering the challenges faced by REITs over the past two years, both MINT and MLT demonstrate sound management. Hence, I plan to retain my shares in both and participate in their dividend reinvestment plans
Coming up in the next post, MPACT and PLife.
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