Retail and hospitality sector S-Reits outperform in October

IN THE year to date, Singapore-listed Reits and property trusts averaged total returns of close to 11 per cent. The 10 best-performing trusts were mostly mid-caps, which averaged 32 per cent total returns and own assets across industrial, retail, healthcare, office and hospitality sub-segments.

Among the 10 best performers, seven were recent inclusions into the FTSE EPRA Nareit Global Developed Index following the September review.

The five trusts which received the highest amount of net institutional inflows this year were mid-cap Reits (data as at Oct 28): Ara Logos Logistics Trust K2LU (+S$79 million), OUE Commercial Reit TS0U (+S$39 million), Starhill Global Reit P40U (+S$36 million), Lendlease Global Commercial Reit JYEU (+S$27 million) and ESR-Reit J91U (+S$26 million).

In the month of October, the sector averaged 3 per cent in total returns. Retail investors net bought the sector with net inflows of S$158 million while institutional investors net sold S$195 million (data as at Oct 28).

Four of the top five performers over the month were trusts with exposure to the retail or hospitality segments - Dasin Retail Trust CEDU (21 per cent), CDL Hospitality Trusts J85 (15 per cent), Ascott Residence Trust HMN (11 per cent), Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust D5IU (8 per cent) and Keppel Reit K71U (7 per cent). Three of them reported before market opened last Friday.

CDLHT reported year-on-year (yoy) growth of 34.8 per cent in net property income for Q3 2021 attributable to the ongoing recovery from negative effects of the pandemic, broader distribution of vaccines as well as easing of travel restrictions which resulted in more accommodation demand.

LMIRT declared Q3 2021 distribution per unit (DPU) of 0.09 cents, up 28.6 per cent yoy. The trust's rental revenue and gross revenue for the period grew 16.2 per cent and 7.0 per cent yoy respectively, due to income from the newly acquired Lippo Mall Puri, which contributed S$8.2 million to rental revenue and S$10.3 million to gross revenue for the quarter.

Keppel Reit reported 20.8 per cent yoy growth in distributable income from operations for the nine months of 2021, due mainly to contributions from Victoria Police Centre in Melbourne, Pinnacle Office Park in Sydney and Keppel Bay Tower in Singapore. The Reit noted that despite the pandemic, portfolio leasing activities remained positive with new leases and expansions seen from diverse industry sectors.

Aside from the three trusts above, more than half of the 40 S-Reits have also released financial results or business updates, before market opened last Friday.

Most of the trusts reported financial and operating metrics which were in line with analysts' estimates, with some exceeding expectations.

Among the trusts that have reported, 14 of them declared DPUs for the latest quarter or half year period. These trusts, on average, saw a 20 per cent year-on-year growth in declared DPUs. Some reasons provided for the increase in DPUs across these trusts include new acquisitions which boosted revenues, lower rental rebates which reduced expense and gradual reopening across the globe. SGX RESEARCH

• For more research and information on Singapore's Reit sector, visit sgx.com/research-education/sectors for the monthly S-Reits & Property Trusts Chartbook.
• Source: SGX Research S-Reits & Property Trusts Chartbook.