Singapore REIT Monthly Update (August 7th 2022)

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Happy National Day!! 

To celebrate 57 years of Singapore’s independence, I’ll be offering free portfolio review consultation! For a limited time only. https://calendly.com/kennyloh/portfolioconsult

 

Technical Analysis of FTSE ST REIT Index (FSTAS351020)


FTSE ST Real Estate Investment Trusts (FTSE ST REIT Index) decreased from 807.47 to 828.74 (2.63%) compared to last month’s update. The REIT Index has reversed to a short-term uptrend, with the 20-day and 50-day Simple Moving Average (20 SMA and 50 SMA) now on an uptrend. The 200 SMA has acted as a resistance for the past 10 days. However, these are small changes as the REIT Index is still moving on a sideways direction in the long-term (see 2nd chart below).

  • Support Lines: Blue
  • Resistance Lines: Red
  • Short-term direction: Up
  • Medium-term direction: Sideways
  • Long-term direction: Sideways
  • Immediate Support at 800, 20 SMA, 50 SMA
  • Immediate Resistance at 200 SMA

Technically, FTSE ST REIT Index has started a short term uptrend but is currently testing the 200 SMA resistance. Longer term wise the REIT index is still trading in a sideways consolidation range between 800 and 890. The index has to break the 890 resistance convincingly before declaring the “The Returning of the Bull in S-REITs”.

Normal Timeframe chart (~2 years)

Longer Timeframe chart (~3 years)

Previous chart on FTSE ST REIT index can be found in the last post: Singapore REIT Fundamental Comparison Table on July 3rd, 2022.

Fundamental Analysis of 38 Singapore REITs


The following is the compilation of 38 Singapore REITs with colour-coding of the Distribution Yield, Gearing Ratio and Price to NAV Ratio.

  • The Financial Ratios are based on past data and there are lagging indicators.
  • This REIT table takes into account the dividend cuts due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Yield is calculated trailing twelve months (ttm), therefore REITs with delayed payouts might have lower displayed yields, thus yield displayed might be lower for more affected REITs.
  • REITs are updated with the latest Q2 2022 business updates/earnings are highlighted in blue, the rest are updated with Q1 2022 business updates/earning.
  • Since MPACT started trading, values shown below (except price and market cap) are of MCT.
  • MNACT has been delisted, but values are shown below for reference.

Data from StocksCafe REIT Screener. https://stocks.cafe/kenny/advanced

What does each Column mean?

  • FY DPU: If Green, FY DPU for the recent 4 Quarters is higher than that of the preceding 4 Quarters. If Lower, it is Red.
    • Most REITs are green since it is compared to FY20/21 as the base (during the pandemic)
  • Yield (ttm): Yield, calculated by DPU (trailing twelve months) and Current Price as of August 6th, 2022
    • Digital Core REIT: Yield calculated from IPO Prospectus.
    • Daiwa House Logistics Trust: Yield calculated from trailing six months distribution.
  • Gearing (%): Leverage Ratio.
  • Price/NAV: Price to Book Value. Formula: Current Price (as of August 6th, 2022) over Net Asset Value per Unit.
  • Yield Spread (%): REIT yield (ttm) reference to Gov Bond Yields. REITs trading in USD is referenced to US Gov Bond Yield, everything else is referenced to SG Gov Bond Yield.
  •  

Price/NAV Ratios Overview

  • Price/NAV increased to 0.94.
    • Increased from 0.92 from July 2022.
    • Singapore Overall REIT sector is undervalued now.
    • Take note that NAV is adjusted upwards for some REITs due to pandemic recovery.
  • Most overvalued REITs (based on Price/NAV)
    • Parkway Life REIT (Price/NAV = 2.01)
    • Keppel DC REIT (Price/NAV = 1.44)
    • Mapletree Industrial Trust (Price/NAV = 1.43)
    • Ascendas REIT (Price/NAV = 1. 26)
    • Mapletree Logistics Trust (Price/NAV = 1.20)
    • ESR-LOGOS REIT (Price/NAV = 1.12)
    • No change to the Top 3 compared to the March to July updates.
  • Most undervalued REITs (based on Price/NAV)
    • Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust (Price/NAV=0.54)
    • BHG Retail REIT (Price/NAV = 0.57)
    • EC World REIT (Price/NAV = 0.59)
    • ARA Hospitality Trust (Price/NAV = 0.63)
    • OUE Commercial REIT (Price/NAV = 0.66)
    • IREIT Global (Price/NAV = 0.73)

Distribution Yields Overview

  • TTM Distribution Yield decreased to 6.32%
    • Decreased from 6.45% in July 2022.
    • 14 of 40 Singapore REITs have distribution yields of above 7%. (2 less than last month’s update)
    • Do take note that these yield numbers are based on current prices taking into account the delayed distribution/dividend cuts due to COVID-19, and economic recovery. 
  • Highest Distribution Yield REITs (ttm)
    • EC World REIT (11.12%)
    • United Hampshire REIT (9.84%)
    • Prime US REIT (9.75%)
    • First REIT (9.56%)
    • Sasseur REIT (9.19%)
    • Keppel Pacific Oak US REIT (9.12%)
    • Reminder that these yield numbers are based on current prices taking into account delayed distribution/dividend cuts due to COVID-19.
    • Some REITs opted for semi-annual reporting and thus no quarterly DPU was announced.
    • A High Yield should not be the sole ratio to look for when choosing a REIT to invest in.
  • Yield Spread widened to 3.67%.
    • Increased from 3.54% in July 2022.

Gearing Ratios Overview

  • Gearing Ratio decreased to 36.52%. 
    • Decreased from 36.83% in July 2022.
    • Gearing Ratios are updated quarterly. Therefore some of the following REITs have updated gearing ratios compared to last month (those with Q2 2022 updates)
  • Highest Gearing Ratio REITs
    • ARA Hospitality Trust (43.5%)
    • Suntec REIT (43.1%)
    • Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust (42.9%)
    • Manulife US REIT (42.4%)
    • Elite Commercial REIT (41.9%)
    • ESR-LOGOS REIT (40.6%)
    • No change to the Top 3 compared to the April to July updates.

Market Capitalisation Overview

  • Total Singapore REIT Market Capitalisation increased by 3.48% to S$108.6 Billion.
    • Increased from S$104.95 Billion in July 2022.
  • Biggest Market Capitalisation REITs:
    • Capitaland Integrated Commercial Trust ($14.12B)
    • Ascendas REIT ($12.59B)
    • Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust ($10.05B)
    • Mapletree Logistics Trust ($8.48B)
    • Mapletree Industrial Trust ($7.20B)
    • Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust ($5.28B)
    • MPACT (formerly MCT) moved from 5th to 3rd rank since its merger with MNACT.
  • Smallest Market Capitalisation REITs:
    • BHG Retail REIT ($267M)
    • ARA US Hospitality Trust ($357M)
    • Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust ($377M)
    • First Trust ($444M)
    • EC World REIT ($445M)
    • United Hampshire REIT ($477M)

Disclaimer: The above table is best used for “screening and shortlisting only”. It is NOT for investing (Buy / Sell) decision. If you want to know more about investing in REITs, here’s a subsidised 2-day course with all you need to know about REITs and how to start investing in them.

Top 20 Best Performers of the Month in July 2022


 (Source: https://stocks.cafe/kenny/advanced)

SG 10 Year & US 10 Year Government Bond Yield

  • SG 10 Year: 2.63% (decreased from 2.82%)
  • US 10 Year: 2.83% (decreased from 2.92%)

Major REIT News in July 2022


S-REITs Earnings Season for the Period Ending 30 June 2022 has begun

A total of 30 S-REITs have released their earnings/business updates for the Period Ending 30 June 2022 (31 May 2022 for SPH Reit), as of 6th August 2022.

MNACT delists on August 3rd, 2022

Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust has delisted on August 3rd, 2022, while Mapletree Commercial Trust has renamed to Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust.


Summary


Fundamentally, the whole Singapore REITs landscape is undervalued based on the average Price/NAV value of the S-REITs. Below is the market cap heat map for the past 1 month. Generally, S-REITs in the past month have increased in market cap as July was the bullish month for S-REITs.

(Source: https://stocks.cafe/kenny/overview)

Yield spread (in reference to the 10 year Singapore government bond of 2.63% as of 7th August 2022) widened from 3.47% to 3.67%. The S-REIT Average Yield increased slightly from 6.30% to 6.32%, while the decrease in the Government Bond Yields more than offsets this Average S-REIT Yield increase. This resulted in the widening of yield spread. The yield of the REITs sector needs to increase to maintain the average yield spread of 4%. S-REITs have been resilient and have one of the highest risk-adjusted dividend yields compared to other stock exchanges.

Technically, FTSE ST REIT Index has started a short term uptrend but is currently testing the 200 SMA resistance. Longer term wise the REIT index is still trading in a sideways consolidation range between 800 and 890. The index has to break the 890 resistance convincingly before declaring the “The Returning of the Bull in S-REITs”.

Note: This above analysis is for my own personal research and it is NOT a buy or sell recommendation. Investors who would like to leverage my extensive research and years of Singapore REIT investing experience can approach me separately for a REIT Portfolio Consultation.

Kenny Loh is an Associate Wealth Advisory Director  and REITs Specialist of Singapore’s top Independent Financial Advisor. He helps clients construct diversified portfolios consisting of different asset classes from REITs, Equities, Bonds, ETFs, Unit Trusts, Private Equity, Alternative Investments, Digital Assets and Fixed Maturity Funds to achieve an optimal risk adjusted return. Kenny is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, SGX Academy REIT Trainer, Certified IBF Trainer of Associate REIT Investment Advisor (ARIA) and also invited speaker of REITs Symposium and Invest Fair.  You can join my Telegram channel #REITirement – SREIT Singapore REIT Market Update and Retirement related news. https://t.me/REITirement

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Money & Me: How will Rising Inflation Rates impact REITs?

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18 July 2022

Money and Me: REIT picking in an inflationary environment

For the first half of 2022, the iEdge S-Reit Index has displayed strong resilience, generating flat total returns. In fact during the period, the S-Reits and property trusts sector in Singapore saw S$359 million of net institutional outflows and S$447 million of net retail inflows. Kenny Loh, REIT Specialist and Independent Financial Advisor joins Melissa Hyak on Money and Me as they discuss his 2H2022 outlook for Singapore REITs and what investors should know when REIT picking in this inflationary environment.

Timestamps

0:18 Intro

1:09 2nd Half 2022 Outlook

1:25 How has the S-REIT market fared so far this year?

2:59 Overview on last few years’ S-REIT historical performance: we are not at pre-COVID levels yet

4:06 How would you rank each REIT sectors? (Hospitality, Industrial, Retail etc.): Hospitality sector is the only sector with the most gains this year

5:21 Why is the Data Centers’ sector not performing well?

7:28 Do you still see the Hospitality sector performing well in 2H 2022? What other sectors do you see performing well?

9:11 Surviving the recession: What REIT sectors do you think are more resilient during the downturn?

11:58 Kenny’s tips on selecting the correct REITs to invest

  • Basic 3 Ratios: DPU Yield, Gearing Ratio, Price/NAV value
  • Recovery Ratios: Occupancy Rate, WALE, Property Yield
  • Debt Management: Cost of Debt, % of hedged interest rate, ICR, WADM, % Unsecured Borrowings
  • Red Flags to look out for

15:07 Outro

Listen to his previous market outlook interviews here:

2022

2021

2020

 

Kenny Loh is an Associate Wealth Advisory Director and REITs Specialist of Singapore’s top Independent Financial Advisor. He helps clients construct diversified portfolios consisting of different asset classes from REITs, Equities, Bonds, ETFs, Unit Trusts, Private Equity, Alternative Investments, Digital Assets and Fixed Maturity Funds to achieve an optimal risk adjusted return. Kenny is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, SGX Academy REIT Trainer, Certified IBF Trainer of Associate REIT Investment Advisor (ARIA) and also invited speaker of REITs Symposium and Invest Fair.  

You can join my Telegram channel #REITirement – SREIT Singapore REIT Market Update and Retirement related news. https://t.me/REITirement

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REITs that may be most impacted by Interest Rate Hikes

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The US Fed raised interest rates by 75 basis points on June 15, 2022, which is the biggest hike in 28 years. Coupled with post-pandemic recovery, this raises the question: How will REITs be impacted by the Interest Rate Hike? This will depend on the REIT, and many factors, not limiting but including:

  • REIT Sector (Retail, Office, Industrial etc.)
  • Sponsor of REIT (Stronger sponsors tend to attain better refinancing deals)
  • Market Capitalization (The bigger the REIT, generally the more resilient its portfolio)
  • Historical performance
  • Debt Maturity Length (Weighted Average)
  • Cost of Debt (Weighted Average)
  • Gearing Ratio
  • % of Fixed Rate Debt

 

Fundamentals: Sector, Sponsor and Market Capitalisation


Generally, by combining the market capitalisation, gearing ratio, debt maturity profile and all-in interest cost, these can give investors insights on how big the interest rate hike impacts the future DPU of REITs.

In the bubble chart below, REITs with short WADM would have to refinance the debt at the highest interest rate and that will further compress the spread of DPU yield and cost of debt.

The most risky combination would be high gearing and short WADM as the REITs would probably face challenges to keep the cost of debt manageable during the refinancing exercise, as the credit rating may be downgraded due to a weaker balance sheet. The reputation of the sponsor and its market capitalisation would be very crucial at this juncture. 

 

Legend

x-axis: Weighted Average Debt Maturity (Years)

y-axis: Weighted Average Cost of Debt (Years)

Bubble Size: Gearing Ratio (The bigger the bubble the higher the gearing ratio, in green) and Market Cap (in yellow)

For comparison, Digital Core REIT (26.0%) and ARAHT (44.9%).

Bubble Chart of Cost of Debt vs WADM (Years). Size of bubble represents Gearing Ratio
Bubble Chart of Cost of Debt vs WADM (Years). Size of bubble represents Market Cap

If you want to learn about REITs more in depth, I am conducting an upcoming REIT course, where I will explain on how these ratios (Cost of Debt, WADM and Gearing) can affect its performance during Interest Rate Hikes, as well as many other factors (macro and micro) and financial ratios that can affect a REIT’s performance. You’ll receive student notes (over 300 slides long) and knowledge on all you need to know about investing in REITs (and how to get started).

 

Upcoming REIT Course


I will be conducting my next REIT course on the 16th and 23rd July 2022. It is a 2-day course where you will learn everything you need to learn about REITs for investing. I only conduct this course every quarter, so do take a look below. For a limited time only, the course fee is subsidized to cost $200 (above 40y/o) or $600 (below 40y/o)*. Take advantage of the IBF subsidy while it is still available.

You can register by clicking the link here: Building a Diversified REIT Portfolio – SGX Academy

Registration will close on 11th July, 2022.

Kenny Loh is an Associate Wealth Advisory Director  and REITs Specialist of Singapore’s top Independent Financial Advisor. He helps clients construct diversified portfolios consisting of different asset classes from REITs, Equities, Bonds, ETFs, Unit Trusts, Private Equity, Alternative Investments, Digital Assets and Fixed Maturity Funds to achieve an optimal risk adjusted return. Kenny is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, SGX Academy REIT Trainer, Certified IBF Trainer of Associate REIT Investment Advisor (ARIA) and also invited speaker of REITs Symposium and Invest Fair.  You can join my Telegram channel #REITirement – SREIT Singapore REIT Market Update and Retirement related news. https://t.me/REITirement

Continue ReadingREITs that may be most impacted by Interest Rate Hikes