LMIR: Partial divestment at 38c.

Anyone who made use of LMIR's rights issue to accumulate more units would be in the money now.

I see immediate resistance for LMIR's unit price at 38c and put in an overnight sell order for a partial divestment. It was filled today as unit price closed at 38.5c.

Fibo lines seem to suggest that in case of a retracement, we could see strong support at 34.5c. That is quite a bit to fall from here if it should be tested.

The strategy I have for LMIR is the same as the one for Sabana REIT and AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT. Hold a larger portion for regular income while trading a smaller portion for potential capital gains.

The decision to partially divest is fully based on technicals as, fundamentally, I think LMIR is still too cheap to sell.

Related post:
LMIR: Too cheap to sell.

LMIR: Too cheap to sell.

Some who managed to get a meaningful number of excess rights might be thinking of selling these rights for a quick gain. After all, selling at 36.5c today would mean a capital gain of 5.5c or 17.7%. This is more than 18 months' worth of income distribution from the REIT if we were to use my estimate of 3.26c in annual DPU, post rights and acquisitions.

Personally, I wouldn't sell my rights units as I am investing for income. I will be getting 10.5% distribution yield on cost. That is pretty good, especially when we consider the fact that its gearing level is below 10%.

However, if I should consider selling, at what price would I sell? Similar to First REIT, I feel that an 8% distribution yield should be fair. 8% distribution yield is still fairly high but looking at First REIT's unit price, it would seem that Mr. Market is not willing to accept a yield lower than 8% for a REIT with an Indonesian focus.

Some might argue that LMIR traded in excess of 60c a unit not too long ago. Even at just 60c, it would mean it had a distribution yield of 7% (based on the estimated annual DPU of 4.2c back then), a full percentage point lower than 8%. A persuasive argument.

So, when would we see fair value for LMIR? When its units are trading with a distribution yield of between 7 to 8% would be my guess. Assuming that its annual DPU does not change from my current estimate, that would mean a unit price of 41c to 46.5c. It is currently still too cheap to sell.

LMIR: Excess rights.

It seems that LMIR's management has the same approach towards excess rights as First REIT's management.

Smaller unitholders would see more of their application filled compared to larger unitholders. I make this statement after exchanging notes with some friends and readers.

For me, excess rights alloted as a percentage of the units I was holding before the rights issue is about 17%. A friend's percentage is closer to 80% and he has much less invested in the REIT than I do.

Although a bit disappointed even though I kind of expected this since LMIR is controlled by Lippo just like First REIT is, I shan't complain since successfully getting excess rights is like getting free money. It's a bonus. :)

K-REIT: Better buy now?

Unlike the recent rights issue for LMIR, there is little to be gained from selling units in K-REIT and buying the rights. The former so far touched a low of 88c while the latter, a low of 2.4c. 

Buying the rights at 2.4c would mean a total price of 87.4c per unit when they are converted into regular units.

In my blog post of 18 Oct, I said that "given my very small position in K-REIT, I will most probably subscribe to the rights issue. If I were not invested in the first instance, I would not bother buying in now to gain exposure."

By a stroke of luck, any potential investor who took my musings to heart would be happier today.

Why do I say this? Read the relevant blog post here:
K-REIT: 17 for 20 rights issue.

For anyone who wants to invest in K-REIT, buying into K-REIT now at 88c or even 88.5c is a better proposition than buying at 93c, the low of the morning of 18 Oct to be entitled to the rights. That would have worked out to an effective unit price of 93c x 20 + 85c x 17 /37 = 89.32c, post rights.

Of course, buying the rights now at 2.4c or even 2.5c would be an even better proposition as this would mean effective unit prices of 87.4c or 87.5c. However, this option is probably sensible only to people with deeper pockets or people who are with Standard Chartered's brokerage which does not charge a minimum transaction fee.

Not all rights issues are created equal, for sure.

LMIR: Sell the rights?

For those who bought some LMIR rights in the fire sale recently, a question could have formed as to whether they should sell the rights and lock in some hefty gains which could be as much as 100%. That it took just two days means it is basically free money since it is within the contra period.

Indeed, from a trading perspective, why not? Traders would say that taking profit is never wrong. If price of the rights were to go higher tomorrow, I could sell some as well since I have accumulated a sizeable long position. Question, at what price? Answer, look to the Fibo lines to see where possible resistance levels are.

Beyond 4.3c, I see stronger resistance at 5.2c and 5.4c. I could do a partial divestment at those prices if they should be tested. In such an instance, I would retain half to two thirds of all the nil-paid rights I bought to convert into regular units as I still believe that at unit prices of 33c to 36.5c, we are getting great value with distribution yields of 9% or more.

Why not just keep all the rights if they are such a bargain? Indeed, I thought of that which is why I would only divest partially if higher resistance levels should be hit. This is to satisfy the trader in me which is shouting out to take profit.

If the higher resistance levels are not tested tomorrow, I will not sell any of the nil paid rights I have accumulated in the last few sessions. This will satisfy the investor in me which thinks that we are seeing compelling value in the rights.

Related post:
LMIR: Why did the rights plunge in price and what did I do?

LMIR: Why did the rights plunge in price and what did I do?

To say that I was not surprised by the plunge in price of LMIR's rights is definitely untrue. I did expect further weakness but the steep plunge downwards was unnerving, made worse by the spike in trading volume. Going by the number of comments in my blog, many others were similarly affected.

So, do we press the panic button and start frothing at the mouth? Nah, we should get really greedy. Hey, there is a fire sale going on.

Some asked me if I had any idea why the price was plunging. It is quite simple, really. Price of the rights plunged because:

1. There are people who cannot exercise their rights.

2. There are people who do not want to exercise their rights.

3. The number of rights which sellers have is greater than the number of rights which buyers are ready to absorb.

Now, should we ask why some cannot or do not want to exercise their rights? Do we ask why there are more sellers than buyers? Well, we could but I wouldn't bother. As an investor, I did my due diligence and decided that I like the REIT's numbers even more at the current price. So, accordingly, I buy more.

Needless to say, my overnight buy orders at 3.8c and 3.4c were filled. At lunch time today, I looked at the chart and Fibo lines suggested a strong support at 2.1c (150% Fibo line) and I entered a buy order which was subsequently filled. Could we see further weakness? Of course, we could and if we should, I see stronger support at 1.6c (161.8% Fibo line) and I have entered a buy order at that price.

1.6c is also somewhat magical because at an estimated annualised DPU of 3.26c, post rights and acquisitions, buying the rights at 1.6c would translate to a total cost of 32.6c per unit which means a 10% distribution yield.

LMIR: Sinking rights.

LMIR's rights sank today. It gapped down, touching an intraday low of 4.4c before closing at 4.6c. Is it going to sink further tomorrow?

Thus far, I have only discussed LMIR's rights issue from the perspective of its fundamentals. What about a TA? For seasoned and orthodox practitioners of technical analysis, they will say that it is impossible to do a TA on this counter with only three sessions so far.

As I am neither seasoned nor orthodox, I have in the past done TA on such counters. One that comes to mind is Sabana REIT during its IPO days. So, for anyone who might be interested, here is my TA on LMIR's rights.


Trading volume has been on the rise as three black candles were formed. This bearish tone is reinforced by the gap down in price today. Although price averted closing at the day's low, it did not close high enough to form a hammer. A hammer would see the lower wick at least twice as long as the body of the black candle. In this case, the body is twice as long as the wick. Further weakness in price would not surprise me.

However, Mr. Market is known to be perverse. Although an immediate reversal would be surprising, it is definitely not impossible. So, what would I do?

In such situations, we can only use Fibo lines to see where the possible supports and resistance levels are. Regular readers would also remember that I like to use two or more sets of Fibo lines to identify very strong supports and resistance. I have done that in this case.

I see strong support in the region of 3.3c to 3.4c where two Fibo lines approximate. That is where I have put in a buy order. However, it does not mean that the support would necessarily be hit. I also see a 138.2% Fibo line at 3.8c. I have also put in a buy order there. Again, it does not mean that the support would be tested. Fibo lines simply show approximate positions of important resistance or supports with no promise that these would ever be tested.

I bought into the rights at 5.6c last Friday and I bought more today at 4.6c. I have accumulated a significant position and unless price should hit those supports I have identified, there is little incentive for me to continue adding. For anyone who has yet to initiate a long position, I would say that the rights are at the right price for me as an investor (pardon the pun) as I see greater value now.

Related post:
LMIR: Bought some nil-paid rights.

LMIR: Bought some nil-paid rights.

I made my first transaction in the stock market since my return to Singapore. I bought some LMIR nil-paid rights at 5.6c each. Some might ask why not buy LMIR units instead as they are trading at 38.5c each cum distribution of 1.06c now.

At a conversion price of 31c per rights, getting nil-paid rights now at 5.6c means a total price of 36.6c. With an estimated annualised DPU of 3.26c, post rights issue and acquisitions, we are looking at a distribution yield of 8.9% and a very low gearing of under 10%. I think this is pretty attractive.

Now, if we were to buy the units at 38.5c and secure the 1.06c income distribution, our cost (to make a fair comparison) would be 38.5c - 1.06c = 37.44c. Compared to buying the nil-paid rights, it is a tad pricier (at about 2.3% more).

For anyone who would prefer to secure the said income distribution for any reason, the REIT goes XD on 16 Nov.

Last day of trading of nil-paid rights is 18 Nov. I will wait to see if I could collect more on the cheap.

Related post:
LMIR: Circular to unitholders.

LMIR: Circular to unitholders.

Two days ago, LMIR issued to unitholders a circular regarding the EGM to be held on 20 Oct with regards to the proposed acquisitions of Pluit Village and Medan Fair as well as the proposed 1 for 1 rights issue.

The management provided two sets of numbers, one which looks at FY2010 and another looks at 6M 2011. I would like to be a bit creative with the numbers to determine if LMIR is worth buying into at today's closing price of 45c per unit.

FY2010 had a DPU of 4.44c. If the DPU were to be replicated in FY2011, we would have a distribution yield of 9.87% at today's closing price of 45c per unit.

Taking into consideration the proposed acquisitions and rights issue, the management arrived at a pro forma DPU of 3.54c. At 45c, the TERP (theoretical ex-rights price) would be 45c+31c divided by 2 = 38c. This would provide us with a pro forma distribution yield of 9.32%. Distribution yield accretive? I think not.

More relevant perhaps is to use more recent numbers provided for 6M 2011. This gives a half year DPU of 2.26c which translates to a distribution yield of 10.04% based on today's closing price of 45c per unit.

Taking into consideration the proposed acquisitions and rights issue, the management arrived at a pro forma half year DPU of  1.63c. At the TERP of 38c, we would get a pro forma distribution yield of 8.58%. Again, is this distribution yield accretive? Clearly no.

So, will I subscribe to the rights issue? Although it is not distribution yield accretive, I will subscribe to the rights issue for two reasons:

1. The even lower gearing, post rights, of the REIT will allow more acquistions in future to be funded solely by debt. Another rights issue soon after this is unlikely. Therefore, we are likely to see DPU increase and distribution yield improve, everything else remaining equal. Very likely, this exercise will pave the way for future distribution yield accretion.

2. With a TERP of 38c, the pro forma distribution yield is estimated at 8.58% (using 6M 2011's numbers). This is definitely still very attractive considering what our money will make in a one year S$ fixed deposit now.

For anyone who is investing for income and who would be happy with a distribution yield of 8.5%, buying into LMIR at today's closing price of 45c is a viable option.

Read circular here.

Related post:
LMIR: Will I subscribe to the rights issue?

LMIR: Will I subscribe to the rights issue?

It is clear that my complaint about the proposed rights issue is that it is not distribution yield accretive. In fact, it seems to me that the distribution yield could suffer quite significantly, post rights issue.

If I were to subscribe to the rights issue, it would be with the believe that the management will acquire more malls which are NPI yield accretive in the not too distant future using only debt. With its improved debt headroom by then, it should not be a challenge to acquire malls with a total pricetag of around S$450m using only debt.

Assuming that the purchases would have similar or slightly higher NPI yields as the REIT's current portfolio, this could improve distribution yield some 30 to 40% based on current estimates (ok, my estimates). So, subscribing to the rights issue would be akin to a confidence vote for the management.

If we believe that the global economy is going into a recession and that European entities could be recalling funds from Asia to address their financial problems back home, it is reasonable to assume that unit price of LMIR could suffer somewhat.

As there is no compelling reason in the present to subscribe to the rights issue, we could sell the nil-paid rights when they start trading in the hope that we could buy more units in LMIR at a much lower price in the event of a sell down.

Indeed, for some, they could even sell their units in LMIR when the market opens tomorrow if they feel that the proposed rights issue is a bad deal and, hence, will have no part in it.

How will Mr. Market react to the proposed acquisitions and rights issue? It is anyone's guess.

Will I subscribe to the rights issue?

Unlike the earlier rights issues of AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT and First REIT, it is not a screaming buy.

Unlike the rights issues of CitySpring Infrastructure Trust, it is not raising funds to strengthen its balance sheet which means it is not a screaming sell.

Anyway, it is early days yet. I will stay rational and wait for more specifics, if any. I will see if there is more information forthcoming in the promised circular and at the EGM.

For readers who have the inclination, reading my past blog posts (and comments) on other rights issues might provide a window into my thought processes:

1. CitySpring Infrastructure Trust: Rights Issue.
2. First REIT: Rights Issue.
3. AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: Rights Issue.

Related post:
LMIR: Proposed 1 for 1 rights issue.

LMIR: Proposed 1 for 1 rights issue.

I read with great interest the 1 for 1 rights issue proposed by LMIR. As regular readers know, I much prefer rights issue to private share placements as the former allows all unitholders to take part in the enlarged capital base of the REIT.

This rights issue is to raise some S$337m to help fund the purchase of two malls in Indonesia: Pluit Village and Medan Fair.  Pluit Village is to be purchased from the REIT's sponsor while Medan Fair is from an independent third party.

Pluit Village
Consideration: S$234m
Occupancy: 78.1%
NPI yield: 10.8%

Medan Fair
Consideration: $154m
Occupancy: 91.2%
NPI yield: 7.4%

Total purchase consideration is S$388m.  The proposed 1 for 1 rights issue at 31c per unit will raise some S$337m. The balance required for the proposed purchases will be funded by internal resources or debt.

LMIR's current NPI yield is 7.5%.  So, its purchase of Pluit Village is NPI yield accretive while that of Medan Fair is not. However, as the former is of a much larger value, it more than compensates for the latter. In aggregate, the purchase of the two properties is NPI yield accretive.

Now, is this rights issue good for unitholders?

The annualised distribution per unit (DPU) is estimated at 4c per annum currently. At the current unit price of 54c, that is a distribution yield of 7.4%. Subscribing to the rights issue at 31c per unit will give us an average unit price of 42.5c per unit. The number of units in issue will double while back of the envelope calculations show distributable income will increase only approximately 40%.

Therefore, DPU is likely to decrease to 2.8c per annum which will give us a pro forma distribution yield of only 6.59% based on the post rights unit price of 42.5c. So, this rights issue is not a good idea for unitholders who are investing for income. In terms of distribution yield, it is regressive.

Even if the management were to improve the occupancy of Pluit Village from the current 78.1% to 90%, it would not really make a difference.

This rights issue could be good in the longer run as it will probably send the REIT's gearing level to under 10% which will give it more debt headroom for future growth. It is perfectly reasonable to then question, with already such low gearing level in the first instance, why the REIT has to resort to such a large rights issue for these proposed purchases?

I have always thought of LMIR as a bullet proof REIT, a stable passive income generator. However, I have also been unhappy with their hedging policy which to me seems to suggest a mediocre management. I hope this rights issue is not going to prove me right (pun unintended).

Read announcement here.

Related post:
LMIR: Thoughts on partial divestment.

LMIR: Thoughts on partial divestment.

It has been a long time since I looked at the technicals of LMIR. Someone asked me if I would consider adding to my position in the REIT and I explained that I am still unhappy with how the management is losing millions of dollars quarter after quarter due to their foreign exchange forward contracts. So, not adding. Well, not unless price were to decline to provide a distribution yield closer to 10%. Nonetheless, the discourse got me curious enough to look at LMIR's chart.

The first thing that I saw was a negative divergence. As price moved higher, the MACD formed a lower high. In the last lower high on the MACD, price formed a lower high too. This is ominous. We have a potential head and shoulders formation. The neckline of this formation coincides with the rising 200dMA and would approximate 53c in the near future. If price were to break this neckline, we could see price going much lower. How low? 48c is a possibility. That would give me a distribution yield that is attractive enough to increase my investment in the REIT.

Should I sell now? Well, TA is about probability and not certainty. The head and shoulders formation could fail to deliver. However, as the bulk of my investment in LMIR was made in mid 2009 when prices were very depressed, a partial divestment to lock in some gains seems attractive in light of a possible significant decline in price.

Of course, these investments have already benefited from two years of income distributions as well and are likely to continue receiving regular distributions. There is no overarching need for me to partially divest but if I do, what price would be good for a partial divestment?

I would like to sell at resistance and it is obvious to me that immediate resistance is at 55c. However, Lippo is going to buy a big chunk of LMIR units from Mapletree LM Pte. Ltd. at 56c a unit. So, I think price could possibly go to 56c in the open market too. I have put in a sell order at 56c. Read announcement here.

How would things turn out? Only time can tell.

Bridgewater to buy 9% Lippo-Mapletree retail stake for $54.8m
Monday, 23 May 2011

© 2011 - The Edge Singapore

Related posts:
LMIR: 1Q 2011 results.
To protect our wealth, we have to take risks.

LMIR: 1Q 2011 results.

LMIR is one of my long time investments. My only grouse is with its losses which stem from foreign exchange forward contracts. In 1Q 2011, it lost $2.1m from these contracts. Some degree of hedging is necessary, I believe, but in an environment which has seen the Indonesian economy and its currency strengthening quarter after quarter, 100% hedging is unnecessary. Distributable income could have been almost 20% higher if not for these contracts.

DPU: 1.17c
Payment date: 31 May.

Gearing: 10%.
NAV/unit: 86c.

See presentation slides here.

Related post:
LMIR: 4Q FY2010 results.

To protect our wealth, we have to take risk.

By end of March, we would have received all of the income distributions for the last three months of 2010 from the REITs we might be vested in. The next income distribution for those which are paid quarterly would be in the months of May and June.

Someone who recently became more concerned with inflation's wealth eroding strength asked me what could he do to make his savings work harder. He knows about the stock market but he fears losing his money in the stock market whereas his money is safe in a savings account with a local bank.

I explained that he would still have his money in nominal terms, perhaps, if he keeps it in a savings account with a local bank. However, his wealth is definitely eroding away as inflation outpaces interest earned. That caused him greater anxiety. 

So, quite calmly, I presented him the following options:

1. Leave his money in a savings account with a local bank and make 0.1% per annum.

2. Leave his money in a fixed deposit with a local bank and make 0.45% per annum and be subject to a lock up period of 12 months.

3. Invest in certain REITs without any lock up period.

REITs are, of course, traded on the stock market like any stock. We could make some money or lose some money as unit price would fluctuate. The nice thing about REITs is their regular income distributions which, in the current day environment, are pretty dependable.

I presented him with these REITs which would be distributing income in May or June:

1. AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT:  Possibly a much lower DPU of 0.215c payable in June due to an advanced distribution payable on 28 March. At the current price of 21c per unit, that is a 1% yield in about 3 months.

2. First REIT: Estimated DPU of 1.6c at the end of May. At the current price of 74c per unit, it would be a 2.16% yield in less than 3 months.

Basically, in the short term, distribution yield from these REITs would beat bank deposit rates by quite a bit and that got him sufficiently interested in investing for income. 

Of course, he asked the usual questions as to whether his money is safe in these REITs. 

Well, the risks might be higher than leaving his money in a local savings account but the rewards could also be much higher.

To have peace, be prepared for war. 

To protect our wealth, we have to take some risk.

Related posts:
1. AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: Acquisition of Northtech.
2. First REIT: Is the bear just resting?
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S-REITs still a growth story - DBS Vickers. “While retail and industrial S-REITs continue to deliver single digit growth, office REITs reported weaker results both on year and on quarter, as passing rents remained below the peak rents signed in 2007-2008. We expect this trend to continue in the coming quarters, only to reverse in 2012.”  Wednesday, 09 March 2011

© 2011 - The Edge Singapore

High Yield Portfolio - Update.

Sometimes, we just stumble upon a good thing. One of my inaugural blog posts when I started ASSI on Christmas Eve 2009 remains the most popular blog post today. I am talking about "High Yield Portfolio".

In October last year, a reader asked if I would do an update on the portfolio and I did. However, it was a "Reply from AK71" kind of thing and were mostly one-liners. See it here.

Have I deviated much from the first time I introduced this portfolio for investors who are more interested in investing for income? Not much. I am still invested in all six counters although the weight of each counter in the portfolio could have changed somewhat.

My largest investment is based on rather contrarian ideas and has attracted some skepticism, putting it mildly. I started investing in Saizen REIT at 13c a unit and I kept loading up.  Even at 16.5c a unit, I bought some. For sure, this is an under-performer in terms of capital appreciation. However, I invested in this with a view that it is grossly undervalued and that things could not get any worse. So, if we take care of the downside, the upside should take care of itself. The annualised DPU of about 1c is much lower than my estimates from a year ago and, at first glance, seems unattractive. I did not take into account the amortising nature of its new loans then. However, when we realise that the DPU could actually be 50% higher if not for the amortising nature of its loans (unlike all the CMBS before), it is immediately apparent how strong this REIT's cashflow from operations actually is. See: 2Q FY2011 results.

My second largest investment is also rather controversial: AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT. Reading some other blogs as well as comments left in my blog, I realise how there is still deep seated mistrust of its management. This is despite the fact that it is quite a different animal from its MI-REIT days. It is financially stronger and it has two strong sponsors. It has all its financial requirements well looked after and even managed to refinance its loans at a lower interest rate. Some people say that they were the early investors in the REIT during its MI-REIT days and that they would never recover their money. It might surprise them to know that I was also an early investor but when the REIT was recapitalised, I looked at the numbers and decided that at 20.5c, it was a safe investment promising an almost 10% distribution yield. I increased my investment in the company by some 5x right away and I have recovered all my losses and more since, especially with the rights purchased at 15.5c/unit in September last year. See: Rights issue. Would I buy more now? At 20.5c and with an estimated DPU of 2c for a distribution yield of 9.76%, why not? See: Acquisition of Northtech.

My third largest investment is now in First REIT after its recent rights issue. A blog post of mine says that this one is for keeps and I still believe it is so. See: This one is for keeps. Actually, it is more so now after the rights issue and acquisitions. An expected DPU of 6.4c and the current price of 74c, it will deliver a distribution yield of 8.65%. With gearing low at 15% or so, it has more headroom to gear up for future acquisitions which could bump up DPU. See: FY2010 results.

My fourth largest investment is in LMIR. The investment was premised on a robust Indonesian economy with 60% of its GDP from domestic consumption. However, I do not like the idea of the management losing lots of money in foreign exchange forward contracts. See: Foreign exchange forward contracts. I do, however, recognise that this is a stable passive income generator and exchange rates (Rupiah/S$) should be quite stable from here. DPU for FY2010: 4.44c and at a unit price of 54c, that's a distribution yield of 8.22%.

My fifth largest investment is in SPH. No need to say much here. SPH is one of the highest yielding blue chips I know of. Although it is synonymous with The Straits Times and other publications, it is really its exposure to real estate that I really like. I especially like the fact that it owns and manages The Paragon on Orchard Road. I also like that fact that it is a co-owner of the soon to be completed Clementi Mall. Would I buy more now? The yield is still about 6.5% even at recently traded prices. I might buy more if price were to weaken further. See: Final dividend.

My smallest investment in this High Yield Portfolio is in Suntec REIT. This REIT was something I went in big at about $1.00/unit, give or take few cents, with a view that it would be a beneficiary of the expected improvement in tourist arrival numbers and improving office rentals. Technically, it was also looking good then. I think it is quite boring now with price at $1.50/unit or so. I have divested most of my investment in this REIT and still retain a small investment. Expected DPU for 2011: 9.7c. See: Buy calls.

Do I have any counters I would consider adding to this High Yield Portfolio? Yes, there is one: Cache Logistics Trust. I have blogged about it regularly and did so recently again. Read it here. I could replace Suntec REIT with Cache Logistics Trust if the conditions were right.

LMIR: 4Q FY2010 results.

I could take my last blog post on LMIR, substitute some numbers and that's the end of it. There is really nothing exciting or new to say about this REIT. It also continues to disappoint in its lacklustre distributable income. Let's give it a try. See changes in bold dark blue color:

Distributable income at $12.029 million. DPU at 1.11c is higher than the 1.09c in the last quarter. This represents a marginal increase of 1.8% over the previous quarter.

Unfortunately, the management lost $2.3m in foreign exchange forward contracts. Without these contracts, the distributable income would increase by 19.18%!

OK, that was easy. Some numbers:

Gearing: 10.3%
NAV/share: 83c
DPU for FY2010: 4.44c

It is interesting how the management left out the DPU for FY2009 in its presentation slides which was 5.04c and that happened on the back of much lower revenue of $85.758m. Gross revenue bumped up 50.9% in FY2010 and yet the DPU reduced by 12%. Am I missing something here? Great potential but a poor management? A rhetorical question, perhaps.

Borrowing the words of OCBC Research:
The manager attributed (the falling income distributions, year on year) to the appreciation in the IDR, which has caused the gap between the hedged rate on distributions and the physical rate to reverse unfavorably...

Still, it is a rather safe investment for anyone who is investing for income. This is its only redeeming quality.

Read announcements:
Unaudited financial statements.
Presentation slides.

Related post:
LMIR: Foreign exchange forward contracts.

$50k in annual passive income: Year end status.

The last time I wrote about my attempt to achieve an annual passive income of at least $50k was on 5 Sep when I concluded that "With Saizen REIT's contribution, I would probably exceed the target I have set for myself which is "to create a minimum of $50k in annual passive income from investments in the stock market alone."  I shared this aim here in my blog on 27 Feb 2010, more than half a year ago. Like with everything, however, this needs confirmation. Let us see what happens in December 2010." Read blog post here.

For quite some time now, my focus has been on my top three investments when I talk about building a reliable stream of passive income from the stock market.  They are Saizen REIT, AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT and LMIR.

One of my friends told me that this is inaccurate since I do not include dividends received from my other investments in the stock market such as First REIT, Suntec REIT and SPH. I must admit that I have not been fastidious that way. However, my investments in other counters are so dwarfed by my top three investments that, for the sake of simplicity, I have excluded them. Also, funds from the complete divestment of CitySpring Infrastructure Trust and Cambridge Industrial Trust as well as the privatisation of Hyflux Water Trust have largely been redeployed to AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT and Saizen REIT.

So, for this blog post, again, I will just focus on my top three investments to see if I have managed to hit the said target. I don't think we need to wait till December to see how things will turn out since both LMIR and AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT have declared their final distributions for the year.

Saizen REIT

Saizen REIT's next income distribution is in March 2011. I overlooked the fact that this REIT pays half-yearly. So, without any contribution from Saizen REIT in December, I would probably not be able to hit the $50k target this year.

Also, my estimate of an annualised 1.6c DPU for Saizen REIT was somewhat optimistic earlier in Sep and it was partly premised on the successful re-financing of YK Shintoku. A more realistic annualised DPU is probably about 1.2c if YK Shintoku's loan was refinanced successfully sooner than later. This is after learning at the AGM that continual divestment of properties in YK Shintoku is necessary in order for refinancing to be viewed more favourably by potential lenders. For me, this means a reduction of 25% in estimated passive income from this investment.

Needless to say, such a reduction is not helpful towards achieving the annual passive income target I have set but in absolute dollar terms, I still expect this REIT to contribute a lion's share of my passive income for 2011.

Read my comments here.

AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT

This REIT had a successful rights issue recently which made its existing unitholders somewhat richer. I was very pleased with the rights issue and I have not sold any of my rights units exercised at 15.5c as they will enjoy a yield of 13.4% in 2011 when the annualised DPU of 2.08c kicks in. Of course, trading at 22.5c a unit now, I have a handsome 45% capital gain (on paper) for these rights units as well.

However, the last income distribution came in weaker at DPU of 0.3968c. In my blog post of 29 Oct, I said, "This is because of the issue of 513.3 million rights units on 14 October 2010 and 7.2 million units to the Manager on 19 October 2010 for payment of the acquisition fee in relation to the acquisition of 27 Penjuru Lane. Distributable income from 27 Penjuru Lane would be included in the next distribution, not this one, since the acquisition was done in 3Q FY2011 and not in 2Q FY2011."  Read blog post here.

Of course, this does not change the fact that the lower DPU this time round (payable in December) is not going to help me hit my passive income target this year.


LMIR

Although I am still somewhat disappointed with the management, this REIT is a stable passive income generator. Their latest DPU of 1.09c is marginally higher than the previous quarter's 1.04c.  This is largely in line with my expectations, that "I expect the S$ to appreciate more robustly in future and it is unlikely that the DPU would reduce much more.  Conservatively, I estimate the DPU to be 1c per quarter or 4c per year from December 2010." Read blog post here.

Obviously, at a more conservative estimate of 4c DPU per annum, this is 20% lesser than the 5c DPU I was expecting at the start of the year.

So, based purely on these three investments, I have come up short this year with regards to my annual passive income target in the stock market.

Important development:

Recently, I have been buying more units of First REIT with a view that their recently announced acquisitions and rights issue are attractive propositions which would provide a distribution yield of 9% in 2011. Including the rights which I am entitled to and which I fully intend to accept and pay for, First REIT would rival LMIR as my third largest investment in the stock market.

So, from 1 Jan 2011, I will include dividends collected from First REIT in my calculations towards the target of $50k in annual passive income. I will continue to share my results here in my blog. Wish me luck.

Related posts:
$50k in annual passive income.
First REIT: Rights issue.

LMIR: Foreign exchange forward contracts.

LMIR reported stronger earnings for 3QFY2010. Distributable income at $11.7 million. DPU at 1.09c is higher than the 1.04c in the last quarter. This represents a marginal increase of 4.8% over the previous quarter despite revenue increasing 53% year on year. LMIR also managed to have rate increase in rental renewals to the tune of 16%! Indonesia is doing well, as I expected.

Unfortunately, the management lost $2.9m in foreign exchange forward contracts. Without these contracts, the distributable income would increase by 24%! A DPU of 1.35c for an annualised DPU of 5.4c? Now, that would be in line with its actual performance on the ground!

The management is singing the old tune that these contracts are a prudent measure to protect its income denominated in the Indonesian Rupiah. The very strong Rupiah has caused it to lose money quarter after quarter on these contracts. Who is making money, I wonder?

What do they expect from an economy that actually weathered the last financial crisis unscathed? Indonesia was one of only three Asian economies that did not go into a recession, the other two being China and India! These contracts should have been reduced significantly in the last three quarters! I have wondered on various occasions why the CFOs of LMIR could never last very long. Did they go against the idea of having foreign exchange forward contracts? I keep wondering.

Having said this, the REIT remains a relatively safe investment that should generate consistent income for unitholders although its inability to deliver significantly higher DPU is galling, given such impressive growth in revenue.

Lippo-Mapletree Indonesia Retail Trust achieves higher 3Q distributable income of $11.7m. In 3Q 2010, there was a realised loss on foreign exchange forward contracts of $2.9 million as the cross currency swap remained “out of the money”, compared to 3Q 2009 when a realised loss of $0.4 million was recorded as the IDR was weaker at that time.
Wednesday, 03 November 2010

© 2010 - The Edge Singapore

Related post:
LMIR: DPU reduced 20%.

Investing for income or growth?

Here is an email from another reader recently:

For pple with substantial capital, they can just buy div stocks and  hold. For those with less, it's not so simple..Cheng must be really  bullish..99% in the market, I'm only 30+% in the market..

I am surprised by LMIR, it hit a high of 53c today. Despite, the so-so management , i guess pple are still attracted by the yield.  This one is for keeps..

My reply:

I do not think that investment strategy is totally a function of how much capital we have, it is also a function of how much we want. If a person with $10,000 wants to double it within a year, of course, investing for income could disappoint.  An active trading strategy is more appropriate.  If this person is happy with 10% yield per annum, then, my current strategy is OK. Question what do we want and employ the appropriate strategy.

With LMIR, I still have a substantial position in the REIT although I did pare it down to increase my position size in AIMS. What's left in LMIR, I would just hold for its quarterly income distribution since I doubt it could go lower than 4c per annum. Fundamentally, this is a safe and stable investment.

Related post:

Roads to wealth creation in the stock market.

A minimum of $50k in annual passive income.

Anyone who has been reading my blog would know that I seek to build a strong stream of passive income through my investments in the stock market. On 29 May 2010, more than three months ago, I mentioned that "between LMIR and AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT, the annualised income distributions I receive could be as much as 4x my monthly salary".  In aggregate, this has not changed.  However, I have made some changes in allocation and shifted funds from LMIR to AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT.  This is because I am a little disappointed with the former and at the same time, I am feeling more optimistic about the latter.

In my post of 29 May 2010, I also said that "things should get better from here as from the month of September, income distribution from Saizen REIT would add to my passive income stream. I might just stop trading the market and sit back, relax and let the passive income stream in.  Of course, it remains to be seen if my calculations as to Saizen REIT's potential income distribution would come to pass."

I was pretty confident that things would go the way I think they would but we can never be too sure of anything. As things turned out, happily, Saizen REIT's results and DPU were better than expected.  It seems that their CEO is much more astute compared to LMIR's and did not engage in any 100% currency hedging.  To recapt, "LMIR announced a DPU of 1.04c payable on 27 August 2010.  This is lower than the 1.2c paid in the last quarter. This is due to a higher realised loss on the foreign exchange forward contract."

I did some back of the envelope calculations as to the passive income I would be receiving from my investments in Saizen REIT, AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT and LMIR in future:

Assuming that all of Saizen REIT's warrants are converted to regular units and assuming that YK Shintoku's CMBS is successfully refinanced with a conventional bank loan with an interest rate of about 4%, I estimate the DPU to be about 0.4c per quarter or 1.6c per annum from December 2010.

As for AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT, with the impending rights issue, I would probably increase my investment in the REIT by at least a third and enjoy a higher yield at the same time.  This would increase the amount of passive income I receive from this REIT from December 2010.  DPU is estimated at 0.52c per quarter or 2.08c per annum.

For LMIR, although I believe in the strength of the Indonesian economy and the strength of its currency, the management's decision to continue using foreign exchange forward contracts is likely to limit any DPU growth.  In fact, it has led to a DPU reduction in S$ terms so far as the Rupiah strengthened against the S$.  However, I expect the S$ to appreciate more robustly in future and it is unlikely that the DPU would reduce much more.  Conservatively, I estimate the DPU to be 1c per quarter or 4c per year from December 2010.

With Saizen REIT's contribution, I would probably exceed the target I have set for myself which is "to create a minimum of $50k in annual passive income from investments in the stock market alone."  I shared this aim here in my blog on 27 Feb 2010, more than half a year ago. Like with everything, however, this needs confirmation. Let us see what happens in December 2010.

Related posts:
Create more passive income with limited capital.
LMIR: DPU reduced 20%.
AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: Steady performance.
Saizen REIT: Better than expected DPU.
Seven steps to creating passive income from the stock market.