TORONTO, Oct. 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (“RioCan”) (TSX:REI.UN) today announced that the Toronto Stock Exchange has approved its notice of intention to make a normal course issuer bid for a portion of its trust units (“Units”) as appropriate opportunities arise from time to time. RioCan's normal course issuer bid will be made in accordance with the requirements of the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Pursuant to the notice, RioCan is authorized to acquire up to a maximum of 32,520,207 of its Units, or approximately 10% of the public float of 325,202,070 as of October 6, 2017, for cancellation over the next 12 months. Purchases under the normal course issuer bid will be made through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange or through a Canadian alternative trading system and in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements at a price per Unit equal to the market at the time of acquisition. The number of Units that can be purchased pursuant to the bid is subject to a current daily maximum of 127,617 Units (which is equal to 25% of 510,471, being the average daily trading volume during the last six months), subject to RioCan’s ability to make one block purchase of Units per calendar week that exceeds such limits.
Any Units purchased under the normal course issuer bid will be cancelled upon their purchase, or used to satisfy RioCan’s obligation to deliver Units under RioCan’s Restricted Equity Unit Plan and/or Performance Equity Unit Plan. RioCan intends to fund the purchases out of its available cash and undrawn credit facilities. No Units were purchased by RioCan pursuant to its previous normal course issuer bid, which expires October 19, 2017, under which 8,128,045 Units were available for purchase. There are currently 326,305,794 issued and outstanding Units of RioCan.
RioCan may begin to purchase Units on or about October 20, 2017 and the bid will terminate on October 19, 2018 or such earlier time as RioCan completes its purchases pursuant to the bid or provides notice of termination. RioCan believes that the purchase of its Units may represent an investment opportunity for the Trust and an appropriate and desirable use of its funds based on market conditions, unit price and other factors.
About RioCan
RioCan is Canada’s largest real estate investment trust with a total enterprise value of approximately $13.9 billion as at June 30, 2017. RioCan owns, manages and develops retail-focused, increasingly mixed-use properties located in prime, high-density transit-oriented areas where Canadians want to shop, live and work. Our portfolio is comprised of 299 properties, including 15 development properties, with an aggregate net leasable area of approximately 45 million square feet. To learn more about how we deliver real vision on solid ground, visit www.riocan.com.
Forward Looking Information
This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. This information includes, but is not limited to, statements concerning RioCan’s objectives, its strategies to achieve those objectives, as well as statements with respect to management’s beliefs, plans, estimates, and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events or expectations that are not historical facts. Forward-looking information generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may”, “will”, “would”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Such forward-looking information reflects management’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. All forward-looking information in this News Release is qualified by these cautionary statements.
Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future events or performance and, by its nature, is based on RioCan’s current estimates and assumptions, which are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, as described under “Risks and Uncertainties” in RioCan's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended June 30, 2017 ("MD&A") and the Trust’s most recent Annual Information Form, and including that the transactions contemplated herein are completed, which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the forward-looking information contained in this News Release. Although the forward looking information contained in this News Release is based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Certain statements included in this News Release may be considered "financial outlook" for purposes of applicable securities laws, and such financial outlook may not be appropriate for purposes other than this News Release.
Except as required by applicable law, RioCan undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For further information contact:
RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust
Qi Tang
SVP and Chief Financial Officer
416-866-3033
