Published on October 7th, 2024 by Felix Martinez
Flagship Communities Real Estate Investment Trust (MHCUF) has two appealing investment characteristics:
#1: It is a REIT so it has a favorable tax structure and pays out the majority of its earnings as dividends.
Related: List of publicly traded REITs
#2: It pays dividends monthly instead of quarterly.
Related: List of monthly dividend stocks
You can download our full Excel spreadsheet of all monthly dividend stocks (along with metrics that matter, like dividend yield and payout ratio) by clicking on the link below:
Flagship Communities REIT’s combination of favorable tax status as a REIT and a monthly dividend make it appealing to individual investors.
But there is more to the company than just these two factors. Keep reading this article to learn more about Flagship Communities REIT.
Business Overview
Flagship Communities REIT is one of the Midwest region’s largest developers of residential manufactured housing communities. Its communities are located throughout Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri. With 27 years of experience in developing and managing manufactured housing communities, Flagship has developed great expertise in real estate, financing and community management.
The manufactured housing industry has generated consistent performance over the last 25 years.
Source: Investor Presentation
The company reported its second-quarter 2024 financial results, showing strong growth across key metrics. Rental revenue rose by 22.2% to $21.2 million compared to $17.4 million in Q2 2023, while same community revenue increased by 10.8%. Net income more than doubled, reaching $43.5 million, driven by favorable adjustments in property values and strong performance in its existing communities. The REIT’s net operating income (NOI) grew by 21.4%, although NOI margins slightly decreased due to higher property taxes and staffing costs.
In addition to financial performance, Flagship completed the largest acquisition in its history, adding seven manufactured housing communities (MHCs), expanding its presence in Tennessee and entering West Virginia, its eighth operational state. The REIT also expanded one of its communities by adding 81 new lots and raised $60 million through the issuance of units to support these acquisitions. Occupancy levels slightly improved, reaching 83.9%, while same community occupancy stood at 85.0%, despite the addition of new lots.
Looking ahead, Flagship remains optimistic about the MHC sector’s potential due to its historical outperformance and high barriers to entry for new competitors. With ongoing trends such as increasing household formations and declining single-family homeownership rates, the REIT expects continued demand for affordable housing solutions. Flagship’s awards, including Community of the Year for the third consecutive year, highlight its commitment to enhancing the quality of its properties and maintaining a strong market position.
Thanks to its solid business model, Flagship Communities REIT has enjoyed consistent growth in its rent rates and its occupancy in recent years.
Source: Investor Presentation
Growth Prospects
Flagship Communities REIT has three growth drivers in place. It tries to grow its funds from operations (FFO) per unit by raising its rental rates every year, by increasing its occupancy rate and by reducing its operating expenses.
Flagship Communities REIT added 6 communities and 1,273 lots in its asset portfolio during 2022. It thus grew its revenue, its net operating income and its FFO by 36.5%, 35.8% and 36.0%, respectively, over the prior year.
It is also worth noting that Flagship Communities REIT operates in a highly fragmented market, with great opportunities for consolidation. It is estimated that the top 50 investors control about 17% of manufactured housing lots for rent. Therefore, there is ample room for future growth.
Given the solid business model of Flagship Communities REIT but also the sensitivity of its results to the gyrations of the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar and the USD, we expect the REIT to grow its FFO per unit by about 2.0% per year on average over the next five years.
Dividend & Valuation Analysis
Flagship Communities REIT currently offers a dividend yield of only 4.1%. In fact, most REIT unitholders own stakes in these companies primarily because of their attractive dividends. Therefore, the dividend yield of Flagship Communities REIT is likely to render this stock suitable for most investors.
Investors should also be aware that the dividend of Flagship Communities REIT may fluctuate significantly over time due to the fluctuation of the exchange rates between the Canadian dollar and the USD.
Flagship Communities REIT’s dividend yield has resulted primarily from the company’s exceptionally low payout ratio, which is currently at 60%. In other words, the trust could offer a more generous dividend to its unitholders, but it prefers to preserve funds for the acquisition and development of new properties.
We also note that Flagship Communities REIT has a material debt load in its balance sheet. Its net debt is currently standing at $299 million, which is 78% of the market capitalization of the stock.
Taking into account the 4.1% dividend and assuming that Flagship Communities REIT will grow its FFO per unit by 2.0% per year on average over the next five years, the stock could offer a 6.1% average annual total return over the next five years. This is an unattractive expected return; hence, we recommend waiting for a much lower entry point before purchasing the stock.
Final Thoughts
Flagship Communities REIT has a solid business model and ample room for future growth. However, the stock offers a dividend yield of 4.1%. While Flagship Communities REIT seems to have promising growth prospects thanks to the highly fragmented structure of its markets, the stock seems fully valued right now. Therefore, investors should wait for a significant correction of the stock before purchasing it.
Moreover, Flagship Communities REIT is characterized by extremely low trading volume. This means that it is hard to establish or sell a large position in this stock.
Don’t miss the resources below for more monthly dividend stock investing research.
- The Monthly Dividend Stocks List
- 20 Highest Yielding Monthly Dividend Stocks
- 10 Cheapest Monthly Dividend Stocks
- 10 Safest Monthly Dividend Stocks
- 3 Top ‘Hold Forever’ Monthly Dividend Stocks
And see the resources below for more compelling investment ideas for dividend growth stocks and/or high-yield investment securities.
- Dividend Kings: 50+ years of rising dividends
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- Dividend Achievers: 10+ years of rising dividends and in the NASDAQ
- High Dividend Stocks: 4%+ dividend yields
- Blue Chip Stock: Kings, Aristocrats, and Achievers
- MLPs: List of MLPs and more
- REITs: List of REITs and more
- BDCs: List of BDCs and more