PETALING JAYA: Sentral Real Estate Investment Trust
’s (Sentral-REIT) disposal of Wisma Sentral Inai located along Jalan Tun Razak in downtown Kuala Lumpur is being viewed as a strategic move to free up capital for future acquisitions and at the same time lift the overall occupancy rate of the REIT’s office and retail properties.
Analysts were largely positive on the RM135mil disposal to Turiya Bhd, which was announced last week, as they pointed out that the property has been vacant since July 2022 and would save the REIT up to RM1.2mil in annual operating expenses. The property was last valued at RM150mil.
Hong Leong Investment Bank Research (HLIB Research) views the disposal as a prudent move by the REIT as it will be yield accretive to the portfolio given that the asset has been loss-making.
“While sold at a relatively fair value, we believe it is a strategic move for the long term, as it frees up capital for future acquisitions, potentially reducing reliance on equity funding,” HLIB Research added.
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