Atlantic Leaf Properties: Catching the attention of more investors

Since the UK’s mid-2016 vote to exit the EU, SA investors have shunned most of the JSE’s 12-odd property counters that generate a sizeable chunk or all of their earnings in Britain.Worst hit are former market darlings Capital & Counties Properties, mall owner Intu Properties, RDI Reit and Tradehold, the offshore property arm of Christo Wiese — all down at least 40% since mid-2016.Though there is uncertainty about how Brexit will play out, there is a view that UK-focused property stocks have bottomed — so it may be time for value chasers to re-enter the market selectively. Industrial-focused Atlantic Leaf Properties is starting to appear on the radar of investors looking for a smaller-cap real-estate play with solid growth prospects.Atlantic Leaf was listed on the JSE and Mauritius Stock Exchange in March 2014 by Paul Leaf-Wright, the Cape Town-based founder of corporate advisory group Leaf Capital. Management has since made impressive strides to grow the portfolio — assets under man...