Debt burden fears keep Rebosis shares in free-fall
Stock falls another 22.5% to a record low, largely because of the property fund’s acquisition of UK-focused New Frontier Properties
Rebosis Property Fund’s shares slipped deeper into record low territory on Tuesday as the landlord’s debt burden continues to spook investors. Analysts say the group’s woes stem largely from its 2015 acquisition of UK-focused New Frontier Properties, which pushed up debt and ultimately led Rebosis to halt distributions to shareholders — an industry first, at least in recent history. Rebosis is also grappling with industry-wide challenges, including Edcon’s financial troubles, rising vacancies and funding costs, weaker retail sales in its malls, and difficulties in selling its office properties, said Keillen Ndlovu, head of listed property funds at Stanlib. But its decline has been worse than most. Rebosis’s ordinary shares fell another 22.5% on Tuesday to close at a record low of 69c. That equates to a 95% decline from the high of R13.25 reached in February 2017. The group’s slide has not slowed recently; its market capitalisation has halved since the end of January to just R1.6bn...
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