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CapitaLand Ascott Trust gets positive calls for ‘consistency’ and ‘stability’

Samantha Chiew
Samantha Chiew • 4 min read
CapitaLand Ascott Trust gets positive calls for ‘consistency’ and ‘stability’
Analysts keep their 'buy' calls on CLAS. Photo: Ascott
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CapitaLand Ascott Trust (CLAS) recently announced its financial results for FY2025 ended Dec 31, 2025, which showed distribution per security (DPS) unchanged y-o-y at 6.1 cents. In 2HFY2025, DPS was 1% up y-o-y at 3.58 cents.

Income available for distribution rose 11% y-o-y to $256.7 million in FY2025. The increase was driven by higher gross profit, underpinned by stronger operating performance and portfolio reconstitution, as well as higher non-periodic items. Revenue and gross profit increased 3% and 4% y-o-y in FY2025 to $837.6 million and $439.1 million, respectively.

Following the results announcement, analysts are maintaining a positive outlook on CLAS while keeping their “buy” and “accumulate” calls on the hospitality trust.

UOB Kay Hian (UOBKH) has an unchanged target price of $1.42 and analyst Jonathan Koh notes that the living sector accounted for 17% of CLAS’s portfolio valuation as of December 2025 (student accommodation: 11%, rental housing: 6%).

“CLAS continues to reposition toward the living sector. It intends to acquire student accommodations in the UK (yield: 5%–6%) and Singapore (yield: 5%). It is scouting for rental housing in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka in Japan (yield: 4%),” says Koh.

The way he sees it, CLAS could see growth in higher occupancies and asset enhancement initiatives (AEIs). CLAS has planned five AEIs in 2026 and 2027.

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He also sees growth opportunities for CLAS in Australia, with a strong sports events calendar; in Singapore, as its events calendar recovers; and in the US, thanks to its strong domestic travel.

Similarly, Maybank Securities has also maintained its $1.05 target on CLAS’s diversified portfolio and proactive portfolio management.

Analyst Krishna Guha expects FY2025 DPS to come in at 6.1 cents, while raising FY2027 DPS forecast by about 1.7% to 6.2 cents, factoring in asset enhancements and portfolio rebalancing.

See also: Citi keeps ‘buy’ on CLI at $3.40 TP on ‘proactive’ M&A exploration and growing FUM

Risks Guha has noted include slower recovery of demand from corporates, Chinese tourists and international students; master lease renewals; lower margins; and higher interest rates.

OCBC Investment Research has a fair value estimate of $1.01, slightly down from $1.02 previously.

Analyst Ada Lim says: “We are somewhat disappointed that management has reiterated its guidance for FY2026 DPS to be stable instead of a return to growth, as non-recurring income is deployed to top up loss of income from AEIs meant to strengthen the overall portfolio.”

“While investors typically buy into S-REITs for stability, zero growth for potentially two consecutive years causes us to turn incrementally less constructive on the counter,” she says, but keeps her “buy” call, as CLAS’s total returns potential still exceeds 10%.

Regarding the outlook, Lim notes that while discretionary travel spending is levered to the ebbs and flows of the economic cycle, she likes that CLAS’s portfolio is well-diversified across many geographies; the REIT enjoys income from a mix of stable and growth sources.

CLAS has exposure to the living sector — including student accommodation in the US and rental housing in Japan — for which demand is less likely to be affected by any weakening in the global macroeconomic outlook. “We also see CLAS’s ongoing portfolio rejuvenation as a positive for long-term growth and sustainability,” she adds.

PhillipCapital’s Darren Chan has maintained his “accumulate” rating and raised his target price on CLAS to $1.08 from $1.05. CLAS is also the brokerage’s top pick in the hospitality sector, underpinned by its balanced mix of stable and growth income streams, alongside strong geographical diversification for earnings resilience.

“We expect low single-digit portfolio RevPAU growth in FY2026, supported by improving occupancy. CLAS has guided to a stable y-o-y DPS of 6.1 cents for FY2026, supported by past divestment gains used to offset the impact of major ongoing AEIs. There is over $300 million of such gains still available on the balance sheet,” says Chan, adding that the current share price of 98 cents implies an FY2026 dividend yield of 6.2%.

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