Brookfield profit falls but acquisitions eyed

TORONTO (Reuters) - Profit at Brookfield Asset Management Inc (BAMa.TO: Quote) fell about 35 percent in the third quarter, but the investor in property, power and infrastructure assets said it was sitting on huge amounts of capital and ready to pursue acquisitions.

Toronto-based Brookfield, a major stakeholder in Brookfield Properties (BPO.TO: Quote), one of Manhattan's biggest office landlords, said on Friday its profit dropped as lower power prices in the sluggish economy offset slight increases in rent income.

Earnings fell to $112 million, or 17 cents a share, from $171 million, or 27 cents, a year earlier, and Brookfield shares fell 2.4 percent in late afternoon trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Total revenue dipped to $3.0 billion from $3.2 billion, while fees earned rose to $157 million from $109 million.

Analysts said the focus this quarter was less on results than on what the big investor plans to do with its $3.8 billion in core liquidity -- capital that Chief Executive Bruce Flatt said put Brookfield in an enviable position to make acquisitions as distressed companies sell off assets.

"Access to this significant amount of capital places us in a select group of large investors who have both, in our view, both the capital and human resources to pursue recapitalization transactions on a global basis where it makes sense for us," Flatt told analysts on a conference call.

"We have been focused on new asset acquisitions and as one of the priorities that will take the lion share the next 10 to 18 months."

Mark Rothschild, a real estate analyst at Genuity Capital Markets, said Brookfield's confidence in pursuing acquisitions should make for an interesting few months as the company competes to snap up real estate and infrastructure assets.

"There is no question this company has been extremely successful in purchasing at distressed times, and they are not the type of management team to overpromise," Rothschild said.