EPR Properties Reports Third Quarter 2019 Results

Updates 2019 Guidance

KANSAS CITY, Mo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–EPR Properties (NYSE:EPR) today announced operating results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2019 (dollars in thousands, except per share data):

(1) Total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 included $20.0 million and $67.3 million, respectively, in prepayment fees related primarily to the pay-off of a mortgage note that was secured by ski properties.

Third Quarter Company Headlines

• Strong quarter anchored by continued demand for experiential assets
• Year-to-date investment spending of $684.7 million
• Record low bond yield and spread on new 10-year unsecured notes
• Well positioned balance sheet with ample capacity
• Increasing guidance for FFOAA per diluted common share and investment spending

CEO Comments

“Our third quarter results built on the strong earnings and investment momentum we have established to date,” commented Greg Silvers, President and CEO. “Our expertise in experiential real estate aligns well with an ever growing demand for these assets as consumers continue to demonstrate their desire to spend on experiences. Our confidence in the Company’s outlook is further supported by our recent bond issuance, which was at a record low rate for the Company. With ongoing solid performance in our tenant categories, enhanced investment capacity, a favorable cost of capital, and an attractive growth pipeline, we are increasing both our FFOAA per share and investment spending guidance for the year.”

Portfolio Update

The Company’s investment portfolio (excluding property under development) consisted of the following at September 30, 2019:

• The Entertainment segment included investments in 176 megaplex theatre properties, seven entertainment retail centers (which include seven additional megaplex theatre properties) and 12 other entertainment properties. The Company’s portfolio of owned entertainment properties consisted of 14.7 million square feet and was 99% leased, including megaplex theatres that were 100% leased.
• The Recreation segment included investments in 12 ski areas, 20 attractions, 36 golf entertainment complexes and 15 other recreation properties. The Company’s portfolio of owned recreation properties was 100% leased.
• The Education segment included investments in 49 public charter schools, 72 early education centers and 16 private schools. The Company’s portfolio of owned education properties consisted of 4.1 million square feet and was 98% leased.
• The Other segment consisted primarily of the land under ground lease and land held for development related to the Resorts World Catskills project in Sullivan County, New York.

The Company’s combined owned portfolio consisted of 23.1 million square feet and was 99% leased. As of September 30, 2019, the Company also had a total of $31.8 million invested in property under development.

Investment Update

The Company’s investment spending for the three months ended September 30, 2019 totaled $118.1 million (bringing the year-to-date investment spending to $684.7 million), and included investments in each of its operating segments:

• Entertainment investment spending during the three months ended September 30, 2019 totaled $10.9 million, including spending on build-to-suit development and redevelopment of megaplex theatres, entertainment retail centers and other entertainment properties.

• Recreation investment spending during the three months ended September 30, 2019 totaled $89.6 million, including spending on two mortgage notes secured by two recreation properties totaling $68.7 million, and build-to-suit development of golf entertainment complexes and attractions.

• Education investment spending during the three months ended September 30, 2019 totaled $17.6 million, including spending on the acquisition of one early education center totaling $3.3 million, and build-to-suit development and redevelopment of public charter schools, early education centers and private schools.

Capital Recycling

During the third quarter of 2019, pursuant to tenant purchase options, the Company completed the sale of three public charter schools for net proceeds totaling $59.4 million. In addition, the Company completed the sale of one other public charter school, one early education center and one land parcel for net proceeds totaling $27.4 million. The Company recognized a combined gain on these sales of $14.3 million.

As previously announced, on July 1, 2019, the Company received $189.8 million in proceeds representing payment in full on its mortgage notes receivable associated with the Schlitterbahn waterparks. Additionally, during the quarter, the Company received $17.8 million in proceeds representing payment in full on a mortgage note receivable that was secured by one public charter school property. In connection with this prepayment, the Company recognized a prepayment fee of $1.8 million that is included in mortgage and other financing income.

Disposition proceeds and mortgage note pay-offs (excluding principal amortization and including prepayment fees) totaled $390.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2019.

Balance Sheet Update

The Company had a net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio (a non-GAAP financial measure) of 5.2x at September 30, 2019. The Company had $115.8 million of unrestricted cash on hand and no outstanding balance under its $1.0 billion unsecured revolving credit facility at September 30, 2019.

During the quarter, the Company issued 686 thousand common shares under its Dividend Reinvestment and Direct Share Purchase Plan (DSPP) for net proceeds of $52.3 million and subsequent to quarter end, in October, issued another 219 thousand common shares for net proceeds of $16.7 million. The year to date issuances under this plan through October total 4.0 million common shares for net proceeds of $305.6 million.

On August 15, 2019, the Company issued $500.0 million in senior unsecured notes due August 15, 2029. The notes bear interest at an annual rate of 3.75%. The Company used the net proceeds from the note offering to complete the tender offer and subsequent redemption of all of its remaining $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5.75% senior notes due August 15, 2022 not repurchased as part of the tender offer.

Additionally, the Company prepaid in full a mortgage note payable totaling $18.6 million with a variable interest rate, which was secured by one theatre property.

Dividend Information

The Company declared regular monthly cash dividends during the third quarter of 2019 totaling $1.125 per common share. This dividend represents an annualized dividend of $4.50 per common share, an increase of 4.2% over the prior year, and is the Company’s ninth consecutive year with a significant annual dividend increase.

The Company also declared third quarter cash dividends of $0.359375 per share on its 5.75% Series C cumulative convertible preferred shares, $0.5625 per share on its 9.00% Series E cumulative convertible preferred shares and $0.359375 per share on its 5.75% Series G cumulative redeemable preferred shares.

2019 Guidance

Current guidance for 2019 FFOAA per diluted common share is based on a FFO per diluted common share range of $4.41 to $4.49 adjusted for estimated costs associated with loan refinancing or payoff, transaction costs, severance expense, termination fees related to education properties, deferred income tax benefit and the impact of Series C and Series E dilution. FFO per diluted common share for 2019 is based on a net income available to common shareholders per diluted common share range of $2.58 to $2.66 less estimated gain on sale of real estate of $0.40 and the impact of Series C and Series E dilution of $0.02, plus estimated real estate depreciation of $2.22 and allocated share of joint venture depreciation of $0.03 (in accordance with the NAREIT definition of FFO).

Additional earnings guidance detail can be found in the Company’s supplemental information package available in the Investor Center on the Company’s website located at http://investors.eprkc.com/earnings-supplementals.

Conference Call Information

Management will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s financial results on October 30, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The conference will be webcast and can be accessed via the Earnings Call page in the Investor Center on the Company’s website located at http://investors.eprkc.com/earnings-call. To access the call, audio only, dial (866) 587-2930 and when prompted, provide the passcode 8887479.

You may watch a replay of the webcast by visiting the Earnings Call page at http://investors.eprkc.com/earnings-call.

Quarterly Supplemental

The Company’s supplemental information package for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2019 is available in the Investor Center on the Company’s website located at http://investors.eprkc.com/earnings-supplementals.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Funds From Operations (FFO) and Funds From Operations As Adjusted (FFOAA)

The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) developed FFO as a relative non-GAAP financial measure of performance of an equity REIT in order to recognize that income-producing real estate historically has not depreciated on the basis determined under GAAP. Pursuant to the definition of FFO by the Board of Governors of NAREIT, the Company calculates FFO as net income available to common shareholders, computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding gains and losses from disposition of real estate and impairment losses on real estate, plus real estate related depreciation and amortization, and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships, joint ventures and other affiliates. Adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships, joint ventures and other affiliates are calculated to reflect FFO on the same basis. The Company has calculated FFO for all periods presented in accordance with this definition.

In addition to FFO, the Company presents FFOAA. FFOAA is presented by adding to FFO costs (gain) associated with loan refinancing or payoff, net, transaction costs, severance expense, litigation settlement expense, preferred share redemption costs, termination fees associated with tenants’ exercises of public charter school buy-out options, impairment of direct financing leases (allowance for lease loss portion) and provision for loan losses and subtracting gain on early extinguishment of debt, gain on insurance recovery and deferred income tax (benefit) expense.

FFO and FFOAA are widely used measures of the operating performance of real estate companies and are provided here as a supplemental measure to GAAP net income available to common shareholders and earnings per share, and management provides FFO and FFOAA herein because it believes this information is useful to investors in this regard. FFO and FFOAA are non-GAAP financial measures. FFO and FFOAA do not represent cash flows from operations as defined by GAAP and are not indicative that cash flows are adequate to fund all cash needs and are not to be considered alternatives to net income or any other GAAP measure as a measurement of the results of our operations or our cash flows or liquidity as defined by GAAP. It should also be noted that not all REITs calculate FFO and FFOAA the same way so comparisons with other REITs may not be meaningful. The following table summarizes FFO and FFOAA for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 and reconciles such measures to net income available to common shareholders, the most directly comparable GAAP measure:

The conversion of the 5.75% Series C cumulative convertible preferred shares and the 9.00% Series E cumulative convertible preferred shares does not result in more dilution to per share results and therefore is not included in the calculation of diluted FFO per share data for the three months ended September 30, 2019. The conversion of the 5.75% Series C cumulative convertible preferred shares and the 9.00% Series E cumulative convertible preferred shares would be dilutive to FFO per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018. Therefore, the additional common shares that would result from the conversion and the corresponding add-back of the preferred dividends declared on those shares are included in the calculation of diluted FFO per share for these periods.

The conversion of the 5.75% Series C cumulative convertible preferred shares and the 9.00% Series E cumulative convertible preferred shares would be dilutive to FFOAA per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018. Therefore, the additional common shares that would result from the conversion and the corresponding add-back of the preferred dividends declared on those shares are included in the calculation of diluted FFOAA per share for these periods.

Net Debt

Net Debt represents debt (reported in accordance with GAAP) adjusted to exclude deferred financing costs, net and reduced for cash and cash equivalents. By excluding deferred financing costs, net and reducing debt for cash and cash equivalents on hand, the result provides an estimate of the contractual amount of borrowed capital to be repaid, net of cash available to repay it. The Company believes this calculation constitutes a beneficial supplemental non-GAAP financial disclosure to investors in understanding our financial condition. The Company’s method of calculating Net Debt may be different from methods used by other REITs and, accordingly, may not be comparable to such other REITs.

EBITDAre

NAREIT developed EBITDAre as a relative non-GAAP financial measure of REITs, independent of a company’s capital structure, to provide a uniform basis to measure the enterprise value of a company. Pursuant to the definition of EBITDAre by the Board of Governors of NAREIT, the Company calculates EBITDAre as net income, computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding interest expense (net), income tax (benefit) expense, depreciation and amortization, gains and losses from disposition of real estate, impairment losses on real estate, costs (gain) associated with loan refinancing or payoff and adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships, joint ventures and other affiliates.

Management provides EBITDAre herein because it believes this information is useful to investors as a supplemental performance measure as it can help facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and with other REITs. The Company’s method of calculating EBITDAre may be different from methods used by other REITs and, accordingly, may not be comparable to such other REITs. EBITDAre is not a measure of performance under GAAP, does not represent cash generated from operations as defined by GAAP and is not indicative of cash available to fund all cash needs, including distributions. This measure should not be considered an alternative to net income or any other GAAP measure as a measurement of the results of the Company’s operations or cash flows or liquidity as defined by GAAP.

Adjusted EBITDA

Management uses Adjusted EBITDA in its analysis of the performance of the business and operations of the Company. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it excludes various items that management believes are not indicative of operating performance, and that it is an informative measure to use in computing various financial ratios to evaluate the Company. The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDAre (defined above) excluding gain on insurance recovery, severance expense, litigation settlement expense, impairment of direct financing lease (allowance for lease loss portion), the provision for loan losses, transaction costs and prepayment fees, and which is then multiplied by four to get an annual amount.

The Company’s method of calculating Adjusted EBITDA may be different from methods used by other REITs and, accordingly, may not be comparable to such other REITs. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance under GAAP, does not represent cash generated from operations as defined by GAAP and is not indicative of cash available to fund all cash needs, including distributions.

Contacts

EPR Properties
Brian Moriarty, 888-EPR-REIT

www.eprkc.com

Read full story here