Equity Commonwealth - Q1 2023

Transcript

Speaker 0

Good morning and thanks for joining this call to discuss Equity Commonwealth's first results for the quarter ending March 31, 2023 and an update on the company. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. A question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question for participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star as a reminder, this conference is being recorded. Please be advised that certain matters discussed during this conference call may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws.

Please refer to the section titled Forward Looking Statements in the press release issued yesterday, as well as the section titled Risk Factors in the company's Annual Report on Form 10 ks and Quarterly Reports on Form 10 Q4 subsequent quarters for a discussion of factors that could cause the company's actual results to materially far from any forward looking statements. The company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward looking statements made today. The company posts important information on its website at www.eqcre.com, including information that may be material. The portion of today's remarks on the company's quarterly earnings also include certain non GAAP financial measures. Please refer to yesterday's press release and supplement containing the company's results.

For a reconciliation of these non GAAP measures to the company's GAAP financial results. On the call today are David Halford, President and CEO David Weinberg, COO and Bill Griffiths, CFO. With that, I'll turn the call over to David Halfon. Please go ahead, sir.

Speaker 1

Thank you. Good morning, everyone. I appreciate you joining us. I'll review the company's results for the quarter as well as provide an update on capital markets and our investment activities. For the quarter, funds from operations were $0.22 per share compared to $0.03 per share in the Q1 2022.

Normalized FFO was $0.23 per share compared to $0.03 per share a year ago. The growth in FFO and normalized FFO was largely the result of a $0.24 per share increase in interest and other income, partially offset by a $0.02 per share decrease in same property NOI and a $0.02 per share decrease in NOI from properties sold. Same property NOI decreased 20.5% and same property cash NOI was 17% lower compared to last year, both primarily due to the collection of a $1,900,000 previously reserved receivable in the Q1 2022. Excluding the collection of this receivable, same property NOI decreased 2.7% and same property cash NOI increased 2.3% compared to the Q1 2022. At our properties in the Q1 of 2023, we signed 60,000 square feet of new leases and renewals.

Rents on those leases were up 3.6 percent on a cash basis and up 13.8 percent on a GAAP basis. As of March 31, leased occupancy was 81.6%, commenced occupancy was 77%. While tour and leasing activity has picked up a bit, we continue to see tenants looking to give back space as well. Turning to the balance sheet, we have approximately $2,100,000,000 of cash or $19 per share and no debt. The change in our cash balance since year end is primarily due to the $4.25 per share common distribution it was paid on March 9.

The interest rate we earn on our cash has increased as the Fed has moved rates We're currently earning roughly 5% compared to 37 basis points a year ago. Our conservative approach to managing our cash has been consistent over the years. We work with a dozen or so large banks where we actively manage the balances among them to minimize risk and maximize yield, while maintaining daily liquidity, we are not invested in any securities. With the Fed's continued rate increase over the past year, our interest income has grown from $1,600,000 in the Q1 2022 to $28,400,000 in the first quarter 2023. As we've discussed on previous calls, interest income on cash is not qualified income for the 75% REIT income tax.

Last year, we completed an internal restructuring to provide the qualifying income we needed for 2022. Similar option is available to us again in 2023. We also expect we will have options available to us to meet the requirements for requalification in 2024. Turning to share buybacks, we have not repurchased any shares year to date. Since we began buying back stock in 2015, we've repurchased a total of 22,400,000 shares For an aggregate of $595,000,000 at an average dividend adjusted price of $17.48 we currently have $120,000,000 remaining on our share back authorization.

Turning to the commercial real estate market, I think it's fair to say that determining value is as difficult as it's been in a quite a while. The twin forces of war in Europe and inflation have had a significant impact on market fundamentals and values. The Fed's massive tightening over the past 12 months has more than doubled borrowing costs and left owners with debt maturities in a difficult place. For some asset classes like industrial and residential, operating conditions remain relatively strong, though decelerating. For others, fundamentals are challenging and the lack of debt availability is a significant issue.

Predictably sales volumes are down across all asset classes. 1st quarter 2023 total investment sale volume was $47,000,000,000 roughly half of the 4th quarter total in 2022 and down 60% year over year. Based on discussion with market participants, 2nd quarter 'twenty three volumes will likely be similarly depressed. Against this backdrop, it's difficult to know where we might find an opportunity to invest. We continue to evaluate a wide range of investments across asset classes.

We remain hopeful that the challenges in the real estate credit markets might be a catalyst for a compelling transaction. In the meantime, the EQC team continues to demonstrate patience, optimism and focus. I'd like to take a moment and recognize their efforts. Patience is often a virtue, but that doesn't mean it's easy. This is a busy time of the year for our team with 10 ks annual report proxy in preparations for our annual meeting.

So here's a shout out to the EQC team for your continued commitment, discipline and excellence. With that, I'll turn the call over to the operator for questions.

Speaker 0

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we will be conducting a question and answer session. Before pressing the star keys. Take our first question from the line of Craig Mailman with Citi. Please go ahead.

Speaker 2

Thanks. It's actually Nick Joseph here with Craig. Maybe just starting on kind of what you're currently evaluating, if you can talk about kind of the current pipeline, maybe the volume of deals you're looking at, recognize it's pretty slow out there. And then touch on how you're thinking about underwriting in hurdles for different asset classes.

Speaker 3

Hey, Nick, it's David Weinberg. To begin with, what you said is correct. It's still quiet. We'd say it's still early. As David said in his prepared remarks, we're evaluating a wide range of investments across asset classes.

So in the past, we've talked about as a public REIT, we think it's important to find a good business that has long term sustainable growth and we've been spending a lot of time and continue to do so With industrial and SFR, more specifically built to rent as of late. Having said that, given the challenges in the credit markets today, we're revisiting other sectors such as office under the belief that you just never know where the opportunity may come from. Then to more specifically address your question, In this environment, I'd say we're having more discussions than we have in the past. It doesn't mean the catalyst exists, But a lot of large private owners recognize we're a public company with $2,100,000,000 of cash and no debt. There's a lot of flexibility in what we can do in terms of structure across sectors, potentially even control.

And while that may not be a viable option or preferred option today, it may be their best option soon Should they have to execute on something? So those discussions are taking place, planting seeds and we'll just have to see what becomes of it.

Speaker 2

Thanks. As you think about kind of underwriting industrial or built to rent single family or I guess even office now, how much of the IRRs return hurdles changed for you when you underwrite it today versus if you were looking at it 12 months to 18 months ago?

Speaker 3

Well, 12 months, 18 months ago, obviously, we just couldn't make sense of the pricing, Both on basis, yield and all in type returns. I'd where the cost of debt is, where the public REITs are trading. So that factors into our valuations. So I'd say hurdles have raised accordingly, but it's difficult to quantify it because as always it varies based on Where we perceive the risks to be and the growth.

Speaker 2

Thanks. And then you talked about the cash management and balance sheet management that you've been doing, and that there's no marketable securities there. But as you look at the disconnect or potential disconnect between private market pricing and public security pricing on the REIT side, would marketable securities or would making investments into equities makes sense at any point?

Speaker 3

Well, in the past, we've talked about that's not really of interest to us because I don't We do with that. Obviously, our shareholders, if they want to take a small position in another public company, they can do so. So I'll never say never, but it has to be pretty compelling for it to make sense to us, especially as we try to maintain a liquid position without taking any risk on our cash. So that should that deal materialize, we could execute

Speaker 2

Execute quickly. Hey, guys. It's Craig here. Just David, I know you talked about the internal restructuring and you can do another one in 2023. So should we assume a similar kind of special dividend?

Or would it need to be bigger given the kind of growth in interest income relative to the NOI coming off the 4 remaining assets?

Speaker 1

I think the answer is the $425,000,000 that we already distributed was an estimate of what we would need to distribute. There are still some variables, some choices we have about how we go about qualifying depending on whether certain events happen. So it's hard to predict, but I wouldn't expect a large special dividend. There may be a topping up of the $425,000,000 if it's necessary based on taxable income.

Speaker 2

Great. Thank you. Thank you.

Speaker 0

Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the of the question and answer session. And I'd like to hand the conference back over to David Halfon for closing remarks. Over to you, sir.

Speaker 1

Thanks for joining us today.

Speaker 0

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference call. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for participation.