FRP HOLDINGS, INC. quarterly report, Q2 FY2018

Business Context and Reporting Period

FRP Holdings, Inc. is a real estate company focused on mining royalty lands, land development and construction, residential apartments, and warehouse/office properties. This unaudited Form 10-Q covers the three and six months ended June 30, 2018.

On May 21, 2018, FRP sold 40 industrial warehouse properties and three land parcels to an affiliate of Blackstone for $347.2 million. One property valued at $11.7 million was excluded after the tenant exercised its purchase right. The sold assets are presented as discontinued operations.

Financial Performance and Key Metrics

MetricThree months ended June 30Six months ended June 30
Total revenue$5.553 million, up 104.2%$10.628 million, up 98.5%
Operating profit (loss)$(0.456) million$(0.359) million
Income (loss) from continuing operations$(0.879) million$(1.572) million
Income from discontinued operations, net$120.465 million$122.187 million
Net income attributable to FRP$119.982 million$121.542 million
Diluted earnings per share$11.87$12.04

Continuing-operations operating margins were approximately negative 8.2% for the quarter and negative 3.4% for the six-month period. Net earnings and reported margins were dominated by the $164.807 million pretax gain on the warehouse-property sale, which produced $120.465 million of second-quarter after-tax discontinued-operation income.

  • Continuing-operations revenue increased primarily because Dock 79 was consolidated beginning July 1, 2017. Six-month rental revenue rose to $6.497 million from $1.507 million.
  • Mining royalty and rent revenue increased 12.4% in the quarter and 6.6% for the first six months. Mining royalty lands generated six-month operating profit of $3.407 million, an 89.0% margin.
  • RiverFront on the Anacostia generated $5.038 million of six-month revenue but a $1.244 million operating loss, mainly reflecting $4.065 million of depreciation and amortization.
  • Net operating income, a non-GAAP measure, was $7.528 million for the first six months versus $4.447 million in the prior-year period.

Cash Flow, Liquidity, Debt and Balance Sheet

  • Cash and cash equivalents were $32.849 million at June 30, 2018, compared with $4.524 million at December 31, 2017. Cash held in escrow was $278.573 million, resulting in total cash items of approximately $311.422 million.
  • Six-month net cash provided by operating activities was $7.015 million, including $3.250 million from continuing operations and $3.765 million from discontinued operations.
  • Net cash provided by investing activities was $51.678 million, reflecting sale proceeds partly offset by $278.240 million placed in escrow and $4.671 million invested in joint ventures.
  • Net cash used in financing activities was $30.368 million, primarily due to repayment of debt associated with the sold properties.
  • Total debt was $88.720 million at June 30, 2018, down from $118.317 million at year-end 2017. The remaining debt is primarily the fixed-rate, non-recourse Dock 79 loan at 4.125%.
  • The $20 million Wells Fargo revolver had no borrowings, $2.202 million of outstanding letters of credit, and $17.798 million available capacity. FRP was in compliance with its debt covenants.
  • Total assets were $549.944 million and total equity was $386.379 million at June 30, 2018. Shareholders’ equity was $366.764 million, including retained earnings of $308.397 million.

Material Changes Versus the Prior Comparable Period

  • The industrial warehouse portfolio sale materially changed FRP’s asset mix, earnings profile, liquidity, and continuing operations. Most of the Asset Management portfolio is now discontinued, leaving three office buildings.
  • Second-quarter continuing-operations revenue doubled, but operating results declined to a loss because cost of operations increased 247.5%, including higher depreciation, operating expenses, and corporate expenses.
  • Continuing-operations results included $1.085 million of stock compensation expense, consisting primarily of the annual director grant and accelerated vesting of executive options triggered by the asset disposition.
  • Dock 79 was consolidated for a full comparative period in 2018, whereas its prior-year results were primarily reflected through equity in loss of joint ventures.
  • FRP formed RiverFront Holdings II in May 2018 to develop Phase II of RiverFront. FRP contributed land valued at $16.3 million and $4.6 million of cash; the project has construction financing capacity of up to $71 million.

Guidance, Outlook, Risks and Unusual Items

  • Management expects to deliver RiverFront Phase II, known as The Maren, in the first half of 2020. A 94,350-square-foot Hollander Business Park building is expected to come online in the second quarter of 2019.
  • Management is evaluating reinvestment opportunities for the sale proceeds and stated that it may remain patient rather than deploy capital at unfavorable valuations.
  • Expected 2018 capital expenditures are approximately $10.156 million, of which $3.252 million had been spent by June 30, 2018. The company does not currently pay cash dividends.
  • Dock 79 averaged 94.7% occupancy during the first six months and was 95.1% leased and 97.4% occupied at quarter-end. Six-month lease renewals were 60.2%, with an average rent increase of 3.6%.
  • Key risks include cyclical construction activity affecting mining royalties, real estate development and entitlement risk, vacancies and lease renewals, interest-rate and capital-market conditions, the ability to reinvest sale proceeds, project financing and execution, environmental liabilities, tenant defaults, joint-venture risks, and restrictions under credit agreements.
  • The company recorded a $1.807 million environmental remediation liability at June 30, 2018. Management stated that litigation and other claims were not expected to have a material adverse effect, but actual Phase II remediation costs could be materially higher or lower than recorded.
  • One mining lessee represented 14% of consolidated revenue for the first six months; loss or termination of significant mining leases could materially affect results.

Investor Verification Items

  • Verify the final cash availability and restrictions on the approximately $311.4 million of cash and escrow balances, including the timing and permitted uses of sale proceeds.
  • Assess continuing-operations earnings power after removing the discontinued warehouse portfolio and the one-time sale gain.
  • Review Dock 79 operating performance, debt-service requirements, noncontrolling interest, and the financing and construction budget for The Maren.
  • Monitor the deployment of sale proceeds and whether future acquisitions or developments increase leverage or execution risk.
  • Review environmental remediation exposure, development entitlements, joint-venture commitments, letters of credit, and concentration in major mining tenants.