Prologis, Inc. — Q3 2013 Form 10-Q
Reporting period: Quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2013. The filing combines Prologis, Inc. and Prologis, L.P.; financial figures below are consolidated and in U.S. dollars. Balance-sheet figures compare September 30, 2013 with December 31, 2012.
Business context
Prologis owns, operates and develops industrial real estate and manages co-investment ventures across the Americas, Europe and Asia. At quarter-end, its owned and managed platform totaled 562 million square feet in 21 countries, including 523 million square feet of operating properties at 93.9% occupancy and 28 million square feet in development, 50.3% leased. The business reports Real Estate Operations and Investment Management segments.
Financial performance and position
- Revenue: Q3 revenue was $430.2 million, down from $499.5 million in Q3 2012. Nine-month revenue was $1.334 billion versus $1.474 billion. Lower rental income primarily reflected properties contributed to new ventures; investment management income increased.
- Profit: Q3 operating income was $79.0 million versus $75.3 million, but the company recorded a $7.2 million consolidated net loss and a $7.5 million loss attributable to common stockholders, compared with losses of $32.9 million and $46.5 million, respectively, a year earlier. Nine-month net earnings attributable to common stockholders were $256.4 million versus $147.8 million. Nine-month continuing-operations earnings were $223.4 million versus $165.9 million.
- Non-GAAP measures: Nine-month FFO, as defined by Prologis, was $642.6 million versus $640.6 million; Core FFO was $598.2 million versus $618.0 million. Q3 Core FFO was $206.9 million versus $232.0 million. The company cautions that these measures are supplemental and not substitutes for GAAP results or operating cash flow.
- Margins and property trends: Nine-month Real Estate Operations NOI margin was 69.3%, down from 72.0%, as contributions reduced the consolidated property base. For the Q3 same-store portfolio, rental income increased 1.89% and NOI increased 1.43% year over year. Effective rents on leases signed in Q3 rose 6.1% over prior rents; retention of expiring customers was 81.1% for the first nine months.
- Cash flow: Nine-month operating cash flow was $332.2 million, down from $373.3 million. Investing activities provided $1.667 billion, chiefly reflecting $3.914 billion of property disposition and contribution proceeds; financing activities used $1.929 billion. Operating cash flow fell short of common and preferred distributions by $98.8 million, with property-sale and contribution proceeds used to fund the shortfall.
- Debt and liquidity: Debt declined to $9.119 billion from $11.791 billion; the weighted-average effective rate was 4.3% and average maturity 4.5 years. Cash and cash equivalents were $121.7 million, with $1.439 billion available under credit facilities. The company reported compliance with debt covenants. Scheduled debt maturities were approximately $1.6 billion in 2014.
- Capital and distributions: An April common-stock offering generated approximately $1.4 billion in net proceeds. Prologis redeemed $482.5 million of preferred stock and had $100 million of Series Q preferred stock remaining. Common dividends were $0.28 per share for Q3 and $0.84 per share for the first nine months, unchanged from comparable 2012 periods.
Material changes and unusual items
- Prologis contributed properties to two new ventures: Nippon Prologis REIT in Japan and Prologis European Logistics Partners in Europe. These transactions generated substantial proceeds and reduced reported consolidated rental revenue and debt while expanding investment-management and equity-method activity.
- Nine-month gains on acquisitions and dispositions of real estate were $446.0 million, including gains associated with the Japan and Europe venture transactions and the NAIF III transaction. These gains materially supported reported earnings.
- Q3 included a $114.2 million loss on early extinguishment of debt; the nine-month loss was $164.2 million. The company issued $1.25 billion of senior notes in August and used proceeds partly to retire debt and repay credit-facility borrowings.
- Nine-month foreign-currency translation losses were $250.3 million, including reversal of translation gains on contributed properties and the effect of weaker yen and euro. Current income-tax expense rose to $91.4 million from $11.0 million, mainly due to sales and contributions of certain properties.
- After quarter-end, Prologis purchased $261.7 million of 2017 notes at a premium and issued $500 million of senior notes on November 1, 2013, at 3.35%, due 2021. It also reported acquiring its partner’s interest in SGP Mexico on October 2.
Outlook, commentary and risks
Management described logistics-property fundamentals as improving across its markets, citing rent growth, demand and constrained Class-A supply. It raised its internal 2013 U.S. net-absorption forecast to 200 million square feet from 180 million. Management expects to pursue rent growth, development using its land bank, and growth through acquisitions and co-investment ventures. No company-wide numerical earnings or FFO guidance is provided in the supplied filing text.
Key exposures include foreign-currency movements, interest-rate changes, refinancing requirements, development and leasing execution, and availability of capital for co-investment ventures. Unconsolidated co-investment ventures had $7.4 billion of third-party debt; Prologis said it did not guarantee that debt at September 30, but noted refinancing may require asset sales or partner capital contributions. The company had $421 million of remaining equity commitments. Management stated that ordinary-course legal proceedings were not expected to have a material adverse effect and that no material risk-factor changes had occurred. Disclosure controls were judged effective; the interim financial statements were reviewed by KPMG, not audited.
Most important facts for investors to verify
- How much recurring operating performance is represented by rental and investment-management income versus transaction gains, debt-extinguishment losses, taxes and currency effects?
- Whether rent growth and occupancy can offset the reduced consolidated property base following venture contributions; also monitor same-store NOI, leasing spreads and tenant retention.
- How the 2014 maturities, subsequent debt tenders and refinancing activity affect interest expense, leverage and available liquidity.
- The funding, timing and expected returns on Prologis’s $421 million of equity commitments and development spending, as well as refinancing needs at unconsolidated ventures.
- Whether operating cash flow can better cover dividends and investment needs without reliance on property-sale or contribution proceeds; assess FFO and Core FFO alongside GAAP earnings and cash flow.