Submitted by knielsen on Wed, 07/20/2022 - 20:27

First Industrial Realty Trust Reports Second Quarter 2022 Results

  • 2022 FFO Guidance Increased $0.04 at the Midpoint to $2.15 to $2.23 Per Share/Unit
  • Occupancy of 98.4%; Cash Rental Rates Up 27.0%; Cash Same Store NOI Grew 9.4%
  • Leased 100% of 1.1 Million Square-Foot First Logistics Center @ 283 in Central Pennsylvania and 208,000 Square-Foot First Bordentown Logistics Center in New Jersey
  • Sold 391 Acres at Camelback 303 Joint Venture in Phoenix for $255 Million; FR's Share of Gain and Promote Before Tax of $104 Million
  • Started Four Developments in the Second Quarter Totaling 875,000 Square Feet, Estimated Investment of $154 Million
  • Closed $425 Million Unsecured Term Loan Which Refinanced the Prior $260 Million Term Loan
  • Paid Off $68 Million Mortgage Loan at an Interest Rate of 4.03%; Portfolio Now 99.3% Unencumbered

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR), a leading fully integrated owner, operator and developer of industrial real estate, today announced results for the second quarter of 2022. First Industrial's diluted net income available to common stockholders per share (EPS) was $0.88, compared to $0.40 a year ago and second quarter FFO was $0.56 per share/unit on a diluted basis, compared to $0.48 per share/unit a year ago.

“Our team delivered another strong performance in the second quarter reflected in our financial results and portfolio metrics, including contributions from our development program,” said Peter E. Baccile, First Industrial's president and chief executive officer. “Industrial real estate fundamentals remain strong, supported by tenants requiring space to support efficiency and growth of their supply chains.”

Portfolio Performance

  • In service occupancy was 98.4% at the end of the second quarter of 2022, compared to 98.0% at the end of the first quarter of 2022, and 96.6% at the end of the second quarter of 2021.
  • Rental rates increased 27.0% on a cash basis and increased 46.5% on a straight-line basis.
  • Same property cash basis net operating income before termination fees (“SS NOI”) increased 9.4% reflecting higher average occupancy, increases in rental rates on new and renewal leasing, contractual rent escalations and slightly lower free rent.

Development Leasing

During the second quarter, the Company:

  • Leased 100% of the 1.1 million square-foot First Logistics Center @ 283 Building A in Central Pennsylvania. The lease is expected to commence in the third quarter.
  • Leased 100% of the 208,000 square-foot First Bordentown Logistics Center in New Jersey. The lease is expected to commence upon completion in fourth quarter.
  • Leased 33,000 square feet at its 200,000 square-foot First Park Miami Building 11 in South Florida. The lease is expected to commence in the third quarter.

Investment and Disposition Activities

In the second quarter, the Company:

  • Commenced development of four projects totaling 875,000 square feet, with an estimated total investment of $154 million comprised of:
    • First Elm Logistics Center in the Inland Empire - 83,000 square feet; $21 million estimated investment.
    • First Logistics Center @ 283 Building B in Central Pennsylvania - 699,000 square feet; $96 million estimated investment.
    • First 92 in Northern California - 37,000 square feet; $20 million estimated investment.
    • First Park Miami Building 13 in South Florida - 56,000 square feet; $16 million estimated investment.
  • Acquired three sites in the Inland Empire for $34 million.
  • Acquired five buildings totaling 279,000 square feet in Northern California, Southern California, Seattle and South Florida for $65 million.
  • Sold 391 acres at its Camelback 303 business park joint venture in Phoenix; First Industrial's share of the sales price was $110 million. First Industrial's share of the gain and promote before tax is $104 million.

In the third quarter, the Company:

  • Acquired two buildings totaling 96,000 square feet in South Florida and Southern California and a 2-acre site in the Inland Empire for $35 million.

“Our development program continues to deliver high quality logistics real estate solutions for tenants, while creating significant value for shareholders,” said Peter Schultz, First Industrial's executive vice president. “We were pleased to lease our largest current development, the 1.1 million square-foot First Logistics Center @ 283 in Pennsylvania. Our tenant is a leading international e-commerce retailer that will take occupancy in the third quarter.”

Capital

On April 18, 2022, the Company:

  • Closed a $425 million unsecured term loan facility, the proceeds from which were primarily used to refinance its prior $260 million unsecured term loan facility and pay off a $68 million mortgage loan. The new term loan matures on October 18, 2027 and provides for interest-only payments currently at an interest rate of SOFR plus a SOFR adjustment of 10 basis points plus a credit spread of 85 basis points based on the Company's current credit ratings and consolidated leverage ratio.

In the second quarter, the Company:

  • Entered into forward starting interest rate swaps to effectively fix the interest rate on the entire $425 million unsecured term loan facility at 3.64%. The new fixed rate is effective in October 2022 once the existing swaps from the refinanced $260 million unsecured term loan facility expire.

Outlook for 2022

“We are increasing our FFO per share guidance for 2022 by four cents at the midpoint to $2.19, fueled predominantly by our development leasing ahead of pro forma, quicker lease up in the in-service portfolio and an increase in capitalized interest due to our new development starts,” added Mr. Baccile.

Outlook for 2022

 

The following assumptions were used for guidance:

  • Average quarter-end in service occupancy of 98.0% to 98.75%, an increase of 37.5 basis points at the midpoint. This assumes the lease-up of the 644,000 square-foot facility in Baltimore will occur in 4Q22.
  • Same store NOI growth on a cash basis before termination fees of 8.25% to 9.25% for the full year, an increase of 50 basis points at the midpoint.
  • General and administrative expense of approximately $34.0 million to $35.0 million, an increase of $0.5 million at the midpoint.
  • Includes the incremental costs expected in 2022 related to the Company’s developments completed and under construction as of June 30, 2022. In total, the Company expects to capitalize $0.10 per share of interest in 2022, an increase of $0.01 per share.
  • Other than the transactions discussed in this release, guidance does not include the impact of:
    • any future debt repurchases prior to maturity or future debt issuances,
    • any future investments or property sales, or
    • any future equity issuances.

Conference Call

First Industrial will host its quarterly conference call on Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. CDT (11:00 a.m. EDT). The conference call may be accessed by dialing (888) 504-7949 and entering the passcode 352927. The conference call will also be webcast live on the Investors page of the Company’s website at www.firstindustrial.com. The replay will also be available on the website.

The Company’s second quarter 2022 supplemental information can be viewed at www.firstindustrial.com under the “Investors” tab. 

FFO Definition

In accordance with the NAREIT definition of FFO, First Industrial calculates FFO to be equal to net income available to First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.'s common stockholders and participating securities, plus depreciation and other amortization of real estate, plus impairment of real estate, minus gain or plus loss on sale of real estate, net of any income tax provision or benefit associated with the sale of real estate. First Industrial also excludes the same adjustments from its share of net income from unconsolidated joint ventures.

About First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR) is a leading fully integrated owner, operator, and developer of industrial real estate with a track record of providing industry-leading customer service to multinational corporations and regional customers. Across major markets in the United States, our local market experts manage, lease, buy, (re)develop, and sell bulk and regional distribution centers, light industrial, and other industrial facility types. In total, we own and have under development approximately 69.8 million square feet of industrial space as of June 30, 2022. For more information, please visit us at www.firstindustrial.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release and the presentation to which it refers may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We intend for such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, and are generally identifiable by use of the words "believe," "expect," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "seek," "target," "potential," "focus," "may," "will," "should" or similar words. Although we believe the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results will not materially differ. Factors which could have a materially adverse effect on our operations and future prospects include, but are not limited to: changes in national, international, regional and local economic conditions generally and real estate markets specifically; changes in legislation/regulation (including changes to laws governing the taxation of real estate investment trusts) local economic conditions generally and real estate markets specifically; changes in legislation/regulation (including changes to laws governing the taxation of real estate investment trusts) and actions of regulatory authorities; the uncertainty and economic impact of pandemics, epidemics or other public health emergencies or fear of such events, such as the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); our ability to qualify and maintain our status as a real estate investment trust; the availability and attractiveness of financing (including both public and private capital) and changes in interest rates; the availability and attractiveness of terms of additional debt repurchases; our ability to retain our credit agency ratings; our ability to comply with applicable financial covenants; our competitive environment; changes in supply, demand and valuation of industrial properties and land in our current and potential market areas; our ability to identify, acquire, develop and/or manage properties on favorable terms; our ability to dispose of properties on favorable terms; our ability to manage the integration of properties we acquire; potential liability relating to environmental matters; defaults on or non-renewal of leases by our tenants; decreased rental rates or increased vacancy rates; higher-than-expected real estate construction costs and delays in development or lease-up schedules; potential natural disasters and other potentially catastrophic events such as acts of war and/or terrorism; litigation, including costs associated with prosecuting or defending claims and any adverse outcomes; risks associated with our investments in joint ventures, including our lack of sole decision-making authority; and other risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in our other Exchange Act reports and in our other public filings with the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect our outlook only and speak only as of the date of this press release or the dates indicated in the statements. We assume no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements. For further information on these and other factors that could impact us and the statements contained herein, reference should be made to our filings with the SEC.

A schedule of selected financial information can be found in the PDF below. 

Contact:           Art Harmon, Vice President, Investor Relations and Marketing - (312) 344-4320

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