EGP · Read the filing

egp-20211231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

__________________________

FORM 10-K

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED

For the transition period from ___ to ___

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER

EASTGROUP PROPERTIES, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

400 W Parkway Place

Ridgeland, Mississippi 39157

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number: (601) 354-3555

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered

Common stock, $0.0001 par value per share EGP New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer ☒ Accelerated Filer ☐ Non-accelerated Filer ☐

Smaller Reporting Company ☐ Emerging Growth Company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of June 30, 2021, the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter: $6,541,518,905.

The number of shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value, outstanding as of February 15, 2022 was 41,249,445.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement relating to its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III. The Registrant intends to file such Proxy Statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

Page

PART I

Forward-Looking Statements 4

Item 1. Business 5

Item 1A. Risk Factors 8

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 14

Item 2. Properties 14

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 15

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 15

PART II

Item 6. [Reserved] 17

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 37

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 38

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 38

Item 9B. Other Information 38

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 38

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 39

Item 11. Executive Compensation 39

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 39

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 40

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the federal securities laws, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) that reflect EastGroup Properties, Inc.’s (the “Company” or “EastGroup”) expectations and projections about the Company’s future results, performance, prospects, plans and opportunities. The Company has attempted to identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “seek,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “targets,” “intends,” “should,” “estimates,” “could,” “continue,” “assume,” “projects,” “goals,” “plans” or variations of such words and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are subject to a number of known and unknown assumptions, risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance, plans or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, among other things, those discussed below. The Company intends for all such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, as applicable by law. The Company does not undertake publicly to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of changes in underlying assumptions or new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required to satisfy the Company’s obligations under federal securities laws.

The following are some, but not all, of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those presented in the Company’s forward-looking statements (the Company refers to itself as “we,” “us” or “our” in the following):

•international, national, regional and local economic conditions;

•the duration and extent of the impact of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, including any COVID-19 variants or the efficacy or availability of COVID-19 vaccines, on our business operations or the business operations of our tenants (including their ability to timely make rent payments) and the economy generally;

•disruption in supply and delivery chains;

•the general level of interest rates and ability to raise equity capital on attractive terms;

•financing risks, including the risks that our cash flows from operations may be insufficient to meet required payments of principal and interest, and we may be unable to refinance our existing debt upon maturity or obtain new financing on attractive terms or at all;

•our ability to retain our credit agency ratings;

•our ability to comply with applicable financial covenants;

•the competitive environment in which the Company operates;

•fluctuations of occupancy or rental rates;

•potential defaults (including bankruptcies or insolvency) on or non-renewal of leases by tenants, or our ability to lease space at current or anticipated rents, particularly in light of the significant uncertainty as to the conditions under which current or potential tenants will be able to operate physical locations in the future;

•potential changes in the law or governmental regulations and interpretations of those laws and regulations, including changes in real estate laws or real estate investment trust (“REIT”) or corporate income tax laws, and potential increases in real property tax rates;

•our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT;

•acquisition and development risks, including failure of such acquisitions and development projects to perform in accordance with projections;

•natural disasters such as fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes;

•pandemics, epidemics or other public health emergencies, such as the outbreak of COVID-19;

•the terms of governmental regulations that affect us and interpretations of those regulations, including the costs of compliance with those regulations, changes in real estate and zoning laws and increases in real property tax rates;

•credit risk in the event of non-performance by the counterparties to our interest rate swaps;

•the discontinuation of London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”);

•lack of or insufficient amounts of insurance;

•litigation, including costs associated with prosecuting or defending claims and any adverse outcomes;

•our ability to attract and retain key personnel;

•risks related to the failure, inadequacy or interruption of our data security systems and processes;

•the consequences of future terrorist attacks or civil unrest; and

•environmental liabilities, including costs, fines or penalties that may be incurred due to necessary remediation of contamination of properties presently owned or previously owned by us.

All forward-looking statements should be read in light of the risks identified in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors within this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

The Company

EastGroup Properties, Inc., which we refer to in this Annual Report as the “Company,” “EastGroup,” “we,” “us” or “our,” is an internally-managed equity real estate investment trust (“REIT”) first organized in 1969. EastGroup is focused on the development, acquisition and operation of industrial properties in major Sunbelt markets throughout the United States, primarily in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina. EastGroup’s strategy for growth is based on ownership of premier distribution facilities generally clustered near major transportation features in supply-constrained submarkets. EastGroup is a Maryland corporation, and its common stock is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “EGP.” The Company has elected to be taxed and intends to continue to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”).

Available Information

The Company maintains a website at www.eastgroup.net. The Company posts its annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after it electronically files or furnishes such materials to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In addition, the Company’s website includes items related to corporate governance matters, including, among other things, the Company’s corporate governance guidelines, charters of various committees of the Board of Directors, and the Company’s code of business conduct and ethics applicable to all employees, officers and directors. The Company intends to disclose on its website any amendment to, or waiver of, any provision of this code of business conduct and ethics applicable to the Company’s directors and executive officers that would otherwise be required to be disclosed under the rules of the SEC or the New York Stock Exchange. Copies of these reports and corporate governance documents may be obtained, free of charge, from the Company’s website. We are providing our website address solely for the information of investors, and the information on our website is not a part of or incorporated by reference into this annual report on Form 10-K or our other filings with the SEC.

You may also access any materials we file with the SEC through the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Administration

EastGroup maintains its principal executive office and headquarters in Ridgeland, Mississippi. The Company also has regional offices in Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles and asset management offices in Orlando, Miami, Houston and Phoenix. EastGroup has property management offices in Jacksonville, Tampa, Charlotte and San Antonio. Offices at these locations allow the Company to provide property management services to 79% of the Company’s operating portfolio on a square foot basis. In addition, the Company currently provides property administration (accounting of operations) for its entire portfolio. The regional offices in Georgia, Texas and California provide oversight of the Company’s development and value-add program. As of February 15, 2022, EastGroup had 82 full-time employees.

Business Overview

EastGroup’s goal is to maximize shareholder value by being a leading provider in its markets of functional, flexible and quality business distribution space for location-sensitive customers (primarily in the 15,000 to 70,000 square foot range). The Company develops, acquires and operates distribution facilities, the majority of which are clustered around major transportation features in supply-constrained submarkets in major Sunbelt regions. The Company’s core markets are in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina.

As of December 31, 2021, EastGroup owned 448 industrial properties and one office building in 11 states. As of that same date, the Company’s portfolio, including development projects and value-add properties in lease-up and under construction, included approximately 50.9 million square feet consisting of 411 business distribution properties containing 46.2 million square feet, 13 bulk distribution properties containing 3.5 million square feet, and 24 business service properties containing 1.2 million square feet. As of December 31, 2021, EastGroup’s operating portfolio was 98.7% leased to approximately 1,565 tenants, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 1% of the Company’s income from real estate operations for the year ended December 31, 2021. As of February 15, 2022, the properties which were in the development and value-add program at year-end were approximately 49% leased.

During 2021, EastGroup increased its holdings in real estate properties through its acquisition and development programs. The Company purchased 1,806,000 square feet of operating and value-add properties and 365.8 acres of land for a total of $320.3 million. Also during 2021, the Company began construction of 17 development projects containing 2,806,000 square feet and transferred 17 projects, which contain 2.7 million square feet and had costs of $272.3 million at the date of transfer, from its development and value-add program to real estate properties.

During 2021, EastGroup sold an operating property containing 284,000 square feet, which generated gross proceeds of $45.1 million.

The Company typically initially funds its development and acquisition programs through its unsecured bank credit facilities, the total capacity of which was increased in June 2021 to $475 million (as discussed under the heading Liquidity and Capital Resources in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K). As market conditions permit, EastGroup issues equity or employs fixed rate debt, including variable rate debt that has been swapped to an effectively fixed rate through the use of interest rate swaps, to replace short-term bank borrowings. Moody’s Investors Service has assigned the Company’s issuer rating of Baa2 with a stable outlook. A security rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating agency. Each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating. For future debt issuances, the Company intends to issue primarily unsecured fixed rate debt, including variable rate debt that has been swapped to an effectively fixed rate through the use of interest rate swaps. The Company may also access the public debt market in the future as a means to raise capital.

EastGroup holds its properties as long-term investments but may determine to sell certain properties that no longer meet its investment criteria. The Company may provide financing to a prospective purchaser in connection with such sales of property if market conditions require. In addition, the Company may provide financing to a partner or co-owner in connection with an acquisition of real estate in certain situations.

Subject to the requirements necessary to maintain EastGroup’s qualifications as a REIT, the Company may acquire securities of entities engaged in real estate activities or securities of other issuers, including for the purpose of exercising control over those entities.

EastGroup has no present intention of acting as an underwriter of offerings of securities of other issuers. The strategies and policies set forth above were determined and are subject to review by EastGroup’s Board of Directors, which may change such strategies or policies based upon its evaluation of the state of the real estate market, the performance of EastGroup’s assets, capital and credit market conditions, and other relevant factors.

Competition

The market for the leasing of industrial real estate is competitive. We experience competition for tenants from existing properties in proximity to our buildings as well as from new development. Institutional investors, other REITs and local real estate operators generally own such properties; however, no single competitor or small group of competitors is dominant in our current markets. Even so, as a result of competition, we may have to provide concessions, incur charges for tenant improvements or offer other inducements, all of which may have an adverse impact on our results of operations. The market for the acquisition of industrial real estate is also competitive. We compete for real property investments with other REITs and institutional investors such as pension funds and their advisors, private real estate investment funds, insurance company investment accounts, private investment companies, individuals and other entities engaged in real estate investment activities.

Regulations

Compliance with various governmental regulations has an impact on EastGroup’s business, including EastGroup’s capital expenditures, earnings and competitive position, which can be material. EastGroup incurs costs to monitor and take actions to comply with governmental regulations that are applicable to its business, which include, among others, federal securities laws and regulations, applicable stock exchange requirements, REIT and other tax laws and regulations, environmental and health and safety laws and regulations, local zoning, usage and other regulations relating to real property, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”).

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all states where EastGroup’s customers operate their businesses or where EastGroup’s properties are located. EastGroup’s business and some of its customers’ businesses have been impacted and may continue to be impacted by measures taken to control the COVID-19 outbreak (including “shelter-in-place” or “stay-at-home” orders, density limitations and social distancing orders, and other mandates issued by local, state or federal authorities). The extent of the pandemic’s impact varies by business; to date, there has not been a material adverse impact on the Company.

Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, an owner of real estate may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances on or in such property. Many such laws impose liability without regard to whether the owner knows of, or was responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. The presence of such substances, or the failure to properly remediate such substances, may adversely affect the owner’s ability to sell or rent such property or to use such property as collateral in its borrowings. EastGroup’s properties have generally been subject to Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (“ESAs”) by independent environmental consultants and, as necessary, have been subjected to Phase II ESAs. These reports have not revealed any potential significant environmental liability. Our management is not aware of any environmental liability that would have a material adverse effect on EastGroup’s business, assets, financial position or results of operations.

See “Item 1A. Risk Factors“ in this Annual Report for a discussion of material risks to EastGroup, including related to governmental regulations and environmental matters.

Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Matters

EastGroup’s commitment to ESG initiatives is evidenced by its building standards, corporate policies and procedures and company culture. At EastGroup, protecting the environment is important to the Company’s employees, families, customers and communities. The Company strives to support sustainability through its commitment to build high performance and environmentally responsible properties. Through EastGroup’s continued efforts, numerous properties have been Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (“LEED”) and ENERGY STAR certified, and while formal certification is not always pursued, the Company builds all of its development properties with the intention of meeting LEED certifiable standards. The Company consistently invests in energy-efficient improvements throughout its portfolio, such as LED lighting, skylights, white reflective roofing, electric vehicle charging stations and smart sensor irrigation systems. The Company strives for efficiency in operating properties with innovative solutions that lower operational costs and reduce the environmental footprint. In June 2021, the Company amended and restated its unsecured revolving credit facility and unsecured working cash credit facility. The new credit facilities provide for an incremental reduction in borrowing costs if a certain sustainability-linked metric is achieved. This metric is based on a target number of newly-constructed buildings with qualifying electric vehicle charging stations as a percentage of total qualifying buildings for each fiscal year and allows for the reduction of the applicable interest margin by one basis point upon satisfaction of these targets. The baseline was set based on the year ended December 31, 2021, and will be measured annually beginning with the year ending December 31, 2022. The Company believes that its continued commitment to pursue environmentally conscious performance and standards through sustainability best practices creates long-term value for the environment, the Company and its stakeholders.

During 2021, the Company acted on its commitment to ESG initiatives by hiring a full-time Director of Corporate Sustainability to lead its ESG efforts. The Company also expanded its ESG Committee to include employee representation from various operational groups and geographic locations.

In addition, EastGroup and its employees are committed to social responsibility and are active participants in the communities where they live and work. EastGroup’s employees volunteer for numerous charities, and the Company coordinates volunteer opportunities for its employees and provides paid time off for volunteering in order to encourage participation and increase social engagement in all of the communities in which it operates.

EastGroup operates on the premise that good corporate governance is fundamental to the Company’s business and core values, and the Company believes its corporate governance policies and practices are well aligned with the interests of stakeholders. The honesty and integrity of the Company’s management and Board of Directors are critical assets in maintaining the trust of the Company’s investors, employees, customers, vendors and the communities in which the Company operates.

Readers are encouraged to visit the “Priorities” page of our website and review our 2021 Environmental, Social & Governance Report for more detail regarding our ESG programs and initiatives. Nothing on our website or in the referenced report shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Human Capital Matters

We believe our employees are a critical component of the success and sustainability of our Company, and we are committed to providing a diverse and inclusive work environment that encourages collaboration and teamwork.

•Workforce Diversity: As of February 15, 2022, we employed 82 team members located in 12 offices in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. As of February 15, 2022, 100% of our employees were full-time and none were members of a union or subject to a collective bargaining agreement. Our team is comprised of the following types of personnel:

•asset, construction and property managers;

•accounting, administrative, human resources and information technology professionals; and

•our corporate leadership team.

Our current employee base is 74% comprised of women and 75% of new hires in 2021 were women. The officer group is comprised of 42% women and 58% men. 17% of our employees identify as racial or ethnic minorities. Our Board of Directors is 22% comprised of women. With 82 employees and 9 directors, each team member plays a vital role in the success of the Company.

•Employee Tenure: We believe our culture supports our employees and creates a positive, professional environment that encourages longevity for our team members. We seek to develop leaders and promote from within the organization when opportunities arise. As of February 15, 2022, 68% of our employees at the manager level and above were promoted from within the Company. The average tenure of our workforce is 11 years, and 13 years for our officers. Our voluntary turnover rate was 7.3% in 2021.

•Compensation, Benefits, Health and Safety: We offer a comprehensive employee benefits program and what we believe are socially-responsible policies and practices in order to support the overall well-being of our employees and create a safe, professional and inclusive work environment. Some of the benefits we offer include a robust 401(k) matching program, generous personal leave policy, paid parental leave, flexible work schedules, paid time off for volunteering, annual health and wellness checkups, employer-paid health insurance for all full-time employees, tobacco cessation program, athletic club and tuition reimbursement programs, and a competitive pay structure.

•Training and Development: We have a formal, certificate-based learning program for all employees; learning objectives include topics such as diversity and inclusion, unconscious bias, anti-harassment and data security. Our employees are provided with training, education and peer mentoring programs to further develop their professional skill set, enhancing the level of customer service provided to our customers and the quality of information disclosed to our stakeholders.

•Policies: We have various policies and practices in place, including a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, Whistleblower Program, Equal Opportunity and Commitment to Diversity, Human Rights Policy, Vendor Code of Conduct, ADA & Reasonable Accommodation, Commitment to Safety, Community Service, Family Medical Leave, Maternity and Paternity Leave, Standards of Conduct, Workplace Violence Prevention, Healthy, Wealthy, Wise Benefits Summary, and Cybersecurity.

•Company and Board Engagement: We value our employees, and our focus on human capital management and other socially-responsible initiatives is at the forefront of discussions and decisions with both management and the Board of Directors. On a regular basis, Company management holds ESG-related discussions with the Board of Directors; in 2021, our management and the Board of Directors formally met to discuss these topics three times.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

In addition to the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this document, readers should carefully consider the following risk factors. Any of these risks or the occurrence of any one or more of the uncertainties described below could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and the performance of its business. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to the Company or that the Company currently deems immaterial also may impair its business operations.

Real Estate Industry Risks

We face risks associated with local real estate conditions in areas where we own properties. We may be adversely affected by general economic conditions and local real estate conditions. For example, an oversupply of industrial properties in a local area or a decline in the attractiveness of our properties to tenants would have a negative effect on us. Other factors that may affect general economic conditions or local real estate conditions include:

•population and demographic trends;

•employment and personal income trends;

•income and other tax laws;

•changes in interest rates and availability and costs of financing;

•increased operating costs, including insurance premiums, utilities and real estate taxes, due to inflation and other factors which may not necessarily be offset by increased rents;

•changes in the price of oil;

•construction costs;

•weather-related events; and

•continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the impact of emerging variants and any related mitigation actions by governments or businesses, on our business and our tenants.

We may be unable to compete for properties and tenants. The real estate business is highly competitive. We compete for interests in properties with other real estate investors and purchasers, some of whom have greater financial resources, revenues and geographical diversity than we have. Furthermore, we compete for tenants with other property owners. All of our industrial properties are subject to significant local competition. We also compete with a wide variety of institutions and other investors for capital funds necessary to support our investment activities and asset growth.

We are subject to significant regulation that constrains our activities. Local zoning and land use laws, environmental statutes and other governmental requirements restrict our expansion, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities. These regulations may prevent us from taking advantage of economic opportunities. Legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act may require us to modify our properties, and noncompliance could result in the imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants. Future legislation may impose additional requirements. We cannot predict what requirements may be enacted or what changes may be implemented to existing legislation.

Risks Associated with Our Properties

We may be unable to lease space on favorable terms or at all. When a lease expires, a tenant may elect not to renew it. We may not be able to re-lease the property on favorable terms, if we are able to re-lease the property at all. The terms of renewal or re-lease (including the cost of required renovations and/or concessions to tenants) may be less favorable to us than the prior lease. We also routinely develop properties with no pre-leasing. If we are unable to lease all or a substantial portion of our properties, or if the rental rates upon such leasing are significantly lower than expected rates, our cash generated before debt repayments and capital expenditures and our ability to make expected distributions to stockholders may be adversely affected.

We may be affected negatively by tenant bankruptcies and leasing delays. At any time, a tenant may experience a downturn in its business that may weaken its financial condition. Similarly, a general decline in the economy may result in a decline in the demand for space at our industrial properties. As a result, our tenants may delay lease commencement, fail to make rental payments when due, or declare bankruptcy. Any such event could result in the termination of that tenant’s lease and losses to us, and funds available for distribution to investors may decrease. We receive a substantial portion of our income as rents under mid-term and long-term leases. If tenants are unable to comply with the terms of their leases for any reason, including because of rising costs or falling sales, we may deem it advisable to modify lease terms to allow tenants to pay a lower rent or a smaller share of taxes, insurance and other operating costs. If a tenant becomes insolvent or bankrupt, we cannot be sure that we could recover the premises from the tenant promptly or from a trustee or debtor-in-possession in any bankruptcy proceeding relating to the tenant. We also cannot be sure that we would receive rent in the proceeding sufficient to cover our expenses with respect to the premises. If a tenant becomes bankrupt, the federal bankruptcy code will apply and, in some instances, may restrict the amount and recoverability of our claims against the tenant. A tenant’s default on its obligations to us could adversely affect our financial condition and the cash we have available for distribution.

We face risks associated with our property development. We intend to continue to develop properties where we believe market conditions warrant such investment. Once made, our investments may not produce results in accordance with our expectations. Risks associated with our current and future development and construction activities include:

•the availability of favorable financing alternatives;

•the risk that we may not be able to obtain land on which to develop or that due to the increased cost of land, our activities may not be as profitable;

•construction costs exceeding original estimates due to rising interest rates and increases in the costs of materials and labor;

•disruption in supply and delivery chains;

•construction and lease-up delays resulting in increased debt service, fixed expenses and construction costs;

•expenditure of funds and devotion of management’s time to projects that we do not complete;

•fluctuations of occupancy and rental rates at newly completed properties, which depend on a number of factors, including market and economic conditions, resulting in lower than projected rental rates and a corresponding lower return on our investment; and

•complications (including building moratoriums and anti-growth legislation) in obtaining necessary zoning, occupancy and other governmental permits.

We face risks associated with property acquisitions. We acquire individual properties and portfolios of properties and intend to continue to do so. Our acquisition activities and their success are subject to the following risks:

•when we are able to locate a desired property, competition from other real estate investors may significantly increase the purchase price;

•acquired properties may fail to perform as we project;

•the actual costs of repositioning or redeveloping acquired properties may be higher than our estimates;

•acquired properties may be located in new markets where we face risks associated with an incomplete knowledge or understanding of the local market, a limited number of established business relationships in the area and a relative unfamiliarity with local governmental and permitting procedures;

•we may be unable to quickly and efficiently integrate new acquisitions, particularly acquisitions of portfolios of properties, into our existing operations, and as a result, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected; and

•we may acquire properties subject to liabilities and without any recourse, or with only limited recourse, to the transferor with respect to unknown liabilities. As a result, if a claim were asserted against us based upon ownership of those properties, we might have to pay substantial sums to settle it, which could adversely affect our cash flow.

Coverage under our existing insurance policies may be inadequate to cover losses. We generally maintain insurance policies related to our business, including casualty, general liability and other policies, covering our business operations, employees and assets as appropriate for the markets where our properties and business operations are located. However, we would be required to bear all losses that are not adequately covered by insurance. In addition, there may be certain losses that are not generally insured against or that are not generally fully insured against because it is not deemed economically feasible or prudent to do so, including losses due to floods, wind, earthquakes, acts of war, acts of terrorism or riots. If an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occurs with respect to one or more of our properties, then we could lose the capital we invested in the properties, as well as the anticipated future revenue from the properties. In addition, if the damaged properties are subject to recourse indebtedness, we would continue to be liable for the indebtedness, even if these properties were irreparably damaged.

We face risks due to lack of geographic and real estate sector diversity. Substantially all of our properties are located in the Sunbelt region of the United States with an emphasis in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina. As of December 31, 2021, our largest markets were Houston and Dallas. We owned operating properties totaling 6.2 million square feet in Houston and 4.7 million square feet in Dallas, which represent 13.2% and 10.0%, respectively, of the Company’s total Real estate properties on a square foot basis. A downturn in general economic conditions and local real estate conditions in these geographic regions, as a result of oversupply of or reduced demand for industrial properties, local business climate, business layoffs and changing demographics, would have a particularly strong adverse effect on us. In addition, our investments in real estate assets are concentrated in the industrial distribution sector. This concentration may expose us to the risk of economic downturns in this sector to a greater extent than if our business activities included other sectors of the real estate industry.

We face risks due to the illiquidity of real estate which may limit our ability to vary our portfolio. Real estate investments are relatively illiquid. Our ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions will therefore be limited. In addition, because of our status as a REIT, the Internal Revenue Code limits our ability to sell our properties. If we must sell an investment, we cannot ensure that we will be able to dispose of the investment on terms favorable to the Company.

We are subject to environmental laws and regulations. Current and previous real estate owners and operators may be required under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations to investigate and clean up hazardous substances released at the properties they own or operate. They may also be liable to the government or to third parties for substantial property or natural resource damage, investigation costs and cleanup costs. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release or presence of such hazardous substances. In addition, some environmental laws create a lien on the contaminated site in favor of the government for damages and costs the government incurs in connection with the contamination. Contamination may adversely affect the owner’s ability to use, sell or lease real estate or to borrow using the real estate as collateral. We have no way of determining at this time the magnitude of any potential liability to which we may be subject arising out of environmental conditions or violations with respect to the properties we currently or formerly owned. Environmental laws today can impose liability on a previous owner or operator of a property that owned or operated the property at a time when hazardous or toxic substances were disposed of, released from, or present at the property. A conveyance of the property, therefore, may not relieve the owner or operator from liability. Although ESAs have been conducted at our properties to identify potential sources of contamination at the properties,

such ESAs do not reveal all environmental liabilities or compliance concerns that could arise from the properties. Moreover, material environmental liabilities or compliance concerns may exist, of which we are currently unaware, that in the future may have a material adverse effect on our business, assets or results of operations.

Climate change and its effects, including compliance with new laws or regulations such as “green” building codes, may require us to make improvements to our existing properties or result in unanticipated losses that could affect our business and financial condition. To the extent that climate change causes an increase in catastrophic weather events, such as severe storms, fires or floods, our properties may be susceptible to an increase in weather-related damage. Even in the absence of direct physical damage to our properties, the occurrence of any natural disasters or a changing climate in the area of any of our properties could have a material adverse effect on business, supply chains and the economy generally. Climate change could cause an increase in property and casualty insurance premiums. The potential impacts of future climate change on our properties could adversely affect our ability to lease, develop or sell our properties or to borrow using our properties as collateral. In addition, any proposed legislation enacted to address climate change could increase the costs of energy, utilities and overall development. The resulting costs of any proposed legislation may adversely affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Financing Risks

We face risks associated with the use of debt to fund acquisitions and developments, including refinancing risk. We are subject to the risks normally associated with debt financing, including the risk that our cash flow will be insufficient to meet required payments of principal and interest. In addition, certain of our debt will have significant outstanding principal balances on their maturity dates, commonly known as “balloon payments.” Therefore, we will likely need to refinance at least a portion of our outstanding debt as it matures. There is a risk that we may not be able to refinance existing debt or that the terms of any refinancing will not be as favorable as the terms of the existing debt.

We face risks associated with our dependence on external sources of capital. In order to qualify as a REIT, we are required each year to distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our ordinary taxable income, and we are subject to tax on our income to the extent it is not distributed. Because of this distribution requirement, we may not be able to fund all future capital needs from cash retained from operations. As a result, to fund capital needs, we rely on third-party sources of capital, which we may not be able to obtain on favorable terms, if at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends upon a number of factors, including (i) general market conditions; (ii) the market’s perception of our growth potential; (iii) our current and potential future earnings and cash distributions; and (iv) the market price of our capital stock. Additional debt financing may negatively impact our financial ratios, such as our debt-to-total market capitalization ratio, our debt-to-EBITDAre ratio and our fixed charge coverage ratio. Additional equity financing may dilute the holdings of our current stockholders.

Covenants in our credit agreements could limit our flexibility and adversely affect our financial condition. The terms of our various credit agreements and other indebtedness require us to comply with a number of customary financial and other covenants, such as maintaining debt service coverage and leverage ratios and maintaining insurance coverage. These covenants may limit our flexibility in our operations, and breaches of these covenants could result in defaults under the instruments governing the applicable indebtedness even if we had satisfied our payment obligations. If we are unable to refinance our indebtedness at maturity or meet our payment obligations, the amount of our distributable cash flow and our financial condition would be adversely affected.

Adverse changes in our credit ratings could impair our ability to obtain additional debt and equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. Our credit ratings are based on our operating performance, liquidity and leverage ratios, overall financial position and other factors employed by the credit rating agencies in their rating analysis of us. Our credit ratings can affect the amount and type of capital we can access, as well as the terms of any financings we may obtain. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current credit ratings. In the event our current credit ratings deteriorate, it may be more difficult or expensive to obtain additional financing or refinance existing obligations and commitments. Also, a downgrade in our credit ratings would trigger additional costs or other potentially negative consequences under our current and future credit facilities and debt instruments.

Increases in interest rates would increase our interest expense. At December 31, 2021, we had $209,210,000 of variable rate debt outstanding not protected by interest rate hedge contracts. We may incur additional variable rate debt in the future. If interest rates increase, then so would the interest expense on our unhedged variable rate debt, which would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. From time to time, we manage our exposure to interest rate risk with interest rate hedge contracts that effectively fix or cap a portion of our variable rate debt. In addition, we refinance fixed rate debt at times when we believe rates and terms are appropriate. Our efforts to manage these exposures may not be successful. Our use of interest rate hedge contracts to manage risk associated with interest rate volatility may expose us to additional risks, including a risk that a counterparty to a hedge contract may fail to honor its obligations. Developing an effective interest rate risk strategy

is complex and no strategy can completely insulate us from risks associated with interest rate fluctuations. There can be no assurance that our hedging activities will have the desired beneficial impact on our results of operations or financial condition. Termination of interest rate hedge contracts typically involves costs, such as transaction fees or breakage costs.

The discontinuation of LIBOR and the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate may adversely affect our borrowing costs and could impact our business and results of operations. The LIBOR benchmark has been the subject of national, international, and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform and replacement, with most LIBOR tenors not expected to be published after June 30, 2023. In the U.S., the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“AARC”), which was convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has recommended the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus a recommended spread adjustment as its preferred alternative to USD-LIBOR. There are significant differences between LIBOR and SOFR, such as LIBOR being an unsecured lending rate while SOFR is a secured rate, and SOFR is an overnight rate while LIBOR reflects term rates at different maturities. We expect that all LIBOR settings relevant to us will cease to be published or will no longer be representative after June 30, 2023. As a result, any of our LIBOR-based borrowings that extend beyond such date will need to be converted to a replacement rate. Certain risks may arise in connection with transitioning contracts to SOFR or any other alternative variable rate, including any resulting value transfer that may occur. The value of loans, securities, or derivative instruments tied to LIBOR could also be impacted. The Company’s unsecured bank credit facilities, senior unsecured term loans and interest rate swap contracts are indexed to LIBOR andinclude provisions for a replacement rate which we believe will be substantially equivalent to the all-in LIBOR-based interest rate in effect prior to its replacement. It is not yet possible to predict the magnitude of LIBOR’s end on our borrowing costs given the remaining uncertainty about which rates will replace LIBOR. The Company is continuously monitoring and evaluating the related risks, which include interest on loans and amounts received and paid on derivative instruments. These risks arise in connection with transitioning contracts to a new alternative rate, including any resulting value transfer that may occur. The value of loans or derivative instruments tied to LIBOR could also be impacted if LIBOR is limited or discontinued as interest rates may be adversely affected. While we expect LIBOR to be available in substantially its current form until June 30, 2023, it is possible that LIBOR will become unavailable prior to that point. This could result, for example, if sufficient banks decline to make submissions to the LIBOR administrator. In that case, the risks associated with the transition to an alternative reference rate will be accelerated and magnified.

The lack of certain limitations on our debt could result in our becoming more highly leveraged. Our governing documents do not limit the amount of indebtedness we may incur. Accordingly, we may incur additional debt and would do so, for example, if it were necessary to maintain our status as a REIT. We might become more highly leveraged as a result, and our financial condition and cash available for distribution to stockholders might be negatively affected and the risk of default on our indebtedness could increase.

Other Risks

The market value of our common stock could decrease based on our performance and market perception and conditions. The market value of our common stock may be affected by the market’s perception of our operating results, growth potential, and current and future cash dividends and may also be affected by the real estate market value of our underlying assets. The market price of our common stock may also be influenced by the dividend on our common stock relative to market interest rates. Rising interest rates may lead potential buyers of our common stock to expect a higher dividend rate, which would adversely affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, rising interest rates would result in increased expense, thereby adversely affecting cash flow and our ability to service our indebtedness and pay dividends.

The state of the economy or other adverse changes in general or local economic conditions may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Turmoil in the global financial markets may have an adverse impact on the availability of credit to businesses generally and could lead to a further weakening of the U.S. and global economies. Currently these conditions have not impaired our ability to access credit markets and finance our operations. However, our ability to access the capital markets may be restricted at a time when we would like, or need, to raise financing, which could have an impact on our flexibility to react to changing economic and business conditions. Furthermore, deteriorating economic conditions including business layoffs, downsizing, industry slowdowns and other similar factors that affect our customers could negatively impact commercial real estate fundamentals and result in lower occupancy, lower rental rates and declining values in our real estate portfolio and in the collateral securing any loan investments we may make. Additionally, an adverse economic situation could have an impact on our lenders or customers, causing them to fail to meet their obligations to us. No assurances can be given that the effects of an adverse economic situation will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may fail to qualify as a REIT. If we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will not be allowed to deduct dividends to stockholders in computing our taxable income and will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates. In addition, we may be

barred from qualification as a REIT for the four years following disqualification. The additional tax incurred at regular corporate rates would significantly reduce the cash flow available for distribution to stockholders and for debt service. Furthermore, we would no longer be required by the Internal Revenue Code to make any dividends to our stockholders as a condition of REIT qualification. If we were to fail to qualify as a REIT, subject to certain limitations in the Internal Revenue Code, corporate stockholders may be eligible for the dividends received deduction, and individual, trust and estate stockholders may be eligible to treat the dividends received from us as qualified dividend income taxable as net capital gains under the provisions of Section 1(h)(11) of the Internal Revenue Code. However, non-corporate stockholders (including individuals) will not be able to deduct 20% of certain dividends they receive from us. The REIT qualification requirements are extremely complex, and interpretation of the U.S. federal income tax laws governing REIT qualification is limited. Although we believe we have operated and intend to operate in a manner that will continue to qualify us as a REIT, we cannot be certain that we have been or will be successful in continuing to be taxed as a REIT. In addition, facts and circumstances that may be beyond our control may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT. We cannot assure you that new legislation, regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions will not change the tax laws significantly with respect to our qualification as a REIT or with respect to the federal income tax consequences of qualification.

Legislative or regulatory action with respect to tax laws and regulations could adversely affect the Company and our stockholders. We are subject to state and local tax laws and regulations. Changes in state and local tax laws or regulations may result in an increase in our tax liability. A shortfall in tax revenues for states and municipalities in which we operate may lead to an increase in the frequency and size of such changes. If such changes occur, we may be required to pay additional taxes on our assets or income. These increased tax costs could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and the amount of cash available for the payment of dividends. In addition, in recent years, numerous legislative, judicial and administrative changes have been made to the federal income tax laws applicable to investments in REITs and similar entities. Additional changes to tax laws are likely to continue to occur in the future, and we cannot assure our stockholders that any such changes will not adversely affect the taxation of a stockholder. We cannot assure you that future changes to tax laws and regulations will not have an adverse effect on an investment in our stock.

To maintain our status as a REIT, we limit the amount of shares any one stockholder can own. The Internal Revenue Code imposes certain limitations on the ownership of the stock of a REIT. For example, not more than 50% in value of our outstanding shares of capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) during the last half of any taxable year. To protect our REIT status, our charter prohibits any holder from acquiring more than 9.8% (in value or in number, whichever is more restrictive) of our outstanding equity stock (defined as all of our classes of capital stock, except our excess stock (of which there is none outstanding)) unless our Board of Directors grants a waiver. The ownership limit may limit the opportunity for stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of common stock that might otherwise exist if an investor were attempting to assemble a block of shares in excess of 9.8% of the outstanding shares of equity stock or otherwise effect a change in control.

Certain tax and anti-takeover provisions of our charter and bylaws may inhibit a change of our control. Certain provisions contained in our charter and bylaws and the Maryland General Corporation Law may discourage a third party from making a tender offer or acquisition proposal to us. If this were to happen, it could delay, deter or prevent a change in control or the removal of existing management. These provisions also may delay or prevent our stockholders from receiving a premium for their common shares over then-prevailing market prices. These provisions include:

•the REIT ownership limit described above;

•special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board, the chief executive officer, the president, a majority of the board or by stockholders possessing a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting;

•our Board of Directors may authorize and issue securities without stockholder approval; and

•advance-notice requirements for proposals to be presented at stockholder meetings.

In addition, Maryland law provides protection for Maryland corporations against unsolicited takeovers by limiting, among other things, the duties of the directors in unsolicited takeover situations and certain “business combinations” and “control share acquisitions.” Our bylaws contain provisions exempting us from the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act and the Maryland Business Combination Act. Our bylaws prohibit the repeal, amendment or alteration of our Maryland Control Share Acquisition opt out without the approval by the Company’s stockholders; however, there can be no assurance that this provision will not be amended or eliminated at some time in the future.

The Company faces risks in attracting and retaining key personnel. Many of our senior executives have strong industry reputations, which aid us in identifying acquisition and development opportunities and negotiating with tenants and sellers of properties. The loss of the services of these key personnel could affect our operations because of diminished relationships with

existing and prospective tenants, property sellers and industry personnel. In addition, attracting new or replacement personnel may be difficult in a competitive market.

We have severance and change in control agreements with certain of our officers that may deter changes in control of the Company. If, within a certain time period (as set in the officer’s agreement) following a change in control, we terminate the officer’s employment other than for cause, or if the officer elects to terminate his or her employment with us for reasons specified in the agreement, we will make a severance payment equal to the officer’s average annual compensation times an amount specified in the officer’s agreement, together with the officer’s base salary and vacation pay that have accrued but are unpaid through the date of termination. These agreements may deter a change in control because of the increased cost for a third party to acquire control of us.

We rely on information technology in our operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or cyber-attack of that technology could harm our business. We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the internet, to process, transmit and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of business processes, including financial transactions and records, and to maintain personal identifying information and customer and lease data. We purchase some of our information technology from vendors, on whom our systems depend. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmission and storage of data relating to our business operations (including our financial transactions and records) and confidential customer data (including individually identifiable information relating to financial accounts). Although we have taken steps to protect the security of our information systems and the data maintained in those systems, it is possible that our safety and security measures will not prevent the systems’ improper functioning or damage, or the improper access or disclosure of our business operations or personally identifiable information such as in the event of cyber-attacks. Security breaches, including physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, phishing or spoofing attacks by hackers and similar breaches, can create system disruptions, shutdowns, misappropriation of assets or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. In some cases, it may be difficult to anticipate or immediately detect such incidents and the damage they cause. Any failure to maintain proper function, security and availability of our information systems could interrupt our operations, damage our reputation, subject us to liability claims or regulatory penalties and could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be impacted by changes in U.S. social, political, regulatory and economic conditions or laws and policies. Any changes to U.S. tax laws, foreign trade, manufacturing, and development and investment in the territories and countries where our customers operate could adversely affect our operating results and our business.

Pandemics, such as COVID-19, and mitigation efforts to control its spread may continue to impact our business. Our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected by factors relating to such pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic, including the ongoing emergence of viral variants, has caused and could continue to cause widespread disruptions to the U.S. and global economy and has contributed to significant volatility and negative pressure in financial markets. Extraordinary actions have been taken by businesses and by federal, state and local governmental authorities to combat the spread of COVID-19, including issuance of “stay-at-home” directives and mandates for many businesses to curtail or cease normal operations.

Our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows are affected by our ability to lease our properties and collect rental revenues, renew our leases or lease vacant space on favorable terms, and the health and well-being of our customers, employees and other stakeholders, all of which could be adversely affected by COVID-19 or other pandemics.In addition, to the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

EastGroup owned 448 industrial properties and one office building at December 31, 2021. These properties are located primarily in the Sunbelt states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina, and the majority are clustered around major transportation features in supply constrained submarkets. As of February 15, 2022, EastGroup’s operating portfolio was 98.1% leased and 97.1% occupied by approximately 1,565 tenants, with no single tenant accounting for more than

approximately 1% of the Company’s income from real estate operations. The Company has developed approximately 48% of its total portfolio (on a square foot basis), which includes real estate properties and development and value-add properties in lease-up and under construction. The Company’s focus is the ownership of business distribution space (91% of the total portfolio) with the remainder in bulk distribution space (7%) and business service space (2%). Business distribution space properties are typically multi-tenant buildings with a building depth of 200 feet or less, clear height of 24-30 feet, office finish of 10-25% and truck courts with a depth of 100-120 feet. See Consolidated Financial Statement Schedule III – Real Estate Properties and Accumulated Depreciation for a detailed listing of the Company’s properties.

At December 31, 2021, EastGroup did not own any single property with a book value that was 10% or more of total book value or with gross revenues that were 10% or more of total gross revenues.

The Company’s lease expirations for the next ten years are detailed below:

(1) Represents the monthly cash rental rates, excluding tenant expense reimbursements, as of December 31, 2021, multiplied by 12 months.

(2) Includes month-to-month leases.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

The Company is not presently involved in any material litigation nor, to its knowledge, is any material litigation threatened against the Company or its properties, other than routine litigation arising in the ordinary course and other actions not deemed to be material. Of these matters, substantially all of which are to be covered by the Company’s liability insurance and which, in the aggregate, are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations. The Company cannot predict the outcome of any litigation with certainty, and some lawsuits, claims or proceedings may be disposed of unfavorably to the Company, which could materially affect its financial condition or results of operations.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not applicable.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

The Company’s shares of common stock are listed for trading on the NYSE under the symbol “EGP.” As of February 15, 2022, there were 389 holders of record of the Company’s 41,249,445 outstanding shares of common stock. The Company distributed all of its 2021 and 2020 taxable income to its stockholders. Accordingly, no significant provisions for income taxes were necessary. The following table summarizes the federal income tax treatment for all distributions by the Company for the years 2021 and 2020.

Federal Income Tax Treatment of Share Distributions

Years Ended December 31,

Common Share Distributions: (Per share)

Nondividend distributions — —

Unrecaptured Section 1250 capital gain — —

Other capital gain — —

Performance Graph

The following graph compares, over the five years ended December 31, 2021, the cumulative total shareholder return on EastGroup’s common stock with the cumulative total return of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Total Return Index (S&P 500 Total Return) and the FTSE Equity REIT index prepared by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (FTSE Nareit Equity REITs).

The performance graph and related information shall not be deemed “soliciting material” or be deemed to be “filed” with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into such filing.

Fiscal years ended December 31,

The information above assumes that the value of the investment in shares of EastGroup’s common stock and each index was $100 on December 31, 2016, and that all dividends were reinvested.

ITEM 6. [RESERVED].

Not applicable.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

The following discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

OVERVIEW

The COVID-19 pandemic has not had a materially disruptive effect on EastGroup’s operations, occupancy or rent collections to date. However, EastGroup cannot predict the severity and duration of the economic uncertainty related to the pandemic, and the pandemic’s effect on EastGroup’s customers and on the Company’s business, future financial condition and operating results cannot be predicted with certainty at this time. We have received a limited number of, and may in the future receive additional, rent relief requests from our tenants. As of December 31, 2021, we do not believe that these rent relief requests will have a material impact on our rental revenues. The discussions below, including without limitation with respect to liquidity, are subject to the future effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related actions to curb its spread, which continue to evolve.

The Company believes its current operating cash flow and unsecured bank credit facilities provide the capacity to fund the operations of the Company, and the Company also believes it can issue common and/or preferred equity and obtain debt financing on currently acceptable terms. During 2021, EastGroup issued 1,551,181 shares of common stock through its continuous common equity offering program, providing net proceeds to the Company of $271.2 million. Also during 2021, the Company closed a $50 million senior unsecured term loan with an effective fixed interest rate of 1.55% and the private placement of $125 million of senior unsecured notes with a fixed interest rate of 2.74%. The Company amended and restated its two unsecured bank credit facilities on June 29, 2021, expanding the capacity from $350 million and $45 million to $425 million and $50 million, respectively, and extending the maturity dates from July 30, 2022 to July 30, 2025. EastGroup’s financing and equity issuances are further described in Liquidity and Capital Resources below.

The Company’s primary revenue is rental income. During 2021, EastGroup executed leases on 9,789,000 square feet of operating properties (20.8% of EastGroup’s total square footage of 47,019,000 as of December 31, 2021). For new and renewal leases signed during 2021, average rental rates increased by 31.2% as compared to the former leases on the same spaces.

Property Net Operating Income (“PNOI”) Excluding Income from Lease Terminations from same properties (defined as operating properties owned during the entire current and prior year reporting periods – January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021), increased 6.8% for 2021 compared to 2020.

EastGroup’s operating portfolio was 98.7% leased at December 31, 2021 compared to 98.0% at December 31, 2020. As of February 15, 2022, the operating portfolio was 98.1% leased and 97.1% occupied. Leases scheduled to expire in 2022 were 13.1% of the operating portfolio on a square foot basis at December 31, 2021, and this percentage was reduced to 10.7% as of February 15, 2022.

The Company generates new sources of leasing revenue through its development and acquisition programs. The Company mitigates risks associated with development through a Board-approved maximum level of land held for development and by adjusting development start dates according to leasing activity.

During 2021, EastGroup acquired 1,806,000 square feet of operating and value-add properties in Dallas, Austin, Phoenix, San Diego, Greenville and Atlanta and 365.8 acres of land in Austin, Houston, Charlotte, Greenville and Atlanta for a total of $320.3 million. The Company began construction of 17 development projects containing 2,806,000 square feet in 12 cities. Also in 2021, the Company transferred 17 development and value-add properties (2,688,000 square feet) in 10 cities from its development and value-add program to real estate properties with costs of $272.3 million at the date of transfer. As of December 31, 2021, EastGroup’s development and value-add program consisted of 21 projects (3,905,000 square feet) located in 14 cities. The projected total cost for the development and value-add projects, which were collectively 49% leased as of February 15, 2022, is $524.7 million, of which $148.1 million remained to be invested as of December 31, 2021.

During 2021, EastGroup sold an operating property containing 284,000 square feet, generating gross sales proceeds of $45.1 million. The Company recognized $38.9 million in Gain on sales of real estate investments during 2021.

The Company typically initially funds its development and acquisition programs through its unsecured bank credit facilities, the total capacity of which was increased in June 2021 to $475 million (as discussed below in Liquidity and Capital Resources). As market conditions permit, EastGroup issues equity and/or employs fixed rate debt, including variable rate debt that has been swapped to an effectively fixed rate through the use of interest rate swaps, to replace short-term bank borrowings. Moody's Investors Service has assigned the Company’s issuer rating of Baa2 with a stable outlook. A security rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating agency. Each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating. For future debt issuances, the Company intends to issue primarily unsecured fixed rate debt, including variable rate debt that has been swapped to an effectively fixed rate through the use of interest rate swaps. The Company may also access the public debt market in the future as a means to raise capital.

EastGroup has one reportable segment – industrial properties, consistent with the Company’s manner of internal reporting, measurement of operating results and allocation of the Company’s resources. The Company’s chief decision makers use two primary measures of operating results in making decisions: (1) funds from operations attributable to common stockholders (“FFO”), and (2) property net operating income (“PNOI”).

FFO is computed in accordance with standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Inc. (“Nareit”). Nareit’s guidance allows preparers an option as it pertains to whether gains or losses on sale, or impairment charges, on real estate assets incidental to a REIT’s business are excluded from the calculation of FFO. EastGroup has made the election to exclude activity related to such assets that are incidental to our business.

FFO is calculated as net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders computed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), excluding gains and losses from sales of real estate property (including other assets incidental to the Company’s business) and impairment losses, adjusted for real estate related depreciation and amortization, and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. FFO is not considered as an alternative to net income (determined in accordance with GAAP) as an indication of the Company’s financial performance, nor is it a measure of the Company’s liquidity or indicative of funds available to provide for the Company’s cash needs, including its ability to make distributions. The Company’s key drivers affecting FFO are changes in PNOI (as discussed below), interest rates, the amount of leverage the Company employs and general and administrative expenses.

PNOI is defined as Income from real estate operations less Expenses from real estate operations (including market-based internal management fee expense) plus the Company’s share of income and property operating expenses from its less-than-wholly-owned real estate investments.

EastGroup sometimes refers to PNOI from Same Properties as “Same PNOI”; the Company also presents Same PNOI Excluding Income from Lease Terminations. Same Properties is defined as operating properties owned during the entire current period and prior year reporting period. Properties developed or acquired are excluded until held in the operating portfolio for both the current and prior year reporting periods. Properties sold during the current or prior year reporting periods are also excluded. For the year ended December 31, 2021, Same Properties includes properties which were included in the operating portfolio for the entire period from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021. The Company presents Same PNOI and Same PNOI Excluding Income from Lease Terminations as a property-level supplemental measure of performance used to evaluate the performance of the Company’s investments in real estate assets and its operating results on a same property basis.

FFO and PNOI are supplemental industry reporting measurements used to evaluate the performance of the Company’s investments in real estate assets and its operating results. The Company believes that the exclusion of depreciation and amortization in the calculations of PNOI and FFO provides supplemental indicators of the properties’ performance since real estate values have historically risen or fallen with market conditions. PNOI and FFO as calculated by the Company may not be comparable to similarly titled but differently calculated measures for other real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). Investors should be aware that items excluded from or added back to FFO are significant components in understanding and assessing the Company’s financial performance. These non-GAAP figures should not be considered a substitute for, and should only be considered together with and as a supplement to, the Company’s financial information presented in accordance with GAAP.

The following table presents reconciliations of Net Income to PNOI, Same PNOI and Same PNOI Excluding Income from Lease Terminations for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Years Ended December 31,

(In thousands)

Gain on sales of non-operating real estate — — (83)

Net loss on other — — 884

Company’s share of depreciation from unconsolidated investment 136 137 141

Noncontrolling interest in PNOI of consolidated joint ventures (61) (171) (199)

Net lease termination fee income from same properties (1,411) (709) *

SAME PNOI EXCLUDING INCOME FROM LEASE TERMINATIONS $ 260,456 243,920 *

* Same property metrics are not applicable to the year ended December 31, 2019, as the same property metrics for 2021 and 2020 are based on operating properties owned during the entire current and prior year reporting periods (January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021).

PNOI was calculated as follows for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Years Ended December 31,

(In thousands)

Noncontrolling interest in PNOI of consolidated joint ventures (61) (171) (199)

PNOI from 50% owned unconsolidated investment 960 978 976

Income from real estate operations is comprised of rental income, net of reserves for uncollectible rent, expense reimbursement pass-through income and other real estate income including lease termination fees. Expenses from real estate operations is comprised of property taxes, insurance, utilities, repair and maintenance expenses, management fees and other operating costs. Generally, the Company’s most significant operating expenses are property taxes and insurance. Tenant leases may be net leases in which the total operating expenses are recoverable, modified gross leases in which some of the operating expenses are recoverable, or gross leases in which no expenses are recoverable (gross leases represent only a small portion of the Company’s total leases). Increases in property operating expenses are fully recoverable under net leases and recoverable to a high degree under modified gross leases. Modified gross leases often include base year amounts, and expense increases over these amounts are recoverable. The Company’s exposure to property operating expenses is primarily due to vacancies and leases for occupied space that limit the amount of expenses that can be recovered.

The following table presents reconciliations of Net Income Attributable to EastGroup Properties, Inc. Common Stockholders to FFO Attributable to Common Stockholders for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Years Ended December 31,

(In thousands, except per share data)

Company’s share of depreciation from unconsolidated investment 136 137 141

Depreciation and amortization from noncontrolling interest — (142) (186)

Gain on sales of non-operating real estate — — (83)

The Company analyzes the following performance trends in evaluating the revenues and expenses of the Company:

•The change in FFO per share represents the increase or decrease in FFO per share from the current year compared to the prior year. For 2021, FFO was $6.09 per share compared with $5.38 per share for 2020, an increase of 13.2%.

•For the year ended December 31, 2021, PNOI increased by $35,125,000, or 13.5%, compared to 2020. PNOI increased $17,238,000 from same property operations, $14,418,000 from newly developed and value-add properties and $4,619,000 from 2020 and 2021 acquisitions; PNOI decreased $1,173,000 from operating properties sold in 2020 and 2021.

•The change in Same PNOI represents the PNOI increase or decrease for the same operating properties owned during the entire current and prior year reporting periods (January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021). Same PNOI, excluding income from lease terminations, increased 6.8% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to 2020.

•Same property average occupancy represents the average month-end percentage of leased square footage for which the lease term has commenced as compared to the total leasable square footage for the same operating properties owned during the entire current and prior year reporting periods (January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021). Same property average occupancy for the year ended December 31, 2021 was 97.6% compared to 97.0% for 2020.

•Occupancy is the percentage of leased square footage for which the lease term has commenced as compared to the total leasable square footage as of the close of the reporting period. Occupancy at December 31, 2021 was 97.4%. Quarter-end occupancy ranged from 96.8% to 97.6% over the previous four quarters ended December 31, 2020 to September 30, 2021.

•Rental rate change represents the rental rate increase or decrease on new and renewal leases compared to the prior leases on the same space. For the year 2021, rental rate increases on new and renewal leases (20.8% of total square footage) averaged 31.2%.

•Lease termination fee income is included in Income from real estate operations. For the year 2021, lease termination fee income was $1,411,000 compared to $709,000 for 2020.

•The Company records reserves for uncollectible rent as reductions to Income from real estate operations; recoveries for uncollectible rent are recorded as additions to Income from real estate operations. The Company recorded net recoveries for uncollectible rent of $475,000 in 2021 compared to net reserves for uncollectible rent of $2,763,000 in 2020. We evaluate the collectability of rents and other receivables for individual leases at each reporting period based on factors including, among others, tenant’s payment history, the financial condition of the tenant, business conditions

and trends in the industry in which the tenant operates and economic conditions in the geographic area where the property is located. If evaluation of these factors or others indicates it is not probable we will collect substantially all rent, we recognize an adjustment to rental revenue. If our judgment or estimation regarding probability of collection changes, we may adjust or record additional rental revenue in the period such conclusion is reached. The Company followed its normal process for recording reserves for uncollectible rent during the year ended December 31, 2021 and also evaluated all deferred rent related to the COVID-19 pandemic for collectability.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

The Company’s management considers the following accounting policies and estimates to be critical to the reported operations of the Company.

Acquisition and Development of Real Estate Properties

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Codification provides guidance on how to properly determine the allocation of the purchase price among the individual components of both the tangible and intangible assets based on their respective fair values. Factors considered by management in allocating the cost of the properties acquired include an estimate of carrying costs during the expected lease-up periods considering current market conditions and costs to execute similar leases. The allocation to tangible assets (land, building and improvements) is based upon management’s determination of the value of the property as if it were vacant using discounted cash flow models. Land is valued using comparable land sales specific to the applicable market, provided by a third party. The Company determines whether any financing assumed is above or below market based upon comparison to similar financing terms for similar properties. The cost of the properties acquired may be adjusted based on indebtedness assumed from the seller that is determined to be above or below market rates.

The purchase price is also allocated among the following categories of intangible assets: the above or below market component of in-place leases, the value of in-place leases and the value of customer relationships. The value allocable to the above or below market component of an acquired in-place lease is determined based upon the present value (using a discount rate reflecting the risks associated with the acquired leases) of the difference between (i) the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to the lease over its remaining term, and (ii) management’s estimate of the amounts that would be paid using current market rents over the remaining term of the lease. The amounts allocated to above and below market lease intangibles are included in Other assets and Other liabilities, respectively, on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are amortized to rental income over the remaining terms of the respective leases. The total amount of intangible assets is further allocated to in-place lease values and customer relationship values based upon management’s assessment of their respective values. These intangible assets are included in Other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are amortized over the remaining term of the existing lease, or the anticipated life of the customer relationship, as applicable.

The significance of this accounting policy will fluctuate given the transaction activity during the period.

For properties under development and value-add properties acquired in the development stage, costs associated with development (i.e., land, construction costs, interest expense, property taxes and other costs associated with development) are aggregated into the total capitalized costs of the property. Included in these costs are management’s estimates for the portions of internal costs (primarily personnel costs) deemed related to such development activities. The internal costs are allocated to specific development projects based on development activity.

FINANCIAL CONDITION

EastGroup’s Total Assets were $3,215,336,000 at December 31, 2021, an increase of $494,533,000 from December 31, 2020. Total Liabilities increased $193,591,000 to $1,643,876,000, and Total Equity increased $300,942,000 to $1,571,460,000 during the same period. The following paragraphs explain these changes in greater detail.

Assets

Real Estate Properties

Real estate properties increased $387,214,000 during the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to: (i) the transfer of 17 properties from Development and value-add properties to Real estate properties (as detailed under Development and Value-Add Properties below); (ii) operating property acquisitions; (iii) capital improvements at the Company’s properties; (iv) costs incurred on development and value-add projects subsequent to transfer to Real estate properties discussed below; and (v) right of use assets for the Company’s ground leases. These increases were partially offset

by the transfer of costs from Real estate properties to Development and value-add properties and Real estate assets held for sale andan operating property sale discussed below.

During 2021, EastGroup acquired the following operating properties:

REAL ESTATE PROPERTIES ACQUIRED IN 2021 Location Size DateAcquired Cost

(Square feet) (In thousands)

During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company made capital improvements of $37,895,000 on existing and acquired properties (included in the Capital Expenditures table under Results of Operations). Also, the Company incurred costs of $13,236,000 on development and value-add projects subsequent to transfer to Real estate properties; the Company records these expenditures as development and value-add costs on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Also, during the year ended December 31, 2021, EastGroup sold Jetport Commerce Park, an operating property in Tampa totaling 284,000 square feet. The property was sold for $45.1 million and the Company recognized a gain on the sale of $38.9 million.

Development and Value-Add Properties

EastGroup’s investment in Development and value-add properties at December 31, 2021 consisted of properties in lease-up and under construction of $376,611,000 and prospective development (primarily land) of $128,003,000. The Company’s total investment in Development and value-add properties at December 31, 2021 was $504,614,000 compared to $359,588,000 at December 31, 2020. Total capital invested for development and value-add properties during 2021 was $418,855,000, which primarily consisted of costs of $348,478,000 as detailed in the Development and Value-Add Properties Activity table below, $51,082,000 as detailed in the Development and Value-Add Properties Transferred to the Real Estate Properties Portfolio During 2021 table below and costs of $13,236,000 on projects subsequent to transfer to Real estate properties. The capitalized costs incurred on development and value-add projects subsequent to transfer to Real estate properties include capital improvements at the properties and do not include other capitalized costs associated with development (i.e., interest expense, property taxes and internal personnel costs).

EastGroup capitalized internal development costs of $7,713,000 during the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $6,689,000 during 2020.

During 2021, EastGroup acquired the following value-add properties:

VALUE-ADD PROPERTIES ACQUIRED IN 2021 Location Size DateAcquired Cost

(Square feet) (In thousands)

Also during 2021, EastGroup purchased 365.8 acres of development land in Austin, Houston, Charlotte, Greenville and Atlanta for $41,065,000. Costs associated with these acquisitions are included in the Development and Value-Add Properties Activity table. These increases were offset by the transfer of 17 development projects to Real estate properties during 2021 with a total investment of $272,292,000 as of the date of transfer.

(In thousands)

LEASE-UP Building Size (Square feet)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

PROSPECTIVE DEVELOPMENT (PRIMARILY LAND) Estimated Building Size (Square feet)

Building Size (Square feet) (In thousands) Building Conversion Date

(1)Represents costs transferred from Prospective Development (primarily land) to Under Construction during the period. Negative amounts represent land inventory costs transferred to Under Construction.

(2)Included in these costs are development obligations of $88.7 million and tenant improvement obligations of $10.3 million on properties under development.

(3)Represents value-add properties acquired by EastGroup.

(4)Represents costs transferred from Real estate properties during the year.

(5)Represents cumulative costs at the date of transfer.

Accumulated Depreciation

Accumulated depreciation on real estate, development and value-add properties increased $80,289,000 during 2021 due primarily to depreciation expense of $104,910,000, offset by the reclassification of one operating property to Real estate assets held for sale and the sale of one operating property totaling 284,000 square feet during 2021.

Real Estate Assets Held for Sale

Real estate assets held for sale increased $5,695,000 during 2021. As of December 31, 2021, the Company owned one operating property, Metro Business Park, that was classified as held for sale on the December 31, 2021 Consolidated Balance Sheet. The property was sold in the first quarter of 2022, and the Company expects to record a gain on the sale in the three months ended March 31, 2022. The Company did not classify any properties as held for sale as of December 31, 2020.

Other Assets

Other assets increased $32,641,000 during 2021. A summary of Other assets follows:

December 31,

(In thousands)

Leasing costs (principally commissions) $ 116,772 95,914

Accumulated amortization of leasing costs (42,193) (38,371)

Acquired above market lease intangibles 885 1,825

Acquired above market lease intangibles, net of accumulated amortization 377 594

Interest rate swap assets 2,237 —

Right of use assets – Office leases (operating) 1,984 2,131

Receivable for common stock offerings — 1,942

Receivable for tenant improvement cost reimbursements 7,680 192

Liabilities

Unsecured bank credit facilities, net of debt issuance costs increased $82,872,000 during the year ended December 31, 2021, mainly due to borrowings of $625,520,000 and the amortization of debt issuance costs during the period, partially offset by repayments of $541,310,000 and new debt issuance costs incurred during the year. The Company’s credit facilities are described in greater detail below under Liquidity and Capital Resources.

Unsecured debt, net of debt issuance costs increased $134,862,000 during the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the closing of a $50 million senior unsecured term loan in March, closing the private placement of $125 million of senior unsecured notes in June and the amortization of debt issuance costs, partially offset by the repayment of a $40 million term loan in July and new debt issuance costs incurred during the year. The borrowings and repayments on Unsecured debt, net of debt issuance costs are described in greater detail under Liquidity and Capital Resources.

Secured debt, net of debt issuance costs decreased $76,851,000 during the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease resulted from the repayments of two mortgage loans with principal balances of $40,841,000 and $33,090,000, respectively, regularly scheduled principal payments of $2,989,000 and amortization of premiums on Secured debt, partially offset by the amortization of debt issuance costs during the year.

Accounts payable and accrued expenses increased $40,187,000 during 2021. A summary of the Company’s Accounts payable and accrued expenses follows:

December 31,

(In thousands)

Real estate improvements and capitalized leasing costs payable 5,798 5,692

Other payables and accrued expenses 13,107 9,540

Total Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 109,760 69,573

(1) Represents checks written before the end of the period which have not cleared the bank; therefore, the bank has not yet advanced cash to the Company. When the checks clear the bank, they will be funded through the Company’s working cash line of credit, which is included in the Company’s Unsecured bank credit facilities. See Note 1(p) in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Other liabilities increased $12,521,000 during 2021. A summary of the Company’s Other liabilities follows:

December 31,

(In thousands)

Prepaid rent and other deferred income 16,401 14,694

Operating lease liabilities — Ground leases 22,898 11,199

Operating lease liabilities — Office leases 2,032 2,167

Acquired below market lease intangibles 8,124 6,472

Interest rate swap liabilities 935 10,752

Tenant improvement cost liabilities 2,796 364

Equity

Additional paid-in capital increased $276,767,000 during the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to the issuance of common stock under the Company’s continuous common equity offering program (as discussed below under Liquidity and Capital Resources) and stock-based compensation (as discussed in Note 10 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements). EastGroup issued 1,551,181 shares of common stock under its continuous common equity offering program with net proceeds to the Company of $271,155,000.

During 2021, Distributions in excess of earnings decreased $11,611,000 as a result of Net Income Attributable to EastGroup Properties, Inc. Common Stockholders of $157,557,000 exceeding dividends on common stock of $145,946,000.

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) increased $12,054,000 during 2021. The increase resulted from the change in fair value of the Company’s interest rate swaps (cash flow hedges) which are further discussed in Notes 11 and 12 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

2021 Compared to 2020

Net Income Attributable to EastGroup Properties, Inc. Common Stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $157,557,000 ($3.91 per basic and $3.90 per diluted share) compared to $108,363,000 ($2.77 per basic and $2.76 per diluted share) for the year ended December 31, 2020. The following paragraphs explain the change:

•PNOI increased by $35,125,000 ($0.87 per diluted share) for 2021 as compared to 2020. PNOI increased $17,238,000 from same property operations, $14,418,000 from newly developed and value-add properties and $4,619,000 from 2020 and 2021 acquisitions; PNOI decreased $1,173,000 from operating properties sold in 2020 and 2021. For the year 2021, lease termination fee income was $1,411,000 compared to $709,000 for 2020. The Company recorded net recoveries for uncollectible rent of $475,000 in 2021 and net reserves for uncollectible rent of $2,763,000 in 2020. Straight-lining of rent increased PNOI by $8,698,000 and $4,888,000 in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

•EastGroup recognized gains on sales of real estate investments of $38,859,000 ($0.96 per diluted share) during 2021 compared to $13,145,000 ($0.33 per diluted share) during 2020.

•Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $10,740,000 ($0.27 per diluted share) during 2021 compared to 2020.

EastGroup entered into 174 leases with certain rent concessions on 5,677,000 square feet during 2021 with total rent concessions of $11,007,000 over the lives of the leases, compared to 179 leases with rent concessions on 4,965,000 square feet with total rent concessions of $7,548,000 over the lives of the leases in 2020.

The Company’s percentage of leased square footage for the operating portfolio was 98.7% at December 31, 2021, compared to 98.0% at December 31, 2020. Occupancy at the end of 2021 for the operating portfolio was 97.4% compared to 97.3% at December 31, 2020.

Same property average occupancy represents the average month-end percentage of leased square footage for which the lease term has commenced as compared to the total leasable square footage for the same operating properties owned during the entire current and prior year reporting periods (January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021). Same property average occupancy for the year ended December 31, 2021, was 97.6% compared to 97.0% for the year ended December 31, 2020.

The same property average rental rate calculated in accordance with GAAP represents the average annual rental rates of leases in place for the same operating properties owned during the entire current and prior year reporting periods (January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021). The same property average rental rate was $6.55 per square foot for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $6.17 per square foot for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Interest Expense decreased $982,000 for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The following table presents the components of Interest Expense for 2021 and 2020:

Years Ended December 31,

(In thousands)

VARIABLE RATE INTEREST EXPENSE

Amortization of facility fees - unsecured bank credit facilities 751 790 (39)

FIXED RATE INTEREST EXPENSE

Amortization of debt issuance costs - unsecured debt 589 624 (35)

Amortization of debt issuance costs - secured debt 101 233 (132)

(1) Includes interest on the Company’s unsecured debt with fixed interest rates per the debt agreements or effectively fixed interest rates due to interest rate swaps, as discussed in Note 12 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

EastGroup’s variable rate interest expense decreased by $652,000 for 2021 as compared to 2020 primarily due to a decrease in the Company’s weighted average variable interest rate on its unsecured bank credit facilities as shown in the following table:

Years Ended December 31,

(In thousands, except rates of interest)

The Company’s fixed rate interest expense decreased by $953,000 for 2021 as compared to 2020 as a result of the unsecured debt and secured debt described below.

Interest expense from fixed rate unsecured debt increased by $2,907,000 during 2021 as compared to 2020 as a result of the Company’s unsecured debt activity described below. The details of the unsecured debt obtained in 2020 and 2021 are shown in the following table:

(In thousands)

(1) The interest rate on this unsecured term loan is comprised of LIBOR plus 145 basis points subject to a pricing grid for changes in the Company’s coverage ratings. The Company entered into an interest rate swap to convert the loan’s LIBOR rate to a fixed interest rate, providing the Company a weighted average effective interest rate on the term loan of 2.39% as of December 31, 2021. See Note 12 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the interest rate swaps.

(2) The interest rate on this unsecured term loan is comprised of LIBOR plus 100 basis points subject to a pricing grid for changes in the Company’s coverage ratings. The Company entered into an interest rate swap to convert the loan’s LIBOR rate to a fixed interest rate, providing the Company a weighted average effective interest rate on the term loan of 1.55% as of December 31, 2021. See Note 12 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the interest rate swaps.

The increase in interest expense from the new unsecured debt was partially offset by the repayment of the following unsecured loans during 2020 and 2021:

UNSECURED DEBT REPAID IN 2020 AND 2021 Interest Rate Date Repaid Payoff Amount

(In thousands)

The increase in interest expense from unsecured debt was offset by a decrease in secured debt interest expense, which decreased by $3,693,000 in 2021 as compared to 2020 as a result of regularly scheduled principal payments and the payoffs described in the table below. Regularly scheduled principal payments on secured debt were $2,989,000 during 2021 and $8,436,000 in 2020. The details of the secured debt repaid in 2020 and 2021 are shown in the following table:

SECURED DEBT REPAID IN 2020 AND 2021 Interest Rate Date Repaid Payoff Amount

(In thousands)

EastGroup did not obtain any new secured debt during 2020 or 2021.

Interest costs during the period of construction of real estate properties are capitalized and offset against interest expense. Capitalized interest decreased by $623,000 for 2021 as compared to 2020. The decrease is due to changes in development spending and borrowing rates.

Depreciation and amortization expense increased $10,740,000 for 2021 compared to 2020 primarily due to the operating properties acquired by the Company during 2020 and 2021 and the properties transferred from Development and value-add properties in 2020 and 2021, partially offset by operating properties sold in 2020 and 2021.

Gain on sales of real estate investments, which includes gains on the sales of operating properties, increased $25,714,000 for 2021 as compared to 2020. The Company’s 2020 and 2021 sales transactions are described below in Real Estate Sold and Held for Sale.

Real Estate Improvements

Real estate improvements for EastGroup’s operating properties for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were as follows:

EstimatedUseful Life Years Ended December 31,

(In thousands)

Tenant Improvements:

Other:

(1) Reconciliation of Total Real Estate Improvements to Real Estate Improvements on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows:

Years Ended December 31,

(In thousands)

Change in Real Estate Property Payables (26) (373)

Change in Construction in Progress (1,204) 3,249

Capitalized Leasing Costs

The Company’s leasing costs (principally commissions) are capitalized and included in Other assets. The costs are amortized over the terms of the associated leases, and the amortization is included in Depreciation and amortization expense. Capitalized leasing costs for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were as follows:

EstimatedUseful Life Years Ended December 31,

(In thousands)

Development and Value-Add Lease Life $ 12,280 5,223

(1) Reconciliation of Total Capitalized Leasing Costs to Leasing commissions on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows:

Years Ended December 31,

(In thousands)

Change in Leasing Commissions Payables (80) (683)

Leasing Commissions on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows $ 33,301 17,516

Real Estate Sold and Held for Sale

The Company considers a real estate property to be held for sale when it meets the criteria established under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 360, Property, Plant and Equipment, including when it is probable that the property will be sold within a year. Real estate properties held for sale are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less estimated costs to sell and are not depreciated while they are held for sale. As of December 31, 2021, the Company owned one operating property, Metro Business Park, that was classified as held for sale on the December 31, 2021 Consolidated Balance Sheet. The property was sold in the first quarter of 2022, and the Company expects to record a gain on the sale in the three months ended March 31, 2022. The Company did not classify any properties as held for sale as of December 31, 2020.

In accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360), Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, the Company would report a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity in discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results when the component or group of components meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale or when the component or group of components is disposed of by sale or other than by sale. In addition, the Company would provide additional disclosures about both discontinued operations and the disposal of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations presentation in the financial statements. EastGroup performs an analysis of properties sold to determine whether the sales qualify for discontinued operations presentation.

The Company does not consider its sales in 2020 and 2021, or the property classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2021, to be disposals of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity representing a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on the entity’s operations and financial results.

In 2021, EastGroup sold Jetport Commerce Park, an operating property in Tampa with 284,000 square feet. The property was sold for $45.1 million and the Company recognized a gain on the sale of $38.9 million.

In 2020, EastGroup sold the following operating properties: University Business Center 120 in Santa Barbara and Central Green in Houston. The properties (126,000 square feet combined) were sold for $21.0 million and the Company recognized gains on the sales of $13.1 million.

The Company did not sell any land during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Gains and losses on the sales of operating properties are included in Gain on sales of real estate investments on the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. See Notes 1(f) and 2 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information related to discontinued operations and gains and losses on sales of real estate investments.

2020 Compared to 2019

A discussion of changes in the Company’s results of operations between 2020 and 2019 has been omitted from this Form 10-K and can be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under “2020 Compared to 2019” of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

EastGroup has evaluated all ASUs recently released by the FASB through the date the financial statements were issued and determined that the following ASU applies to the Company.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. ASU 2020-04 contains practical expedients for reference rate reform related activities that impact debt, leases, derivatives and other contracts. The guidance in ASU 2020-04 is optional and may be elected over time as reference rate reform activities occur. During 2020, the Company elected to apply the hedge accounting expedients related to probability and the assessments of effectiveness for future LIBOR-indexed cash flows to assume that the index upon which future hedged transactions will be based matches the index on the corresponding derivatives. Application of these expedients preserves the presentation of derivatives consistent with past presentation. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of the guidance and may apply other elections as applicable as additional changes in the market occur.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Net cash provided by operating activities was $256,492,000 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The primary other sources of cash were from borrowings on unsecured bank credit facilities; proceeds from unsecured debt; proceeds from common stock offerings; and net proceeds from sales of real estate investments. The Company distributed $131,759,000 in common stock dividends during 2021. Other primary uses of cash were for repayments on unsecured bank credit facilities, unsecured debt and secured debt; the construction and development of properties; purchases of real estate; capital improvements at various properties; and leasing commissions.

The Company anticipates that its current cash balance, operating cash flows, borrowings under its unsecured bank credit facilities, proceeds from new debt and/or proceeds from the issuance of equity instruments will be adequate for (i) operating and administrative expenses, (ii) normal repair and maintenance expenses at its properties, (iii) debt service obligations, (iv) maintaining compliance with its debt covenants, (v) distributions to stockholders, (vi) capital improvements, (vii) purchases of properties, (viii) development, and (ix) any other normal business activities of the Company, both in the short-term and long-term, including after taking into account the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company expects liquidity sources and needs in future years to be consistent in nature with those for the year ended December 31, 2021.

As of December 31, 2021, the Company was contractually obligated to pay the dividend declared in December 2021, which was paid in January 2022. An amount for dividends payable of $46,864,000 was included in Accounts payable and accrued expenses at December 31, 2021, which includes dividends payable on unvested restricted stock of $1,585,000, which are subject to continued service and will be paid upon vesting in future periods.

Total debt at December 31, 2021 and 2020 is detailed below. The Company’s unsecured bank credit facilities and unsecured debt instruments have certain restrictive covenants, such as maintaining debt service coverage and leverage ratios and maintaining insurance coverage, and the Company was in compliance with all of its debt covenants at December 31, 2021 and 2020.

December 31,

(In thousands)

Unamortized debt issuance costs (2,144) (806)

Unsecured bank credit facilities, net of debt issuance costs 207,066 124,194

Unamortized debt issuance costs (2,430) (2,292)

Secured debt - fixed rate, carrying amount (2) (4) 2,156 79,096

Unamortized debt issuance costs (14) (103)

Secured debt, net of debt issuance costs 2,142 78,993

(1) The Company’s balances under its unsecured bank credit facilities change depending on the Company’s cash needs and, as such, both the principal amounts and the interest rates are subject to variability.

(2) These loans have a fixed interest rate or an effectively fixed interest rate due to interest rate swaps.

(3) As of December 31, 2021, obligations due in less than one year include maturing principal balances of $75,000,000 and interest of $36,776,000; remaining principal balances maturing in greater than one year include $1,170,000,000 and interest of $179,019,000.

(4) As of December 31, 2021, obligations due in less than one year include principal amortization of $115,000 and interest of $81,000; remaining principal maturing in greater than one year includes $2,041,000 and interest of $278,000.

Until June 29, 2021, EastGroup had $350 million and $45 million unsecured bank credit facilities with margins over LIBOR of 100 basis points, facility fees of 20 basis points and maturity dates of July 30, 2022. The Company amended and restated these credit facilities on June 29, 2021, expanding their capacities to $425 million and $50 million, respectively, as detailed below.

The Company’s $425 million unsecured bank credit facility is with a group of nine banks and has a maturity date of July 30, 2025. The credit facility contains options for two six-month extensions (at the Company’s election) and a $325 million accordion (with agreement by all parties). The interest rate on each tranche is usually reset on a monthly basis and as of December 31, 2021, was LIBOR plus 77.5 basis points with an annual facility fee of 15 basis points. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $183,000,000 of variable rate borrowings on this unsecured bank credit facility with a weighted average interest rate of 0.875%. The Company has a standby letter of credit of $674,000 pledged on this facility.

The Company’s $50 million unsecured bank credit facility has a maturity date of July 30, 2025, or such later date as designated by the bank; the Company also has two six-month extensions available if the extension options in the $425 million facility are exercised. The interest rate is reset on a daily basis and as of December 31, 2021, was LIBOR plus 77.5 basis points with an annual facility fee of 15 basis points. As of December 31, 2021, the interest rate was 0.876% on a balance of $26,210,000.

For both facilities, the margin and facility fee are subject to changes in the Company’s credit ratings. Although the Company’s current credit rating is Baa2, given the strength of the Company’s key credit metrics, initial pricing for the credit facilities is based on the BBB+/Baa1 credit ratings level. This favorable pricing level will be retained provided that the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio, as defined in the applicable agreements, remains less than 32.5%. The facilities also include a sustainability-linked pricing component pursuant to which the applicable interest margin will be reduced by one basis point if the Company meets certain sustainability performance targets.

As market conditions permit, EastGroup issues equity and/or employs fixed rate debt, including variable rate debt that has been swapped to an effectively fixed rate through the use of interest rate swaps, to replace the short-term bank borrowings. The Company believes its current operating cash flow and unsecured bank credit facilities provide the capacity to fund the operations of the Company. The Company also believes it can obtain debt financing and issue common and/or preferred equity.

For future debt issuances, the Company intends to issue primarily unsecured fixed rate debt, including variable rate debt that has been swapped to an effectively fixed rate through the use of interest rate swaps. The Company may also access the public debt market in the future as a means to raise capital.

In March 2021, the Company closed a $50 million senior unsecured term loan with a four-year term and interest only payments, which bears interest at the annual rate of LIBOR plus an applicable margin (1.00% as of each of December 31, 2021 and February 15, 2022) based on the Company’s senior unsecured long-term debt rating. The Company also entered into an interest rate swap agreement to convert the loan’s LIBOR rate component to a fixed interest rate for the entire term of the loan providing a total effective fixed interest rate of 1.55%.

Also in March 2021, EastGroup repaid (with no penalty) a mortgage loan with a balance of $40.8 million, an interest rate of 4.75% and an original maturity date of June 5, 2021.

In June 2021, the Company closed on the private placement of $125 million of senior unsecured notes with a fixed interest rate of 2.74% and a 10-year term. The notes, dated April 8, 2021, were issued and sold on June 10, 2021 and require interest-only payments. The notes will not be and have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements.

In July 2021, the Company repaid a maturing $40 million senior unsecured term loan with an effective interest rate of 2.34%.

In September 2021, the Company closed on the refinance of a $100 million senior unsecured term loan with five years remaining. The amended term loan provides for interest only payments currently at an interest rate of LIBOR plus 85 basis points, based on the Company’s current credit ratings and consolidated leverage ratio, which is a 65 basis point reduction in the credit spread compared to the original term loan. The Company has an interest rate swap agreement which converts the loan’s LIBOR rate component to a fixed interest rate for the entire term of the loan, providing a total effective fixed interest rate of 2.10%. The term loan also includes a sustainability-linked pricing component pursuant to which, if the Company meets certain sustainability performance targets, the applicable interest margin will be reduced by one basis point.

In October 2021, the Company repaid (with no penalty) a mortgage loan with a balance of $33.1 million, an interest rate of 4.09% and an original maturity date of January 5, 2022.

In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) announced it intended to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. In March 2021, the ICE Benchmark Administration, the administrator of LIBOR, announced its intention to cease publication of certain LIBOR settings after 2021, while continuing to publish overnight and one-, three-, six-, and twelve-month U.S. dollar LIBOR rates through June 30, 2023. While this announcement extended the transition period to June 2023, the United States Federal Reserve Board and other regulatory bodies concurrently issued guidance encouraging banks and other financial market participants to cease entering into new contracts that use U.S. dollar LIBOR as a reference rate as soon as practicable and in any event no later than December 31, 2021. In the U.S., the AARC, which was convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has recommended that SOFR plus a recommended spread adjustment as its preferred alternative to USD-LIBOR. There are significant differences between LIBOR and SOFR, such as LIBOR being an unsecured lending rate while SOFR is a secured rate, and SOFR is an overnight rate while LIBOR reflects term rates at different maturities.

We expect that all LIBOR settings relevant to us will cease to be published or will no longer be representative after June 30, 2023. As a result, any of our LIBOR-based borrowings that extend beyond such date will need to be converted to a replacement rate. Certain risks may arise in connection with transitioning contracts to SOFR or any other alternative variable rate, including any resulting value transfer that may occur. The value of loans, securities, or derivative instruments tied to LIBOR could also be impacted. The Company’s unsecured bank credit facilities, senior unsecured term loans and interest rate swap contracts are indexed to LIBOR and include provisions for a replacement rate which we believe will be substantially equivalent to the all-in LIBOR-based interest rate in effect prior to its replacement. Therefore, the Company believes the transition will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. The Company is continuously monitoring and evaluating the related risks, which include interest on loans and amounts received and paid on derivative instruments. These risks arise in connection with transitioning contracts to a new alternative rate, including any resulting value transfer that may occur. The value of loans or derivative instruments tied to LIBOR could also be impacted if LIBOR is limited or discontinued as interest rates may be adversely affected. While we expect LIBOR to be available in substantially its current form until June 30, 2023, it is possible that LIBOR will become unavailable prior to that point. This could result, for example, if sufficient banks decline to make submissions to the LIBOR administrator. In that case, the risks associated with the transition to an alternative reference rate will be accelerated and magnified.

On December 20, 2019, EastGroup entered into sales agreements (the “December 2019 Sales Agreements”) with each of BNY Mellon Capital Markets, LLC; BofA Securities, Inc.; BTIG, LLC; Jefferies LLC; Raymond James & Associates, Inc.; Regions Securities LLC; and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC in connection with the establishment of a new continuous common equity offering program pursuant to which the Company may sell shares of its common stock with an aggregate gross sales price of up to $750,000,000 from time to time. On July 28, 2021, the Company entered into a sales agreement (together with the December 2019 Sales Agreements, the “Sales Agreements”) with TD Securities (USA) LLC, which is substantially similar to the December 2019 Sales Agreements, and entered into corresponding amendments to the December 2019 Sales Agreements to include TD Securities (USA) LLC as a participating sales agent. Pursuant to the Sales Agreements, the shares may be offered and sold in transactions that are deemed to be “at the market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. As of February 16, 2022, the Company has sold an aggregate of 2,261,105 shares of common stock with gross proceeds of $368,147,000 under the Sales Agreements, and EastGroup may offer and sell additional shares of its common stock with an aggregate gross sales price of up to $381,853,000 through the sales agents.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, EastGroup issued and sold 1,551,181 shares of common stock under its continuous common equity offering program at an average price of $176.77 per share with gross proceeds to the Company of $274,209,000. The Company incurred offering-related costs of $3,054,000 during the year, resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $271,155,000.

EastGroup’s other material cash requirements from known contractual and other obligations as of December 31, 2021 were as follows:

Cash Requirements (1)

Real estate property obligations (2) $ 10,520

Development and value-add obligations (3) 88,686

(1)Cash requirement due in less than one year; there were no related long-term cash requirements.

(2)Represents commitments on real estate properties, except for tenant improvement allowance obligations.

(3)Represents commitments on properties in the Company’s development and value-add program, except for tenant improvement allowance obligations.

(4)Represents tenant improvement allowance obligations.

The Company has no material off-balance sheet arrangements that have had or are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on its financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

The Company is exposed to interest rate changes primarily as a result of its unsecured bank credit facilities and long-term debt maturities. This debt is used to maintain liquidity and fund capital expenditures and expansion of the Company’s real estate investment portfolio and operations. The Company’s objective for interest rate risk management is to limit the impact of interest rate changes on earnings and cash flows and to lower its overall borrowing costs. The Company has two variable rate unsecured bank credit facilities as discussed under the heading Liquidity and Capital Resources in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As market conditions permit, EastGroup issues equity and/or employs fixed rate debt, including variable rate debt that has been swapped to an effectively fixed rate through the use of interest rate swaps, to replace the short-term bank borrowings. The Company’s interest rate swaps are discussed in Note 12 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The table below presents the principal payments due and weighted average interest rates, which include the impact of interest rate swaps, for both the fixed rate and variable rate debt as of December 31, 2021.

Weighted average interest rate — — — 0.88% (3) — — 0.88%

(1)The variable rate unsecured bank credit facilities mature in July 2025 and as of December 31, 2021, have balances of $183,000,000 on the $425 million unsecured bank credit facility and $26,210,000 on the $50 million unsecured bank credit facility.

(2)The fair value of the Company’s variable rate debt is estimated by discounting expected cash flows at current market rates, excluding the effects of debt issuance costs.

(3)Represents the weighted average interest rate for the Company’s variable rate unsecured bank credit facilities as of December 31, 2021.

(4)The fair value of the Company’s fixed rate debt, including variable rate debt that has been swapped to an effectively fixed rate through the use of interest rate swaps, is estimated by discounting expected cash flows at the rates currently offered to the Company for debt of the same remaining maturities, as advised by the Company’s bankers, excluding the effects of debt issuance costs.

As the table above incorporates only those exposures that existed as of December 31, 2021, it does not consider those exposures or positions that could arise after that date. Based on the weighted average balance for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, if the weighted average interest rate on the variable rate unsecured bank credit facilities changes by 10%, or approximately 9 basis points, interest expense and cash flows would increase or decrease by approximately $184,000 annually. This does not include variable rate debt that has been effectively fixed through the use of interest rate swaps.

The Company’s unsecured bank credit facilities unsecured term loans, and related interest rate swaps are indexed to LIBOR. For a discussion of the risks associated with the discontinuation of LIBOR, see “Risk Factors—Financing Risks—The discontinuation of LIBOR and the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate may adversely affect our borrowing costs and could impact our business and results of operations” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Most of the Company’s leases include scheduled rent increases. Additionally, most of the Company’s leases require the tenants to pay their pro rata share of operating expenses, including real estate taxes, insurance and common area maintenance, thereby reducing the Company’s exposure to increases in operating expenses resulting from inflation or other factors. In the event inflation causes increases in the Company’s general and administrative expenses or the level of interest rates, such increased costs would not be passed through to tenants and could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations.

EastGroup’s financial results are affected by general economic conditions in the markets in which the Company’s properties are located. The state of the economy, or other adverse changes in general or local economic conditions resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or general economic conditions, could result in the inability of some of the Company’s existing tenants to

make lease payments and may therefore increase the reserves for uncollectible rent. It may also impact the Company’s ability to (i) renew leases or re-lease space as leases expire, or (ii) lease development space. In addition, an economic downturn or recession, including but not limited to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, could also lead to an increase in overall vacancy rates or a decline in rents the Company can charge to re-lease properties upon expiration of current leases. In all of these cases, EastGroup’s cash flows would be adversely affected.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

The information required by this Item 8 is hereby incorporated by reference to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page 40 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. There were no material retrospective changes to the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income in any quarters in the two most recent fiscal years that would require disclosure of supplementary financial data.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

(i)Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

The Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-15. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of December 31, 2021, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective in timely alerting them to material information relating to the Company (including its consolidated subsidiaries) required to be included in the Company’s periodic SEC filings.

(ii)Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.

(a) Management’s annual report on internal control over financial reporting.

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). EastGroup’s Management Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting is set forth in Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K on page 45 and is incorporated herein by reference.

(b)Report of the independent registered public accounting firm.

The report of KPMG LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is set forth in Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K on page 46 and is incorporated herein by reference.

(c)Changes in internal control over financial reporting.

There was no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the Company’s fourth fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2021 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION.

Not applicable.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS.

Not applicable.

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

The information required by Item 10 will be included in the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC relating to the Company’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

The information required by Item 11 will be included in the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC relating to the Company’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.

The information required by Item 12 will be included in the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC relating to the Company’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.

The information required by Item 13 will be included in the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC relating to the Company’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.

Our independent registered public accounting firm is KPMG LLP, Jackson, MS, Auditor Firm ID: 185.

The information required by Item 14 will be included in the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC relating to the Company’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and is incorporated herein by reference.

PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

Financial Statements Page

The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 43

Management Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 45

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 46

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 51

Financial Statement Schedules Page

The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

Schedule III – Real Estate Properties and Accumulated Depreciation 78

Exhibits

Exhibit Number Description

4.1 Description of Securities (filed herewith).

21.1 Subsidiaries of the Company (filed herewith).

23.1 Consent of KPMG LLP (filed herewith).

24.1 Powers of attorney (included on signature page hereto).

Exhibit Number Description

101.SCH Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document (filed herewith).

101.LAB Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document (filed herewith).

* Indicates a management contract or any compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

TO THE STOCKHOLDERS AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EASTGROUP PROPERTIES, INC.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of EastGroup Properties, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, changes in equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes and financial statement schedule III (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 16, 2022 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Evaluation of the estimated fair value assigned to land in an asset acquisition

As discussed in Note 1(j) to the consolidated financial statements, the Company acquired $279,225,000 of real estate properties and development and value-add properties during 2021 that were accounted for as asset acquisitions, of which $42,554,000 of the total purchase price was allocated to land. The purchase price in an asset acquisition is allocated among the individual components of both tangible and intangible assets and liabilities acquired based on their relative fair values.

We identified the evaluation of the estimated fair value of land as a critical audit matter. Specifically, evaluating the relevance of comparable land sales used in the Company’s determination of the estimated fair value involved subjective auditor judgment. Professionals with specialized skills and knowledge were required to evaluate the relevance of the comparable land sales.

The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness over the Company’s control to review identified publicly available comparable land sales used to estimate fair value of land in an asset acquisition. We involved valuation professionals with specialized skills and knowledge who assisted in evaluating the Company’s estimate of fair value of land by comparing to our independently established ranges of comparable land sales developed using publicly available market data.

/s/ KPMG LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1970.

Jackson, Mississippi

MANAGEMENT REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

EastGroup’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, EastGroup conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The design of any system of internal control over financial reporting is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Based on EastGroup’s evaluation under the framework in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013), management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2021.

/s/ EASTGROUP PROPERTIES, INC.

Ridgeland, Mississippi

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

TO THE STOCKHOLDERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EASTGROUP PROPERTIES, INC.:

Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited EastGroup Properties, Inc. and subsidiaries’ (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, changes in equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes and financial statement schedule III (collectively, the consolidated financial statements), and our report dated February 16, 2022 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

EGP US Equity

EGP · 10-K · period ended 2021-12-31

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

ITEM 6. [RESERVED].

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS.

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

EGP US Equity☆

EGP · 10-K · period ended 2021-12-31

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

ITEM 6. [RESERVED].

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION.

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS.

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

EGP US Equity