Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the accompanying financial statements. The following information contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Please see “Forward-Looking Statements” elsewhere in this report for a description of these risks and uncertainties.
Overview
We are an externally managed REIT that focuses on acquiring and managing a globally diversified portfolio of strategically-located commercial real estate properties, which are crucial to the success of our roster of primarily “Investment Grade” (defined herein) tenants. We invest in commercial properties, with an emphasis on sale-leaseback transactions and mission-critical, single tenant net-lease assets.
As of December 31, 2020, we owned 306 properties consisting of 37.2 million rentable square feet, which were 99.7% leased, with a weighted-average remaining lease term of 8.5 years. Based on the percentage of rental income on a straight-line basis as of December 31, 2020, 64% of our properties were located in the U.S. and Canada and 36% of our properties were located in Europe. In addition, our portfolio was comprised of 49% industrial/distribution properties, 46% office properties and 5% retail properties. These percentages are calculated using straight-line rent converted from local currency into USD as of December 31, 2020. The straight-line rent includes amounts for tenant concessions.
Substantially all of our business is conducted through the OP, a Delaware limited partnership, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Our Advisor manages our day-to-day business with the assistance of the Property Manager. Our Advisor and Property Manager are under common control with AR Global and these related parties receive compensation and fees for providing services to us. We also reimburse these entities for certain expenses they incur in providing these services to us.
Management Update on the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 global pandemic has created several risks and uncertainties that has impacted and may continue to impact our business, including our future results of operations and our liquidity. The ultimate impact on our results of operations, our liquidity and the ability of our tenants to continue to pay us rent will depend on numerous factors including the overall length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Management is unable to predict the nature and scope of any of these factors. These factors include the following, among others:
•The negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused and may continue to cause certain of our tenants to be unable to make rent payments to us timely, or at all. However, we have taken proactive steps with regard to rent collections to mitigate the impact on our business (see “ — Management Actions” below) and the adverse impact of tenants failing to timely pay rent has not at this point been material.
•There may be a decline in the demand for tenants to lease real estate, as well as a negative impact on rental rates. As of December 31, 2020, our portfolio had a high occupancy level of 99.7%, the weighted-average remaining term of our leases was 8.5 years (based on annualized straight line rent) and only 8.5% of our leases were expiring in the next two years (based on annualized straight-line rent).
•Capital market volatility and a tightening of credit standards could negatively impact our ability to obtain debt financing. However, as of December 31, 2020, we do not have a significant amount of debt principal repayments that come due in 2021 ($13.2 million) or 2022 ($20.5 million).
•Renewed volatility in the global financial market could negatively impact our ability to raise capital through equity offerings, which as a result, could impact our decisions as to when and if we will seek additional equity funding.
•The negative impact of the pandemic could impact our ability to comply with covenants in our revolving credit facility (our “Revolving Credit Facility”) and the related term loan facility (our “Term Loan”), which together comprise our senior unsecured multi-currency credit facility (our “Credit Facility”) Credit Facility and the amount available for future borrowings thereunder.
•The potential negative impact on the health of personnel of our Advisor, particularly if a significant number of our Advisor’s employees are impacted, could result in a deterioration in our ability to ensure business continuity.
For additional information on the risks and uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, please see Item 1A, “Risk Factors — We are subject to risks associated with a pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of a contagious disease, such as the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused severe disruptions in the U.S., Canadian, European and global economy and financial markets and has already had adverse effects and may worsen”.
The Advisor responded to the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic by, beginning in early March 2020, taking proactive steps to prepare for and actively mitigate the inevitable disruption resulting from COVID-19 such as, enacting safety measures, both required or recommended by relevant governmental authorities, including remote working policies,
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cooperation with localized closure or curfew directives, and social distancing measures at all of our properties. There has been no material adverse impact on our financial reporting systems or internal controls and procedures and the Advisor’s ability to perform services for us. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are supplementing the historical discussion of our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 with a current update on the measures we have taken to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic on our business and future results of operations.
Management’s Actions
We have taken several steps to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on our business. For rent collections, we have been in direct contact with our tenants since the crisis began, cultivating open dialogue and deepening the fundamental relationships that we have carefully developed through prior transactions and historic operations. Based on this approach and the overall financial strength and creditworthiness of our tenants, we believe that we have had positive results in our rent collections during this pandemic. We have collected approximately 99% of the original cash rent due for the fourth quarter of 2020 across our entire portfolio, including approximately 100% from our top 20 tenants (based on the total of fourth quarter cash due from our top 20 tenants), representing 49% of our annual cash rent.
The table below present additional information on our cash rent collection for the fourth quarter of 2020 and is based on available information as of February 22, 2021. With respect to fourth quarter data previously reported, the amount of cash rent in the various categories described herein increased or decreased as a result of additional payments of cash rent and changes in the status of negotiations. This information may not be indicative of any future period and remains subject to changes based on ongoing collection efforts and negotiation of additional agreements. Moreover, there is no assurance that we will be able to collect the cash rent that is due in future months including the deferred 2020 rent amounts due during 2021 under deferral agreements we have entered into with our tenants. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our tenants and thus our ability to collect rents in future periods cannot be determined at present. We collected approximately 99% of the original cash rent due for the quarter ended December 31, 2020 across our entire portfolio, including approximately 100% from our top 20 tenants (based on the total of annual cash rent due from our top 20 tenants), representing 49% of our annual cash rent, approximately 99% of the original cash rent due in our assets in the United Kingdom and approximately 100% of the original cash rent due from our assets in the rest of Europe.
Approved deferral agreement (3) — % — % — % — %
Deferral in negotiation (4) — % — % — % — %
Other (5) 2 % 1 % — % 1 %
(1) Also includes Canada and Puerto Rico.
(2) Includes both cash rent paid in full and in part pursuant to rent deferral agreements or otherwise.
(3) Represents an amendment to the original lease agreement, or any lease amendments executed prior to this amendment, executed or approved by the tenant and landlord in light of the COVID-19 pandemic to defer a certain portion of cash rent. The typical Deferral Agreement defers a portion of the payment of the cash rent due during the fourth quarter 2020, with payment due during 2021. We retain all our rights and remedies upon default under the lease, including the right to accelerate the unpaid portion of deferred amounts if those amounts are not repaid in accordance with the rent deferral agreements.
(4) Represents active tenant discussions where no deferral agreement has yet been reached. There can be no assurance that we will be able to enter into deferral agreements on favorable terms, or at all.
(5) In general, this represents tenants that have made a partial payment and/or tenants without active communication on a potential deferral agreement. There can be no assurance that the cash rent will be collected.
In addition to the proactive measures taken on rent collections, we have taken additional steps to maximize our flexibility related to our liquidity and minimize the related risk during this uncertain time. In March 2020, consistent with our plans to acquire additional properties, we borrowed $205.0 million, under our Credit Facility. Additionally, we reduced the amount we pay in dividends on our common stock beginning in the second quarter of 2020, reducing the cash needed to fund dividend payments by approximately $48.0 million per year based on the number of shares of common stock outstanding at that time. For additional information on our financing activity during the year ended December 31, 2020 and subsequent to December 31, 2020, see the “Liquidity and Capital Resources - Borrowings” section of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
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Significant Accounting Estimates and Accounting Policies
Set forth below is a summary of the significant accounting estimates and accounting policies that management believes are important to the preparation of our financial statements. Certain of our accounting estimates are particularly important for an understanding of our financial position and results of operations, and require the application of significant judgment by our management. As a result, these estimates are subject to a degree of uncertainty. These significant accounting estimates and accounting policies include:
Update on the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The financial stability and overall health of our tenants is critical to our business. The negative effects that the global COVID-19 pandemic has had on the economy has impacted the ability of some of our tenants to pay their monthly rent. We have taken a proactive approach to seek mutually agreeable solutions with its tenants where necessary and, in some cases in the second quarter of 2020, we executed rent deferral agreements on leases with several tenants. For accounting purposes, in accordance with ASC 842, normally a company would be required to assess the modification to determine if the modification should be treated as a separate lease and if not, modification accounting would be applied which would require a company to reassess the classification of the lease (i.e. operating, direct financing or sales-type). However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic due to which many leases are being modified, the FASB and SEC have provided relief that will allow companies to make a policy election as to whether they treat COVID-19 related lease amendments as a provision included in the pre-concession arrangement, and therefore, not a lease modification, or to treat a lease amendment as a modification. In order to qualify for the relief, the modifications must be COVID-19 related and cash flows must be substantially the same or less than those prior to the concession. We elected to use this relief where applicable. In those circumstances, we have accounted for these arrangements as if no changes to the lease contract were made. For those leases that do not qualify for the relief, we perform a lease modification analysis and if required, use lease modification accounting.
Revenue Recognition
Our revenues, which are derived primarily from lease contracts, which include rents that each tenant pays in accordance with the terms of each lease agreement and are reported on a straight-line basis over the initial term of the lease. As of December 31, 2020, these leases had an weighted-average remaining lease term of 8.5 years. Since many of our leases provide for rental increases at specified intervals, straight-line basis accounting requires us to record a receivable for, and include in revenues, unbilled rent receivables that we will only receive if the tenant makes all rent payments required through the expiration of the initial term of the lease. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, our cumulative straight-line rents receivable in the consolidated balance sheets was $61.0 million, which includes amounts related to deferral agreements noted above, and $51.8 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, our revenue from tenants included impacts of unbilled rental revenue of $7.9 million, $6.8 million and $6.3 million, respectively, to adjust contractual rent to straight-line rent.
For new leases after acquisition of property, the commencement date is considered to be the date the lease modification is executed. We defer the revenue related to lease payments received from tenants in advance of their due dates. When we acquire a property, the acquisition date is considered to be the commencement date for purposes of this calculation, for all leases in place at the time of acquisition. In addition to base rent, our lease agreements generally require tenants to pay or reimburse us for all property operating expenses, which primarily reflect insurance costs and real estate taxes incurred by us and subsequently reimbursed by the tenant. However, some limited property operating expenses that are not the responsibility of the tenant are absorbed by us. Under ASC 842, we elected to report combined lease and non-lease components in a single line “Revenue from tenants.” For comparative purposes, we also elected to reflect prior revenue and reimbursements previously reported under ASC 840 on a single line as well. For expenses paid directly by the tenant, under both ASC 842 and 840, we reflected them on a net basis.
We continually review receivables related to rent and unbilled rent receivables and determine collectability by taking into consideration the tenant’s payment history, the financial condition of the tenant, business conditions in the industry in which the tenant operates and economic conditions in the area in which the property is located. Under the leasing standard adopted on January 1, 2019 (see Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Polices - Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on From 10-K), we are required to assess, based on credit risk only, if it is probable that we will collect virtually all of the lease payments at lease commencement date and we must continue to reassess collectability periodically thereafter based on new facts and circumstances affecting the credit risk of the tenant. Partial reserves, or the ability to assume partial recovery are no longer permitted. If we determine that it is probable that we will collect virtually all of the lease payments (rent and common area maintenance), the lease will continue to be accounted for on an accrual basis (i.e. straight-line). However, if we determine it is not probable that we will collect virtually all of the lease payments, the lease will be accounted for on a cash basis and a full reserve would be recorded on previously accrued amounts in cases where it was subsequently concluded that collection was not probable. Cost recoveries from tenants are included in Revenue from tenants on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations in the period the related costs are incurred, as applicable.
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Under ASC 842, uncollectible amounts are reflected as reductions in revenue. Under ASC 840, we recorded such amounts as bad debt expense as part of property operating expenses. During the year ended December 31, 2018, such amount was $0.8 million. We did not record any uncollectible amounts as reductions of revenue during the years ended December 31, 2020 or 2019.
Investments in Real Estate
Investments in real estate are recorded at cost. Improvements and replacements are capitalized when they extend the useful life of the asset. Costs of repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.
At the time an asset is acquired, we evaluate the inputs, processes and outputs of the asset acquired to determine if the transaction is a business combination or asset acquisition. If an acquisition qualifies as a business combination, the related transaction costs are recorded as an expense in the consolidated statements of operations. If an acquisition qualifies as an asset acquisition, the related transaction costs are generally capitalized and subsequently amortized over the useful life of the acquired assets. See the Purchase Price Allocation section below for a discussion of the initial accounting for investments in real estate.
Disposal of real estate investments representing a strategic shift in operations that will have a major effect on our operations and financial results are required to be presented as discontinued operations in our consolidated statements of operations. No properties were presented as discontinued operations as of December 31, 2020 and 2019. Properties that are intended to be sold are designated as “held for sale” on our consolidated balance sheets at the lesser of carrying amount or fair value less estimated selling costs when they meet specific criteria to be presented as held for sale, most significantly that the sale is probable within one year. We evaluate probability of sale based on specific facts including whether a sales agreement is in place and the buyer has made significant non-refundable deposits. Properties are no longer depreciated when they are classified as held for sale. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, we did not have any properties designated as held for sale.
As more fully discussed in Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements - ASU No. 2016-02 Leases to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, all of our leases as lessor prior to the adoption of the new leasing standard on January 1, 2019 were accounted for as operating leases and we continued to account for them as operating leases under the transition guidance. We evaluate new leases originated after the adoption date (by us or by a predecessor lessor/owner) pursuant to the new guidance where a lease for some or all of a building is classified by a lessor as a sales-type lease if the significant risks and rewards of ownership reside with the tenant. This situation is met if, among other things, there is an automatic transfer of title during the lease, a bargain purchase option, the non-cancelable lease term is for more than major part of remaining economic useful life of the asset (e.g., equal to or greater than 75%), if the present value of the minimum lease payments represents substantially all (e.g., equal to or greater than 90%) of the leased property’s fair value at lease inception, or if the asset so specialized in nature that it provides no alternative use to the lessor (and therefore would not provide any future value to the lessor) after the lease term. Further, such new leases would be evaluated to consider whether they would be failed sale-leaseback transactions and accounted for as financing transactions by the lessor. During the three year period ended December 31, 2020, we had no leases as a lessor that would be considered as sales-type leases or financings under sale-leaseback rules.
We are also the lessee under certain land leases which were previously classified prior to adoption of lease accounting and will continue to be classified as operating leases under transition elections unless subsequently modified. These leases are reflected on the balance sheet and the rent expense is reflected on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Purchase Price Allocation
In both a business combination and an asset acquisition, we allocate the purchase price of acquired properties to tangible and identifiable intangible assets or liabilities based on their respective fair values. Tangible assets may include land, land improvements, buildings, fixtures and tenant improvements on an as- if vacant basis. Intangible assets may include the value of in-place leases, and above- and below- market leases and other identifiable assets or liabilities based on lease or property specific characteristics. In addition, any assumed mortgages receivable or payable and any assumed or issued non-controlling interests (in a business combination) are recorded at their estimated fair values. In allocating the fair value to assumed mortgages, amounts are recorded to debt premiums or discounts based on the present value of the estimated cash flows, which is calculated to account for either above- or below-market interest rates. In a business combination, the difference between the purchase price and the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired is either recorded as goodwill or as a bargain purchase gain. In an asset acquisition, the difference between the acquisition price (including capitalized transaction costs) and the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired is allocated to the non-current assets. All acquisitions during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were asset acquisitions.
For acquired properties with leases classified as operating leases, we allocate the purchase price of acquired properties to tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, based on their respective fair values. In making estimates of fair values for purposes of allocating purchase price, we utilize a number of sources, including independent appraisals that may be obtained in connection with the acquisition or financing of the respective property and other market data.
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We also consider information obtained about each property as a result of our pre-acquisition due diligence in estimating the fair value of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and intangible liabilities assumed.
We utilize various estimates, processes and information to determine the as-if vacant property value. Estimates of value are made using customary methods, including data from appraisals, comparable sales, discounted cash flow analysis and other methods. Fair value estimates are also made using significant assumptions such as capitalization rates, discount rates, fair market lease rates, and land values per square foot. Identifiable intangible assets include amounts allocated to acquire leases for above- and below-market lease rates, and the value of in-place leases, as applicable.
Factors considered in the analysis of the in-place lease intangibles include an estimate of carrying costs during the expected lease-up period for each property, taking into account current market conditions and costs to execute similar leases. In estimating carrying costs, we include real estate taxes, insurance and other operating expenses and estimates of lost rentals at contract rates during the expected lease-up period, which typically ranges from 12 to 18 months. We also estimate costs to execute similar leases including leasing commissions, legal and other related expenses.
Above-market and below-market lease values for acquired properties are initially recorded based on the present value (using a discount rate which reflects the risks associated with the leases acquired) of the difference between (i) the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to each in-place lease, and (ii) management’s estimate of fair market lease rates for each corresponding in-place lease, measured over a period equal to the remaining initial term of the lease for above-market leases and the remaining term plus the term of any below-market fixed rate renewal options for below-market leases.
The aggregate value of intangible assets related to customer relationships, as applicable, is measured based on our evaluation of the specific characteristics of each tenant’s lease and our overall relationship with the tenant. Characteristics considered by us in determining these values include the nature and extent of its existing business relationships with the tenant, growth prospects for developing new business with the tenant, the tenant’s credit quality and expectations of lease renewals, among other factors.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
When circumstances indicate the carrying value of a property may not be recoverable, we review the asset for impairment. This review is based on an estimate of the future undiscounted cash flows, excluding interest charges, expected to result from the property’s use and eventual disposition. These estimates consider factors such as expected future operating income, market and other applicable trends and residual value, as well as the effects of leasing demand, competition and other factors. If impairment exists due to the inability to recover the carrying value of a property, an impairment loss is recorded to the extent that the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the property for properties to be held and used. For properties held for sale, the impairment loss is the adjustment to fair value less estimated cost to dispose of the asset. These assessments have a direct impact on net income because recording an impairment loss results in an immediate negative adjustment to net earnings.
Gain on Dispositions of Real Estate Investments
Gains on sales of rental real estate are not considered sales to customers and are generally recognized pursuant to the provisions included in ASC 610-20, Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (“ASC 610-20”).
Goodwill
We evaluate goodwill for impairment at least annually or upon the occurrence of a triggering event. A triggering event is an event or circumstance that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. We performed a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value. We determined that the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic represented a triggering event, and, as such, performed an updated goodwill assessment during the first quarter of 2020. Based on our assessment, we determined that the goodwill was not impaired at the time of the triggering event evaluation. We also evaluated goodwill impairment in the fourth quarter of 2020 and determined that the goodwill was not impaired as of December 31, 2020. There were no material changes to this assessment as of December 31, 2020.
Depreciation and Amortization
We are required to make subjective assessments as to the useful lives of the components of our real estate investments for purposes of determining the amount of depreciation to record on an annual basis. These assessments have a direct impact on our results from operations because if we were to shorten the expected useful lives of our real estate investments, we would depreciate these investments over fewer years, resulting in more depreciation expense and lower earnings on an annual basis.
Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of up to 40 years for buildings, 15 years for land improvements, five years for fixtures and improvements and the shorter of the useful life or the remaining lease term for tenant improvements and leasehold interests.
The value of in-place leases, exclusive of the value of above-market and below-market in-place leases, is amortized to expense over the remaining periods of the respective leases.
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The value of customer relationship intangibles is amortized to expense over the initial term of the lease and any renewal periods in the respective leases, but in no event does the amortization period for intangible assets exceed the remaining depreciable life of the building. If a tenant terminates its lease, the unamortized portion of the in-place lease value and customer relationship intangibles is accelerated through the termination date or the date the tenant vacates the space to expense.
Assumed mortgage premiums or discounts are amortized as an increase or reduction to interest expense over the remaining terms of the respective mortgages.
Above and Below-Market Lease Amortization
Capitalized above-market lease values are amortized as a reduction of revenue from tenants over the remaining terms of the respective leases and the capitalized below-market lease values are amortized as an increase to revenue from tenants over the remaining initial terms plus the terms of any below-market fixed rate renewal options of the respective leases. If a tenant with a below-market rent renewal does not renew, any remaining unamortized amount will be taken into income at that time.
Above-market intangibles and below-market intangibles will also be treated in the same way as in-place intangibles upon a lease termination.
If a tenant modifies its lease, the unamortized portion of the in-place lease value, customer relationship intangibles, above-market leases and below market leases are assessed to determine whether their useful lives need to be amended (generally accelerated). Generally, we would not extend the useful lives of their intangible values upon a modification that is an extension.
The amortization associated with our operating lease right-of-use asset (“ROU”) is recorded in property operating expenses on a straight-line basis over the terms of the leases. Upon adoption of ASC 842 effective January 1, 2019, intangible balances related to ground leases were reclassified to be included as part of the operating lease ROU presented on our consolidated balance sheet with no change to placement of the amortization expense of such balances.
Derivative Instruments
We may use derivative financial instruments, including interest rate swaps, caps, options, floors and other interest rate derivative contracts, to hedge all or a portion of the interest rate risk associated with its borrowings. In addition, all foreign currency denominated borrowings under our Credit Facility are designated as net investment hedges. Certain of our foreign operations expose us to fluctuations of foreign interest rates and exchange rates. These fluctuations may impact the value of our cash receipts and payments in our functional currency, the U.S. Dollar (“USD”). We enter into derivative financial instruments to protect the value or fix the amount of certain obligations in terms of its functional currency.
We record all derivatives on the consolidated balance sheets at fair value. The accounting for changes in the fair value of derivatives depends on the intended use of the derivative, whether we have elected to designate a derivative in a hedging relationship and apply hedge accounting and whether the hedging relationship has satisfied the criteria necessary to apply hedge accounting. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to changes in the fair value of an asset, liability, or firm commitment attributable to a particular risk, such as interest rate risk, are considered fair value hedges. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows, or other types of forecasted transactions, are considered cash flow hedges. Derivatives may also be designated as hedges of the foreign currency exposure of a net investment in foreign operations. Hedge accounting generally provides for the matching of the timing of gain or loss recognition on the hedging instrument with the recognition of the changes in the fair value of the hedged asset or liability that are attributable to the hedged risk in a fair value hedge or the earnings effect of the hedged forecasted transactions in a cash flow hedge. We may enter into derivative contracts that are intended to economically hedge certain risk, even though hedge accounting does not apply or we elect not to apply hedge accounting.
The accounting for subsequent changes in the fair value of these derivatives depends on whether each has been designed and qualifies for hedge accounting treatment. If we elect not to apply hedge accounting treatment (or for derivatives that do not qualify as hedges), any changes in the fair value of these derivative instruments is recognized immediately in gains (losses) on derivative instruments in the consolidated statements of operations. If a derivative is designated and qualifies for cash flow hedge accounting treatment, the change in the estimated fair value of the derivative is recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) to the extent that it is effective. Any ineffective portion of a change in derivative fair value is immediately recorded in earnings.
Equity-Based Compensation
We have a stock-based incentive plan under which our directors, officers and other employees of the Advisor, or its affiliates who are involved in providing services to us are eligible to receive awards. Awards granted thereunder are accounted for under the guidance for employee share based payments. The cost of services received in exchange for a stock award is measured at the grant date fair value of the award and the expense for such awards is included in equity-based compensation on consolidated statements of operations and is recognized over the vesting period or when the requirements for exercise of the award have been met (seeNote 13 — Equity-Based Compensation to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.for additional information).
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Multi-Year Outperformance Agreements
Concurrent with the listing of our Common Stock on the NYSE on June 2, 2015 and modifications to the Fourth Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) by and among us, the OP and the Advisor, we entered into a multi-year outperformance agreement with the Advisor in June 2015 (the “2015 OPP”). Following the end of the performance period under the 2015 OPP on June 2, 2018, we entered into the 2018 OPP with the Advisor. Under the 2018 OPP, effective June 2, 2018, we record equity-based compensation evenly over the requisite service period of approximately 2.8 years from the grant date. Under accounting guidance adopted by us on January 1, 2019 (see Note 2 — Significant Accounting Polices to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K), total equity-based compensation expense calculated as of the adoption of the new guidance is fixed as of that date and reflected as a charge to earnings over the remaining service period. Further, in the event of a modification, any incremental increase in the value of the instrument measured on the date of the modification both before and after the modification, will result in an incremental amount to be reflected prospectively as a charge to earnings over the remaining service period. The expense for these non-employee awards is included in the equity-based compensation line item of the consolidated statements of operations. For additional information on the original terms, a February 2019 modification of the 2018 OPP and accounting for these awards see Note 13 — Equity-based compensation to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
SeeNote 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion.
Results of Operations
Below is a discussion of our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. Please see the “Results of Operations” section located on page 48 under Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 for a discussion of our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018 and year-to-year comparisons between 2018 and 2019.
In addition to the comparative year over year discussion below, please see the “Overview — Management Update on the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic” section above for additional information on the risks and uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and management’s action taken to mitigate those risks and uncertainties.
Comparison of the Year Ended December 31, 2020 to the Year Ended December 31, 2019
Net (Loss) Income Attributable to Common Stockholders
Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders was a loss of $7.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to net income attributable to common stockholders of $34.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The change in net income attributable to common stockholders is discussed in detail for each line item of the consolidated statements of operations in the sections that follow.
Revenue from Tenants
In addition to base rent, our lease agreements generally require tenants to pay or reimburse us for all property operating expenses, which primarily reflect insurance costs and real estate taxes incurred by us and subsequently reimbursed by the tenant. However, some limited property operating expenses that are not the responsibility of the tenant are absorbed by us.
Revenue from tenants was $330.1 million and $306.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase was primarily driven by the impact of our property acquisitions and the impact of foreign exchange rates. During the year ended December 31, 2020 there were increases of 0.5% in the average exchange rate for GBP to USD and 2.0% in the average exchange rate for EUR to USD, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2019.
Property Operating Expenses
Property operating expenses were $32.4 million and $28.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. These costs primarily relate to insurance costs and real estate taxes on our properties, which are generally reimbursable by our tenants. The main exceptions are Government Services Administration (GSA) properties for which certain expenses are not reimbursable by tenants. The increase was primarily due to higher reimbursable expenses incurred in the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily driven by the impact of our property acquisitions and the impact of foreign exchange rates. During the year ended December 31, 2020 there were increases of 0.5% in the average exchange rate for GBP to USD and 2.0% in the average exchange rate for EUR to USD, when compared to last year.
Operating Fees to Related Parties
Operating fees paid to related parties were $35.8 million and $33.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Operating fees to related parties consist of compensation to the Advisor for asset management services, as well as property management fees paid to the Property Manager. Our Advisory Agreement requires us to pay the Advisor a
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Base Management Fee of $18.0 million per annum ($4.5 million per quarter) plus a Variable Base Management Fee, both payable in cash, and Incentive Compensation (as defined in our Advisory Agreement), payable in cash and shares, if the applicable hurdles are met. In light of the unprecedented market disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, in May 2020, we amended our Advisory Agreement to temporarily lower the effective thresholds of these applicable hurdles. The Advisor did not earn any Incentive Compensation during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. The increase to operating fees between the periods in part results from an increase of $2.1 million in the Variable Base Management Fee resulting from the incremental additional net proceeds generated by offerings of equity securities since December 2019. The Variable Base Management Fee would increase in connection with any offerings or issuances of equity securities (seeNote 11 - Related Party Transactions to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details).
Our Property Manager is paid fees to manage our properties, which may include market-based leasing commissions. Property management fees are calculated as a percentage of our gross revenues generated by the applicable properties. For additional information on our property management agreement with the Property Manager, see Note 11 — Related Party Transactions to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, we paid property management fees of $6.2 million and $5.8 million, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we incurred leasing commissions to the Property Manager of $1.5 million, of which $0.1 million was recorded as a property management fee in operating fees to related parties in our consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020. The remainder of the balance will be recorded over the terms of the related leases.
Impairment Charges and Related Lease Intangible Write-offs
There were no impairment charges recorded during the year ended December 31, 2020. During the fourth quarter of 2019, we closed on the sale of two properties in the Netherlands. We had previously concluded that the estimated sales price for these two properties was lower than their respective carrying values, and we recorded an impairment charge of $6.4 million to reflect the estimated sales price of the properties during the third quarter of 2019.
Acquisition, Transaction and Other Costs
We recognized $0.7 million of acquisition, transaction and other costs during the year ended December 31, 2020, which were primarily related to costs for terminated acquisitions. We recognized $1.3 million of acquisition, transaction and other costs during the year ended December 31, 2019, which primarily consisted of litigation costs related to the termination of our former European service provider.
General and Administrative Expense
General and administrative expense was $13.3 million and $10.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, primarily consisting of professional fees including audit and taxation related services, board member compensation, and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, and including expense reimbursements of approximately $1.1 million to the Advisor under the Advisory Agreement for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2019, was primarily due to an increase in professional fees.
Equity-Based Compensation
During the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, we recognized equity-based compensation expense of $10.1 million and $9.5 million, respectively, which primarily related to the 2018 OPP. Equity-based compensation expense also includes amortization of restricted shares of Common Stock (“Restricted Shares”) granted to employees of the Advisor or its affiliates who are involved in providing services to us and restricted stock units (“RSUs”) in respect of shares of Common Stock granted to our independent directors. Equity-based compensation expense related to the 2018 OPP is fixed as of January 1, 2019 and is only remeasured in subsequent periods if the 2018 OPP is amended. In February 2019, the 2018 OPP was amended in light of the effectiveness of a merger of one member of the peer group. Under the accounting rules, we were required to calculate any excess of the new value of LTIP Units in accordance with the provisions of the amendment ($29.9 million) over the fair value immediately prior to the amendment ($23.3 million). This excess of approximately $6.6 million is being expensed over the period from February 21, 2019, the date our compensation committee approved the amendment, through June 2, 2021, the end of the service period. For additional information, see Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements andNote 13 — Equity-Based Compensation to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense was $138.5 million and $126.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase was due to the impact of our property acquisitions during 2020 and 2019 and dispositions during 2019. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense for our European and U.K. properties increased due to increases in the exchange rate on both the GBP to USD and the EUR to USD during the year ended December 31, 2020 of 0.5% in the average exchange rate for GBP to USD and 2.0% in the EUR to USD, when compared to 2019.
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(Loss) Gain on Dispositions of Real Estate Investments
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we did not sell any properties. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we sold 97 located in the United States (94 Family Dollar retail stores and three industrial properties), for $136.7 million resulting in a gain of $14.0 million, one property located in the United Kingdom for $9.1 million resulting in a loss of $0.4 million, two properties in the Netherlands and three properties in Germany for $165.5 million resulting in a gain of $10.0 million. These dispositions generated gross sale prices of approximately $311.3 million (based on USD equivalents on the date of sale), resulting in an aggregate gain of $23.6 million.
Interest Expense
Interest expense was $71.8 million and $64.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase was primarily related to an increase in average borrowings. The amount of our total gross debt outstanding increased from $1.9 billion as of December 31, 2019 to $2.3 billion as of December 31, 2020, and the weighted-average effective interest rate of our total debt was 3.0% as of December 31, 2019 and 3.3% as of December 31, 2020. The increase in interest expense was also impacted by increases during the year ended December 31, 2020 of 0.5% in the average exchange rate for GBP to USD and 2.0% in the average exchange rate for EUR to USD when compared to the same period last year. As of the year ended December 31, 2020, approximately 30% of our total debt outstanding was denominated in EUR and 10% of our total debt outstanding was denominated in GBP, and as of the year ended December 31, 2019, approximately 40% of our total debt outstanding was denominated in EUR and 18% of our total debt outstanding was denominated in GBP.
We view a combination of secured and unsecured financing sources as an efficient and accretive means to acquire properties and manage working capital. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 60% of our total debt outstanding was secured and 40% was unsecured. Our interest expense in future periods will vary based on interest rates as well as our level of future borrowings, which will depend on refinancing needs and acquisition activity.
Loss on Extinguishment of Debt
Loss on extinguishment of debt was $3.6 million and $0.9 million, for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The amount in 2020 is comprised of $2.0 million of expenses related to the repayment of the loan on our Whirlpool properties due to the write-off of deferred financing costs and costs related to the termination of interest rate swaps, $1.3 million of expenses related to the write-off of deferred financing costs related to the partial paydown of our Term Loan in December 2020 and $0.3 million of expenses related to the refinancing of the mortgages on our properties located in France. For the year ended December 31, 2019, this amount was primarily related to the write off of previously recorded deferred financing costs.
Foreign Currency and Interest Rate Impact on Operations
The loss of $2.3 million and gain of $0.8 million on derivative instruments for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, reflect the marked-to-market impact from foreign currency and interest rate derivative instruments used to hedge the investment portfolio from currency and interest rate movements, and was mainly impacted by currency rate changes in the GBP and EUR compared to the USD.
Unrealized (Loss) Income on Undesignated Foreign Currency Advances and Other Hedge Ineffectiveness
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded losses of $6.0 million due to currency changes on the undesignated excess foreign currency advances over the related net investments. During the fourth quarter of 2020, we identified certain historical errors in the second and third quarters of 2020 related to the recording of the impact of foreign currency changes on the over-hedged portion of our net investment hedges, which is the portion considered to be ineffective. The amounts, which totaled $1.3 million and $2.6 million for the second and third quarters of 2020, respectively, were incorrectly recorded as a currency translation adjustment in AOCI as opposed to being recorded as losses in unrealized (loss) income on undesignated foreign currency advances and other hedge ineffectiveness in the consolidated statement of operations. We concluded that the errors were not material for any prior quarterly periods presented and we adjusted the amounts on a cumulative basis in the fourth quarter of 2020. As a result, we recorded $3.9 million in unrealized (loss) on undesignated foreign currency advances and other hedge ineffectiveness in the fourth quarter of 2020 in order to correct these errors. For additional information on the above or on our derivative accounting policies and derivatives and hedging activities, see the Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 8 — Derivatives and Hedging Activities to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, we recorded a gain of $0.1 million on undesignated foreign currency advances and other hedge ineffectiveness.
As a result of our foreign investments in Europe, and, to a lesser extent, our investments in Canada, we are subject to risk from the effects of exchange rate movements in the EUR, GBP and, to a lesser extent, the CAD, which may affect costs and cash flows in our functional currency, the USD. We generally manage foreign currency exchange rate movements by matching our debt service obligation to the lender and the tenant’s rental obligation to us in the same currency. This reduces our overall
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exposure to currency fluctuations. In addition, we may use currency hedging to further reduce the exposure to our net cash flow. We are generally a net receiver of these currencies (we receive more cash than we pay out), and therefore our results of operations of our foreign properties benefit from a weaker USD, and are adversely affected by a stronger USD, relative to the foreign currency. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the average exchange rate for GBP to USD increased by 0.5%, and the average exchange rate for EUR to USD increased by 2.0%, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2019.
Income Tax Expense
Although as a REIT we generally do not pay U.S. federal income taxes, we recognize income tax (expense) benefit domestically for state taxes and local income taxes incurred, if any, and also in foreign jurisdictions in which we own properties. In addition, we perform an analysis of potential deferred tax or future tax benefit and expense as a result of book and tax differences and timing differences in taxes across jurisdictions. Income tax expense was $5.0 million and $4.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2020, net cash provided by operating activities was $176.9 million. The level of cash flows provided by operating activities is driven by, among other things, rental income received, operating fees paid to related parties for asset and property management, and interest payments on outstanding borrowings. Cash flows provided by operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2020 reflect net income of $10.8 million, adjusted for non-cash items of $149.6 million (primarily depreciation, amortization of intangibles, amortization of deferred financing costs, amortization of mortgage premium/discount, amortization of above- and below-market lease and ground lease assets and liabilities, bad debt expense, unbilled straight-line rent (including the effect of adjustments due to rent deferrals), and equity-based compensation). In addition, operating cash flow increased by $4.6 million due to working capital items, which was partially offset by a lease incentive payment made by us of $4.7 million related to the signing of lease extensions for four properties leased to Finnair during the year ended December 31, 2020. The incentive was negotiated in exchange for extending the weighted-average remaining lease term on the properties from 4.7 years to 11.0 years..
During the year ended December 31, 2019, net cash provided by operating activities was $146.0 million. The level of cash flows provided by operating activities is driven by, among other things, rental income received, operating fees paid to related parties for asset and property management services, and interest payments on outstanding borrowings. Cash flows provided by operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2019 reflect net income of $46.5 million, adjusted for non-cash items of $137.3 million, consisting primarily of depreciation, amortization of intangibles, amortization of deferred financing costs, amortization of mortgage premium/discount, amortization of above- and below-market lease and ground lease assets and liabilities, bad debt expense, unbilled straight-line rent, and equity-based compensation). In addition, working capital items decreased operating cash flows by $22.6 million.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2020 of $470.5 million was primarily driven by property acquisitions of $464.1 million, and capital expenditures of $6.4 million.
Net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2019 of $294.5 million was primarily driven by property acquisitions of $562.7 million and capital expenditures of $17.3 million. These cash uses were partially offset by net proceeds from asset dispositions of $288.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2019.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities of $140.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 was a result of net proceeds from the issuance of our Senior Notes of $500.0 million, net proceeds from mortgage borrowings and repayments of $46.0 million and net proceeds from the issuance of Series B Preferred Stock of $10.2 million. These cash inflows were offset primarily by net payments under our Revolving Credit Facility of $90.6 million, payments of principal on our Term Loan of $136.7 million, dividends paid to common stockholders of $155.1 million, dividends paid on Series A Preferred Stock of $12.3 million, dividends paid on Series B Preferred Stock of $5.1 million and payments of financing costs of $14.2 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities of $300.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily related to net borrowings on our Revolving Credit Facility of $165.6 million, proceeds from mortgage notes payable of $579.3 million, net proceeds from issuance of Common Stock of $258.4 million, net proceeds from the issuance of Series A Preferred Stock of $34.6 million, net proceeds from the issuance of Series B Preferred Stock of $83.1 million and proceeds from our Term Loan of $125.0 million. These cash inflows were partially offset by payments on mortgage notes payable of $433.6 million, dividends paid to common stockholders of $150.8 million, dividends paid on Series A Preferred Stock of $10.7 million and payments of financing costs of $19.1 million.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
The negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused and may continue to cause certain of our tenants to be unable to make rent payments to us timely, or at all, which impacts the amount of cash we generate from our operations. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we took proactive steps to collect rent and to otherwise mitigate the impact on our business and liquidity. The future impact of the pandemic on our results of operations, our liquidity and the ability of our tenants to continue to pay us rent will depend on numerous factors including the overall length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Management is unable to predict the nature and scope of any of these factors. Because substantially all of our income is derived from rentals of commercial real property, our business, income, cash flow, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects our ability to service our debt obligations, our ability to consummate future property acquisitions and our ability to pay dividends, and other distributions to our stockholders would be adversely affected if a significant number of tenants are unable to meet their obligations to us.
In addition to the discussion below, please see the “Overview — Management Update on the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic” section above for additional information on the risks and uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and management’s actions taken to mitigate those risks and uncertainties.
As of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we had cash and cash equivalents of $124.2 million and $270.3 million, respectively. See discussion above our how our cash flows from various sources impacted our cash. Principal future needs for use of our cash and cash equivalents will include the purchase of additional properties or other investments in accordance with our investment strategy, payment of related acquisition costs, improvement costs, operating and administrative expenses, continuing debt service obligations and dividends to holders of our Common Stock, Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock, as well as to any future class or series of preferred stock we may issue. Management expects that operating income from our existing properties supplemented by our existing cash will be sufficient to fund operating expenses, and the payment of quarterly dividends to our common stockholders and holders of our Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock. Our other sources of capital, which we have used and may use in the future, include proceeds received from our Revolving Credit Facility, proceeds from secured or unsecured financings (which may include note issuances), proceeds from our offerings of equity securities (including Common Stock and preferred stock), proceeds from any future sales of properties and undistributed funds from operations, if any.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, cash used to pay our dividends was generated from cash flows provided by operations.
Acquisitions and Dispositions
We are in the business of acquiring real estate properties and leasing the properties to tenants. Generally, we fund our acquisitions through a combination of cash and cash equivalents, proceeds from offerings of equity securities (including Common Stock and preferred stock), borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility and proceeds from mortgage or other debt secured by the acquired or other assets at the time of acquisition or at some later point (see Note 4 — Mortgage Notes Payable, Net and Note 5— Credit Facilities to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion). In addition, to the extent we dispose of properties, we have used and may continue to use the net proceeds from the dispositions (after repayment of any mortgage debt, if any) for future acquisitions or other general corporate purposes. The proceeds from asset dispositions of $288.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2019 were primarily used to fund acquisitions during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Acquisitions and Dispositions — Year Ended December 31, 2020
During the year ended December 31, 2020, we acquired 28 properties for $464.1 million, including capitalized acquisition costs. The acquisition of seven of these properties for $293.3 million, including capitalized acquisition costs, was completed during the three months ended December 31, 2020. During the three months and year ended December 31, 2020, our acquisitions were primarily funded with cash on hand, including proceeds from our underwritten offering of Series B Preferred Stock on November 20, 2019, borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility and proceeds from 2019 dispositions. For additional information on activity related to the Revolving Credit Facility, see “Borrowings” section below.
We did not dispose of any properties during the three months and year ended December 31, 2020.
Acquisitions and Dispositions Subsequent to December 31, 2020 and Pending Transactions
Subsequent to December 31, 2020, we did not acquire any properties. We have signed one definitive purchase and sale agreement (“PSA”) to acquire one net lease property located in the U.S., for a purchase price of approximately $6.9 million. We have signed two non-binding letters of intent (“LOIs”) to acquire two net lease properties, located in the United States, for an aggregate purchase price of $22.1 million. The PSA is subject to conditions and the LOIs may not lead to a definitive agreement. There can be no assurance we will complete these transactions, or any future acquisitions or other investments, on a timely basis or on acceptable terms and conditions, if at all. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall amount of available acquisitions has been reduced, and although we have adjusted our historical capitalization rate target, in many cases
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current sellers have not yet made similar changes to their pricing expectations. We believe that over time, bidding and asking prices will converge to establish a long-term trend of lower prices.
Equity Offerings
Common Stock
We have an “at the market” equity offering program (the “Common Stock ATM Program”), pursuant to which we may raise aggregate sales proceeds of up to $250.0 million through sales of Common Stock from time to time through our sales agents. We did not sell any shares of Common Stock through the Common Stock ATM Program during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Preferred Stock
We have established an “at the market” equity offering program for our Series B Preferred Stock (the “Series B Preferred Stock ATM Program”) pursuant to which we may raise aggregate sales proceeds of up to $200.0 million through sales of shares of Series B Preferred Stock from time to time through our sales agents. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we sold 411,953 shares of Series B Preferred Stock through the Series B Preferred Stock ATM Program for gross proceeds of $10.4 million, before commissions paid of approximately $0.2 million and additional issuance costs of $0.1 million. During the three months ended December 31, 2020, we sold 226,825 shares of Series B Preferred Stock through the Series B Preferred Stock ATM Program for gross proceeds of $5.7 million and net proceeds of $5.6 million after commissions and fees paid of $0.1 million.
The timing differences between when we raise equity proceeds or receive proceeds from dispositions and when we invest those proceeds in acquisitions or other investments that increase our operating cash flows have affected, and may continue to affect, our results of operations.
Borrowings
As of December 31, 2020, we had total debt outstanding of $2.3 billion bearing interest at a weighted-average interest rate per annum equal to 3.3% and as of December 31, 2019, we had total debt outstanding of $1.9 billion bearing interest at a weighted-average interest rate per annum equal to 3.0%. As of December 31, 2020, 96% of our total debt outstanding either bore interest at fixed rates, or was swapped to a fixed rate, which bore interest at a weighted-average interest rate of 3.3% per annum. As of December 31, 2020, 4% of our total debt outstanding was variable-rate debt, which bore interest at a weighted- average interest rate of 2.6% per annum for the year ended December 31, 2020. The total gross carrying value of unencumbered assets as of December 31, 2020 was $1.8 billion, of which approximately $1.8 billion was included in the unencumbered asset pool comprising the borrowing base under the Revolving Credit Facility and therefore is not available to serve as collateral for future borrowings. We intend to add certain of these unencumbered assets to the borrowing base under the Revolving Credit Facility to increase the amount available for future borrowings thereunder.
Our debt leverage ratio was (total debt as a percentage of total purchase price of real estate investments, based on the exchange rate at the time of purchase) was 57.4% as of December 31, 2020. SeeNote 7 — Fair Value of Financial Instruments to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of fair value of such debt as of December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2020 the weighted-average maturity of our indebtedness was 5.4 years. We believe we have the ability to service our debt obligations as they come due.
Senior Notes
On December 16, 2020, we and the OP issued $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of 3.750% Senior Notes due 2027. As of December 31, 2020, the amount of the Senior Notes outstanding totaled $490.3 million, which is net of $9.7 million of deferred financing costs. At closing, the issuers used the net proceeds from the issuance of the Senior Notes, after deducting the initial purchasers’ discounts and offering fees and expenses, to repay approximately $88.0 million of secured loans, repay amounts borrowed under the Revolving Credit Facility of approximately $266.4 million, and used the remaining proceeds of approximately $136.3 to partially repay the Term Loan. The Senior Notes were issued in transactions exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. See Note 6 — Senior Notes, Net for further discussion on the Senior Notes and related covenants.
Mortgage Notes Payable
As of December 31, 2020, we had secured mortgage notes payable of $1.4 billion, net of mortgage discounts and deferred financing costs.
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On May 14, 2020, we, through certain subsidiaries, entered into a loan agreement with HSBC France (“HSBC”) and borrowed €70.0 million ($75.6 million based on the exchange rate on that date) secured by the seven properties we own in France. The maturity date of this loan is May 14, 2025 and it bears interest at a rate of 3-month EURIBOR (with a floor of 0.0%) plus an initial margin of 2.3% per year, with the interest rate for €63.0 million ($68.0 million based on the exchange rate on that date) fixed by an interest rate swap agreement. The amount fixed by swap agreement represents 90% of the principal amount of the loan and is fixed at 2.5% per year. The loan is interest-only with the principal due at maturity. At the closing of the loan, €25.0 million ($27.0 million based on the exchange rate on that date) was used to repay all outstanding indebtedness on four of the properties. Of the remaining proceeds, approximately €20.0 million ($21.6 million based on the exchange rate on that date) was used to repay amounts outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility and the remaining balance is available for general corporate purposes.
On July 10, 2020, we, through certain wholly-owned subsidiaries, borrowed $88.0 million from a syndicate of regional banks led by BOK Financial. In December, 2020 this loan was repaid, without penalty, with net proceeds from the Company’s newly issued Senior Notes. The loans were secured by six industrial properties triple-net leased to Whirlpool Corporation and located in Tennessee and Ohio that were simultaneously removed from the borrowing base under the Revolving Credit Facility. At the time of the closing of the loans in July 2020, approximately $84.0 million was used to repay amounts outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility, with the remaining proceeds of approximately $2.2 million, after costs and fees related to the loan, available for general corporate purposes. The loan bore interest at a floating interest rate of one-month LIBOR plus 2.9%, with the interest rate fixed at 3.45% by swap agreement.
Repayments of principal under the mortgage loan secured by all our properties located in the United Kingdom began in October 2020 based on amounts specified under the loan. In October 2020, approximately $2.6 million in principal was repaid in accordance with the terms of this mortgage note payable. Approximately $13.2 million (approximately £9.7 million) in principal is due during the year ending December 31, 2021, which is the only debt we have coming due during 2021.
Credit Facility
As of December 31, 2020, outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility were $111.1 million and the total outstanding balance on our term loan was $300.2 million, net of deferred financing costs. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we borrowed an additional $338.1 million and repaid approximately $428.7 million under the Revolving Credit Facility and we repaid $136.7 million of principal on the Term Loan. Subsequent to December 31, 2020, we borrowed an additional $15.0 million under the Revolving Credit Facility, which we expect to use for general corporate purposes.
As of December 31, 2020, the aggregate total commitments under the Credit Facility were approximately $1.1 billion, based on the USD equivalent on December 31, 2020. On February 24, 2021, following a request by us, lender commitments under the Credit Facility were increased by $50.0 million with all of the increase allocated to the Revolving Credit Facility, and the total commitments were approximately $1.2 billion based on prevailing exchange rates on that date. This increase was made pursuant to the Credit Facility’s uncommitted “accordion feature” whereby, upon our request, but at the sole discretion of the lenders participating in such increase, total commitments under the Credit Facility may be increased, with the aggregate of such commitments not to exceed $1.75 billion. Following the effectiveness of the commitment increase completed on February 24, 2021, we may request future additional increases to total commitments of approximately $565.0 million, allocable to either or both components of the Credit Facility. The increase in lender commitments did not impact the amount available for future borrowings under the Credit Facility, which is based on the value of a pool of eligible unencumbered real estate assets owned by us and compliance with various ratios related to those assets.
The Credit Facility consists of two components, a Revolving Credit Facility and a Term Loan, both of which are interest-only. The Revolving Credit Facility matures on August 1, 2023, subject to two six-month extensions at our option subject to certain conditions, and the Term Loan matures on August 1, 2024. Borrowings under the Credit Facility bear interest at a variable rate per annum based on an applicable margin that varies based on the ratio of consolidated total indebtedness and our consolidated total asset value including our subsidiaries plus either (i) LIBOR, as applicable to the currency being borrowed, or (ii) a “base rate” equal to the greatest of (a) KeyBank’s “prime rate,” (b) 0.5% above the Federal Funds Effective Rate or (c) 1.0% above one-month LIBOR. The applicable interest rate margin is based on a range from 0.45% to 1.05% per annum with respect to base rate borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility, 1.45% to 2.05% per annum with respect to LIBOR borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility, 0.4% to 1.00% per annum with respect to base rate borrowings under the Term Loan and 1.40% to 2.00% per annum with respect to LIBOR borrowings under the Term Loan. As of December 31, 2020, the Credit Facility had a weighted-average effective interest rate of 2.5% after giving effect to interest rate swaps in place.
While we expect LIBOR to be available in substantially its current form until at least the end of 2021, it is possible that LIBOR will become unavailable prior to that time. The Credit Facility contains terms governing the establishment of a replacement index to serve as an alternative to LIBOR, if necessary. To transition from LIBOR under the Credit Facility, we anticipate that we will either utilize the Base Rate or negotiate a replacement reference rate for LIBOR with the lenders.
Our Credit Facility requires us, through the OP, to pay an unused fee per annum of 0.25% of the unused balance of the Revolving Credit Facility if the unused balance exceeds or is equal to 50% of the total commitment or a fee per annum of
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0.15% of the unused balance of the Revolving Credit Facility if the unused balance is less than 50% of the total commitment. From and after the time we obtain an investment grade credit rating, the unused fee will be replaced with a facility fee based on the total commitment under the Revolving Credit Facility multiplied by 0.30%, decreasing if our credit rating increases.
The availability of borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility is based on the value of a pool of eligible unencumbered real estate assets owned by us and compliance with various ratios related to those assets. As of December 31, 2020, approximately $94.5 million was available for future borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility. Any future borrowings may, at our option be denominated in USD, EUR, Canadian Dollars, GBP or Swiss Francs. Amounts borrowed may not, however, be converted to, or repaid in, another currency once borrowed. The Term Loan is denominated in EUR.
Loan Obligations
Our loan obligations generally require us to pay principal and interest on a monthly or quarterly basis with all unpaid principal and interest due at maturity. Our loan agreements (including the Credit Facility) stipulate compliance with specific reporting covenants. Our mortgage notes payable agreements require compliance with certain property-level financial covenants including debt service coverage ratios.
During the three months ended September 30, 2020, the borrower entities under the mortgage loan secured by all of our properties located in the United Kingdom did not maintain the required loan-to-value ratios with respect to the mortgaged properties, and, as a result, a cash trap event under the loan occurred which was immediately cured when we executed, as required by the terms of the loan, a limited unsecured corporate guaranty of the borrower entities’ obligations under the loan of £20.0 million (approximately $27.4 million as of December 31, 2020). The guaranty remains in effect and contains a covenant that requires us to maintain unrestricted cash and cash equivalents (or amounts available for future borrowings under credit facility, such as the Credit Facility) in an amount sufficient to meet its actual and contingent liabilities under the guaranty.
During the three months ended December 31, 2020, the borrower entities under the same mortgage loan did not maintain the same loan-to-value ratio and another cash trap event under the loan occurred. This does not constitute a breach of the covenant and is not an event of default under the loan. We are currently in negotiations to cure the cash trap event. If the value of the underlying portfolio continues to decline, the loan to value ratio may exceed the financial covenant required under the loan of 55%, which would result in a breach, which could, if not cured, give rise to the lenders’ right to accelerate the principal amount due under the loan and other remedies. In that event, our intent would be to cure the breach through various remedies available to them per the loan agreement within the specified time frame under the loan. While we do not anticipate that any arrangement required to cure the cash trap that occurred during the fourth quarter of 2020 will have a material impact on our liquidity, if we are unable to maintain this loan-to-value after the next annual lender valuation in the fourth quarter of 2021, we may experience future cash trap events that could adversely impact our liquidity.
In addition, during the three months ended December 31, 2020, we also triggered a cash sweep event under one of our mortgage loans with a balance of $98.5 million as of December 31, 2020, because a major tenant failed to renew its lease. This is not an event of default and instead triggers a cash sweep event. Subsequent to December 31, 2020, we cured this event through one of the available options under the loan by putting a $3.2 million letter of credit in place. We may be required to put additional letters of credit in place up to an aggregate of $7.4 million if we are not able to find a suitable replacement tenant prior to the fourth quarter of 2021, and the letters of credit reduce the availability for future borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This section discusses the non-GAAP financial measures we use to evaluate our performance including Funds from Operations (“FFO”), Core Funds from Operations (“Core FFO”) and Adjusted Funds from Operations (“AFFO”). A description of these non-GAAP measures and reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, which is net income, is provided below.
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
FFO, Core FFO, and AFFO should not be construed to be more relevant or accurate than the current GAAP methodology in calculating net income or in its applicability in evaluating our operating performance. The method utilized to evaluate the value and performance of real estate under GAAP should be construed as a more relevant measure of operational performance and considered more prominently than the non-GAAP FFO, Core FFO and AFFO measures. Other REITs may not define FFO in accordance with the current NAREIT definition (as we do), or may interpret the current NAREIT definition differently than we do, or may calculate Core FFO or AFFO differently than we do. Consequently, our presentation of FFO, Core FFO and AFFO may not be comparable to other similarly-titled measures presented by other REITs.
We consider FFO, Core FFO and AFFO useful indicators of our performance. Because FFO, Core FFO and AFFO calculations exclude such factors as depreciation and amortization of real estate assets and gain or loss from sales of operating real estate assets (which can vary among owners of identical assets in similar conditions based on historical cost accounting and
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useful-life estimates), FFO, Core FFO and AFFO presentations facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between other REITs.
As a result, we believe that the use of FFO, Core FFO and AFFO, together with the required GAAP presentations, provide a more complete understanding of our operating performance including relative to our peers and a more informed and appropriate basis on which to make decisions involving operating, financing, and investing activities. However, FFO, Core FFO and AFFO are not indicative of cash available to fund ongoing cash needs, including the ability to make cash distributions. Investors are cautioned that FFO, Core FFO and AFFO should only be used to assess the sustainability of our operating performance excluding these activities, as they exclude certain costs that have a negative effect on our operating performance during the periods in which these costs are incurred.
Funds from Operations, Core Funds from Operations and Adjusted Funds from Operations
Funds from Operations
Due to certain unique operating characteristics of real estate companies, as discussed below, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”), an industry trade group, has promulgated a measure known as FFO, which we believe to be an appropriate supplemental measure to reflect the operating performance of a REIT. FFO is not equivalent to net income or loss as determined under GAAP.
We calculate FFO, a non-GAAP measure, consistent with the standards established over time by the Board of Governors of NAREIT, as restated in a White Paper approved by the Board of Governors of NAREIT effective in December 2018 (the “White Paper”). The White Paper defines FFO as net income or loss computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding depreciation and amortization related to real estate, gain and loss from the sale of certain real estate assets, gain and loss from change in control and impairment write-downs of certain real estate assets and investments in entities when the impairment is directly attributable to decreases in the value of depreciable real estate held by the entity. Our FFO calculation complies with NAREIT’s definition.
The historical accounting convention used for real estate assets requires straight-line depreciation of buildings and improvements, and straight-line amortization of intangibles, which implies that the value of a real estate asset diminishes predictably over time. We believe that, because real estate values historically rise and fall with market conditions, including inflation, interest rates, unemployment and consumer spending, presentations of operating results for a REIT using historical accounting for depreciation and certain other items may be less informative. Historical accounting for real estate involves the use of GAAP. Any other method of accounting for real estate such as the fair value method cannot be construed to be any more accurate or relevant than the comparable methodologies of real estate valuation found in GAAP. Nevertheless, we believe that the use of FFO, which excludes the impact of real estate related depreciation and amortization, among other things, provides a more complete understanding of our performance to investors and to management, and, when compared year over year, reflects the impact on our operations from trends in occupancy rates, rental rates, operating costs, general and administrative expenses, and interest costs, which may not be immediately apparent from net income.
Core Funds from Operations
In calculating Core FFO, we start with FFO, then we exclude certain non-core items such as acquisition, transaction and other costs, as well as certain other costs that are considered to be non-core, such as debt extinguishment costs, fire loss and other costs related to damages at our properties. The purchase of properties, and the corresponding expenses associated with that process, is a key operational feature of our core business plan to generate operational income and cash flows in order to make dividend payments to stockholders. In evaluating investments in real estate, we differentiate the costs to acquire the investment from the subsequent operations of the investment. We also add back non-cash write-offs of deferred financing costs and prepayment penalties incurred with the early extinguishment of debt which are included in net income but are considered financing cash flows when paid in the statement of cash flows. We consider these write-offs and prepayment penalties to be capital transactions and not indicative of operations. By excluding expensed acquisition, transaction and other costs as well as non-core costs, we believe Core FFO provides useful supplemental information that is comparable for each type of real estate investment and is consistent with management’s analysis of the investing and operating performance of our properties.
Adjusted Funds from Operations
In calculating AFFO, we start with Core FFO, then we exclude certain income or expense items from AFFO that we consider more reflective of investing activities, other non-cash income and expense items and the income and expense effects of other activities that are not a fundamental attribute of our business plan. These items include early extinguishment of debt and other items excluded in Core FFO as well as unrealized gain and loss, which may not ultimately be realized, such as gain or loss on derivative instruments, gain or loss on foreign currency transactions, and gain or loss on investments. In addition, by excluding non-cash income and expense items such as amortization of above-market and below-market leases intangibles, amortization of deferred financing costs, straight-line rent and equity-based compensation from AFFO, we believe we provide useful information regarding income and expense items which have a direct impact on our ongoing operating performance. We
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also include the realized gain or loss on foreign currency exchange contracts for AFFO as such items are part of our ongoing operations and affect our current operating performance.
In calculating AFFO, we exclude certain expenses which under GAAP are characterized as operating expenses in determining operating net income. All paid and accrued merger, acquisition, transaction and other costs (including prepayment penalties for debt extinguishments) and certain other expenses negatively impact our operating performance during the period in which expenses are incurred or properties are acquired will also have negative effects on returns to investors, but are not reflective of on-going performance. Further, under GAAP, certain contemplated non-cash fair value and other non-cash adjustments are considered operating non-cash adjustments to net income. In addition, as discussed above, we view gain and loss from fair value adjustments as items which are unrealized and may not ultimately be realized and not reflective of ongoing operations and are therefore typically adjusted for when assessing operating performance. Excluding income and expense items detailed above from our calculation of AFFO provides information consistent with management’s analysis of our operating performance. Additionally, fair value adjustments, which are based on the impact of current market fluctuations and underlying assessments of general market conditions, but can also result from operational factors such as rental and occupancy rates, may not be directly related or attributable to our current operating performance. By excluding such changes that may reflect anticipated and unrealized gain or loss, we believe AFFO provides useful supplemental information. By providing AFFO, we believe we are presenting useful information that can be used to better assess the sustainability of our ongoing operating performance without the impact of transactions or other items that are not related to the ongoing performance of our portfolio of properties. AFFO presented by us may not be comparable to AFFO reported by other REITs that define AFFO differently. Furthermore, we believe that in order to facilitate a clear understanding of our operating results, AFFO should be examined in conjunction with net income (loss) as presented in our consolidated financial statements. AFFO should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) as an indication of our performance or to cash flows as a measure of our liquidity or ability to make distributions.
Accounting Treatment of Rent Deferrals
All of the concessions granted to our tenants as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are rent deferrals with the original lease term unchanged and collection of deferred rent deemed probable (see the Overview - Management Update on the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic section of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for additional information on second quarter rent deferrals). As a result of relief granted by the FASB and SEC related to lease modification accounting, rental revenue used to calculate net income and NAREIT FFO has not, and we do not expect we will be, significantly impacted by the deferrals we have entered into. In addition, since we currently believe that these deferral amounts are collectable, we have excluded from the increase in straight-line rent for AFFO purposes the amounts recognized under GAAP relating to rent deferrals. For a detailed discussion of our revenue recognition policy, including details related to the relief granted by the FASB and SEC, seeNote 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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The table below reflects the items deducted from or added to net income attributable to common stockholders in our calculation of FFO, Core FFO and AFFO for the periods indicated. Adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures are calculated to reflect the proportionate share of adjustments for non-controlling interest to arrive at FFO, Core FFO and AFFO, as applicable.
Year Ended December 31,
Impairment charges and related lease intangible write-offs — 6,375
Loss (gain) on dispositions of real estate investments 153 (23,616)
FFO (as defined by NAREIT) attributable to common stockholders 130,921 143,290
Acquisition, transaction and other costs (1) 663 1,320
Loss on extinguishment of debt (2) 3,601 949
Fire (recovery) loss — —
Non-cash equity-based compensation 10,065 9,530
Non-cash portion of interest expense 7,809 6,614
Straight-line rent (rent deferral agreements) (3) 1,808 —
Amortization of mortgage discounts 13 260
Summary
Core FFO attributable to common stockholders $ 135,185 $ 145,559
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(1)For the year ended December 31, 2019, acquisition, transaction and other costs primarily related to litigation costs resulting from litigation with our former European service provider.
(2)For the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily includes non-cash write off of deferred financing costs.
(3)Represents the amount of deferred rent pursuant to lease negotiations which qualify for FASB relief for which rent was deferred but not reduced. These amounts are included in the straight-line rent receivable on our balance sheet but are considered to be earned revenue attributed to the current period, for purposes of AFFO, as they are expected to be collected.
(4)For AFFO purposes, we adjust for unrealized gains and losses. For the year ended December 31, 2020, losses on derivative instruments were $2.3 million which consisted of unrealized losses of $6.8 million and realized gains of $4.5 million. For the year ended December 31, 2019, gains on derivative instruments were $0.8 million which consisted of unrealized losses of $2.9 million and realized gains of $3.7 million.
Dividends
The amount of dividends payable to our common stockholders is determined by our board of directors and is dependent on a number of factors, including funds available for dividends, our financial condition, provisions in our Credit Facility or other agreements that may restrict our ability to pay dividends, capital expenditure requirements, as applicable, requirements of Maryland law and annual distribution requirements needed to maintain our status as a REIT.
Through March 31, 2020, we paid dividends on Common Stock at an annualized rate of $2.13 per share, or $0.5325 per share on a quarterly basis. In March 2020, our board of directors approved a change in the dividend to an annual rate of $1.60 per share or $0.40 per share on a quarterly basis, which was effective beginning in the second quarter of 2020 with our April 1, 2020 dividend declaration. Dividends authorized by our board of directors and declared by us are paid on a quarterly basis in arrears on the 15th day of the first month following the end of each fiscal quarter (unless otherwise specified) to common stockholders of record on the record date for such payment.
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Dividends on our Series A Preferred Stock accrue in an amount equal to $0.453125 per share per quarter to Series A Preferred Stock holders, which is equivalent to 7.25% of the $25.00 liquidation preference per share of Series A Preferred Stock per annum. Dividends on our Series B Preferred Stock accrue in an amount equal to $0.429688 per share per quarter to Series B Preferred Stock holders, which is equivalent to 6.875% of the $25.00 liquidation preference per share of Series B Preferred Stock per annum. Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock are payable quarterly in arrears on the 15th day of January, April, July and October of each year (or, if not on a business day, on the next succeeding business day) to holders of record on the close of business on the record date set by our board of directors. Any accrued and unpaid dividends payable with respect to the Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock become part of the liquidation preference thereof.
Pursuant to the Credit Facility, we may not pay distributions, including cash dividends payable with respect to Common Stock, Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, or any other class or series of stock we may issue in the future, or redeem or otherwise repurchase shares of Common Stock, Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, or any other class or series of stock we may issue in the future that exceed 100% of our Adjusted FFO as defined in the Credit Facility (which is different from AFFO disclosed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K) for any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters, except in limited circumstances, including that for one fiscal quarter in each calendar year, we may pay cash dividends and other distributions and make redemptions and other repurchases in an aggregate amount equal to no more than 105% of our Adjusted FFO. We used the exception to pay dividends that were between 100% of Adjusted FFO to 105% of Adjusted FFO during the quarter ended on June 30, 2020.
Our ability to pay dividends in the future and maintain compliance with the restrictions on the payment of dividends in our Credit Facility depends on our ability to operate profitably and to generate sufficient cash flows from the operations of our existing properties and any properties we may acquire. There can be no assurance that we will complete acquisitions on a timely basis or on acceptable terms and conditions, if at all. If we fail to do so (and we are not otherwise able to increase the amount of cash we have available to pay dividends and other distributions), our ability to comply with the restrictions on the payment of dividends in our Credit Facility may be adversely affected, and we might be required to further reduce the amount of dividends we pay. In the past, the lenders under our Credit Facility have consented to increase the maximum amount of our Adjusted FFO we may use to pay cash dividends and other distributions and make redemptions and other repurchases in certain periods, most recently in connection with the amendment and restatement of our Credit Facility in August 2019. There can be no assurance that they will do so again in the future. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors - If we are not able to increase the amount of cash we have available to pay dividends, we may have to reduce dividend payments or identify other financing sources to fund the payment of dividends at their current levels.”
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Cash used to pay dividends and distributions during the year ended December 31, 2020 was generated from cash flows from operations and cash on hand, consisting of proceeds from borrowings. The following table shows the sources for the payment of dividends to holders of Common Stock, Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, and distributions to holders of LTIP Units for the periods indicated:
Three Months Ended Year Ended
Dividends and Distributions:
Source of dividend coverage:
Available cash on hand 9,536 18.5 % — — % — — % — — % — (1) — %
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(1) Year-to-date totals do may equal the sum of the quarters. Each quarter and year-to-date period is evaluated separately for purposes of this table.
Foreign Currency Translation
Our reporting currency is the USD. The functional currency of our foreign investments is the applicable local currency for each foreign location in which we invest. Assets and liabilities in these foreign locations (including intercompany balances for which settlement is not anticipated in the foreseeable future) are translated at the spot rate in effect at the applicable reporting date. The amounts reported in the consolidated statements of operations are translated at the average exchange rates in effect during the applicable period. The resulting unrealized cumulative translation adjustment is recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated statements of equity. We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates on property investments in foreign countries which pay rental income, incur property related expenses and borrow in currencies other than our functional currency, the USD. We have used and may continue to use foreign currency derivatives including options, currency forward and cross currency swap agreements to manage our exposure to fluctuations in GBP-USD and EUR-USD exchange rates (seeNote 8 — Derivatives and Hedging Activities to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion).
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Contractual Obligations
The following table presents our estimated future payments under contractual obligations at December 31, 2020 and the effect these obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flow in the specified future periods:
________
(1)Based on exchange rates of £1.00 to $1.37 for GBP and €1.00 to $1.23 for EUR as of December 31, 2020.
(2)Ground lease rental payments due for our ING Amsterdam lease are not included in the table above as our ground rent for this property is prepaid through 2050.
(3)Amounts in the table above that relate to our foreign operations are based on the exchange rate of the local currencies at December 31, 2020, which consisted primarily of the Euro and the GBP. At December 31, 2020, we had no material capital lease obligations for which we were the lessee, either individually or in the aggregate.
(4)Derivative payments are not included in this table due to the uncertainty of the timing and amounts of payments. Additionally, as derivatives can be settled at any point in time, they are generally not considered long-term in nature.
Election as a REIT
We elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code, effective for our taxable year ended December 31, 2013. We believe that, commencing with such taxable year, we have been organized and have operated in a manner so that we qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code. We intend to continue to operate in such a manner to qualify for taxation as a REIT, but can provide no assurances that we will operate in a manner so as to remain qualified as a REIT. To continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT, we must distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP), determined without regard for the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gains, and must comply with a number of other organizational and operational requirements. If we continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal corporate income tax on the portion of our REIT taxable income that we distribute to our stockholders. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain state and local taxes on our income and properties, as well as federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income.
In addition, our international assets and operations, including those owned through direct or indirect subsidiaries that are disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, continue to be subject to taxation in the foreign jurisdictions where those assets are held or those operations are conducted.
Inflation
We may be adversely impacted by inflation on any leases that do not contain an indexed escalation provision. In addition, we may be required to pay costs for maintenance and operation of properties which may adversely impact our results of operations due to potential increases in costs and operating expenses resulting from inflation.
Related-Party Transactions and Agreements
Please see Note 11 — Related Party Transactions to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the various related party transactions, agreements and fees.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to investors.
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Market Risk
Market risk is the exposure to loss resulting from changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, and equity prices. The primary risks to which we are exposed are interest rate risk and foreign currency exchange risk, and we are also exposed to further market risk as a result of concentrations of tenants in certain industries and/or geographic regions. Adverse market factors can affect the ability of tenants in a particular industry/region to meet their respective lease obligations. In order to manage this risk, we view our collective tenant roster as a portfolio, and in our investment decisions we attempt to diversify our portfolio so that we are not overexposed to a particular industry or geographic region.
Generally, we do not use derivative instruments to hedge credit risks or for speculative purposes. However, from time to time, we have entered and may continue to enter into foreign currency forward contracts to hedge our foreign currency cash flow exposures.
Interest Rate Risk
The values of our real estate and related fixed-rate debt obligations are subject to fluctuations based on changes in interest rates. The value of our real estate is also subject to fluctuations based on local and regional economic conditions and changes in the creditworthiness of lessees, all of which may affect our ability to refinance property-level mortgage debt when balloon payments are scheduled, or otherwise if we do not choose to repay the debt when due. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political conditions, and other factors beyond our control. Increases in interest rates may have an impact on the credit profile of certain tenants.
We are exposed to the impact of interest rate changes primarily through our borrowing activities. We have obtained, and may in the future obtain, variable-rate, non-recourse mortgage loans, and as a result, we have entered into, and may continue to enter into, interest rate swap agreements or interest rate cap agreements with lenders. Interest rate swap agreements effectively convert the variable-rate debt service obligations of the loan to a fixed rate, while interest rate cap agreements limit the underlying interest rate from exceeding a specified strike rate. Interest rate swaps are agreements in which one party exchanges a stream of interest payments for a counterparty’s stream of cash flows over a specific period, and interest rate caps limit the effective borrowing rate of variable-rate debt obligations while allowing participants to share in downward shifts in interest rates. These interest rate swaps and caps are derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges on the interest payments on the debt obligation. The face amounts on which the swaps or caps, are based are not exchanged. Our objective in using these derivatives is to limit our exposure to interest rate movements. At December 31, 2020, we estimated that the total fair value of our interest rate swaps, which are included in Derivatives, at fair value in the consolidated financial statements, was in a net liability position of $19.5 million (seeNote 8 — Derivatives and Hedging Activities to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K).
As of December 31, 2020, our total consolidated debt, which includes borrowings under the Credit Facility and secured mortgage financings, had a total carrying value of $2.3 billion, an estimated fair value of $2.4 billion and a weighted-average effective interest rate per annum of 3.3%. At December 31, 2020, a significant portion (approximately 96%) of our long-term debt either bore interest at fixed rates, or was swapped to a fixed rate.
The annual interest rates on our fixed-rate debt mortgage debt at December 31, 2020 ranged from 1.4% to 4.9% and the fixed interest rate on our Senior Notes is 3.75%. In the aggregate, these fixed rate instruments had a weighted-average interest rate of 3.3%.
The contractual annual interest rates on our variable-rate debt at December 31, 2020 ranged from 1.9% to 4.1% and had a weighted-average interest rate of 2.6%. Our interest expense in future periods will vary based on our level of future borrowings, which will depend on our refinancing needs and acquisition activity. In addition, our interest expense will vary based on movements in interest rates, including LIBOR rates. Our debt obligations are more fully described in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Contractual Obligations above.
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The following table presents future principal cash flows based upon expected maturity dates of our debt obligations outstanding at December 31, 2020:
(In thousands) Fixed-rate debt (1) (2) Variable-rate debt (1) Total Debt
____________________
(1)Assumes exchange rates of £1.00 to $1.37 for GBP and €1.00 to $1.23 for EUR as of December 31, 2020, for illustrative purposes, as applicable.
(2)Fixed-rate debt includes variable debt that bears interest at margin plus a floating rate which is fixed through our interest rate swap agreements.
The estimated fair value of our fixed-rate debt and our variable-rate debt that currently bears interest at fixed rates or has effectively been converted to a fixed rate through the use of interest rate swaps is affected by changes in interest rates. A decrease or increase in interest rates of 1% would change the estimated fair value of this debt at December 31, 2020 by an aggregate increase of $110.0 million or an aggregate decrease of $92.7 million, respectively.
Annual interest expense on our unhedged variable-rate debt that does not bear interest at fixed rates at December 31, 2020 would increase by $1.1 million and decrease by $0.6 million, respectively for each respective 1% change in annual interest rates.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
We own foreign investments, primarily in Europe but also in Canada and as a result are subject to risk from the effects of exchange rate movements in the Euro, the GBP and the CAD which may affect future costs and cash flows, in our functional currency, the USD. We generally manage foreign currency exchange rate movements by matching our debt service obligation to the lender and the tenant’s rental obligation to us in the same currency. This reduces our overall exposure to currency fluctuations. In addition, we have used and may continue to use currency hedging to further reduce the exposure to our net cash flow. We are generally a net receiver of the Euro, the GBP and the CAD (we receive more cash than we pay out), and therefore our results of operations of our foreign properties benefit from a weaker USD, and are adversely affected by a stronger USD, relative to the foreign currency subject to any impacts from our hedging activity.
We have designated all current foreign currency draws under the Credit Facility as net investment hedges to the extent of our net investment in foreign subsidiaries. To the extent foreign draws in each currency exceed the net investment, we reflect the effects of changes in currency on such excess in earnings. As of December 31, 2020, we did not have any draws in excess of our net investments (seeNote 8 — Derivatives and Hedging Activities to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K).
We enter into foreign currency forward contracts and put options to hedge certain of our foreign currency cash flow exposures. A foreign currency forward contract is a commitment to deliver a certain amount of foreign currency at a certain price on a specific date in the future. By entering into forward contracts and holding them to maturity, we are locked into a future currency exchange rate for the term of the contract. A foreign currency put option contract consists of a right, but not the obligation, to sell a specified amount of foreign currency for a specified amount of another currency at a specific date. If the exchange rate of the currency fluctuates favorably beyond the strike rate of the put at maturity, the option would be considered “in-the-money” and exercised accordingly. The total estimated fair value of our foreign currency forward contracts and put options, which are included in derivatives, at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets, was in a net liability position of $4.0 million at December 31, 2020 (see Note 7 — Fair Value of Financial Instruments to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K). We have obtained, and may in the future obtain, non-recourse mortgage financing in a foreign currency. To the extent that currency fluctuations increase or decrease rental revenues as translated to USD, the change in debt service, as translated to USD, will partially offset the effect of fluctuations in revenue and, to some extent, mitigate the risk from changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
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Scheduled future minimum rents, exclusive of renewals, under non-cancelable operating leases, for our foreign operations as of December 31, 2020, during each of the next five calendar years and thereafter, are as follows:
Future Minimum Base Rent Payments (1)
(In thousands) EUR GBP CAD Total
_______________________
(1)Assumes exchange rates of £1.00 to $1.37 for GBP, €1.00 to $1.23 for EUR and $1.00 CAD to $0.78 as of December 31, 2020 for illustrative purposes, as applicable.
Scheduled debt service payments (principal and interest) for mortgage notes payable for our foreign operations and the portion of our Term Loan denominated in EUR as of December 31, 2020, during each of the next five calendar years and thereafter, are as follows:
Future Debt Service Payments (1) (2)
Mortgage Notes Payable
(In thousands) EUR GBP Total
Future Debt Service Payments (1) (2)
Credit Facility (Term Loan Portion)
(In thousands) EUR Total
Thereafter — —
_______________________
(1)Assumes exchange rate of €1.00 to $1.23 for EUR as of December 31, 2020 for illustrative purposes, as applicable. Contractual rents and debt obligations are denominated in the functional currency of the country of each property.
(2)Interest on variable-rate debt not fixed through our interest rate swap agreements was calculated using the applicable annual interest rates and balances outstanding at December 31, 2020.
We currently anticipate that, by their respective due dates, we will have repaid or refinanced certain of these loans, or extended it, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to refinance these loans on favorable terms, if at all. If
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refinancing has not occurred, we would expect to use our cash resources, including unused capacity on our Credit Facility, to make these payments, if necessary.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Concentrations of credit risk arise when a number of tenants are engaged in similar business activities or have similar economic risks or conditions that could cause them to default on their lease obligations to us. We regularly monitor our portfolio to assess potential concentrations of credit risk. While we believe our portfolio is reasonably well diversified, it does contain concentrations in excess of 10%, based on the percentage of our annualized rental income as of December 31, 2020, in certain areas. See Item 2. Properties in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion on distribution across countries and industries.
Based on our annualized rental income, the majority of our directly owned real estate properties and related loans are located in the U.S. and Canada (64%) and the remaining are in Finland (5%), France (4%), Germany (3%), Luxembourg (2%), The Netherlands (5%) and the United Kingdom (17%). No individual tenant accounted for more than 10% of our annualized rental income at December 31, 2020. Based on annualized rental income, at December 31, 2020, our directly owned real estate properties contain significant concentrations in the following asset types: office (46%), industrial/distribution (49%), and retail (5%).
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The information required by this Item 8 is hereby incorporated by reference to our consolidated financial statements beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
In accordance with Rules 13a-15(b) and 15d-15(b) of the Exchange Act, we, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded, as of December 31, 2020, the end of such period, that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in recording, processing, summarizing and reporting, within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms, information required to be disclosed by us in our reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act, and in such information being accumulated and communicated to management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s Annual Reporting on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. In making that assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013).
Based on its assessment, our management concluded that, as of December 31, 2020, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated on its report, which is included on page F-2 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
During the three months ended December 31, 2020, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item9B. Other Information.
Stockholder Rights Plan Amendment
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On February 26, 2021, we amended our rights agreement with American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, LLC, as Rights Agent, solely to extend the expiration date of the rights under the stockholder rights plan from April 8, 2021 to April 8, 2024, unless earlier exercised, exchanged, amended, redeemed, or terminated. Please see Note 9 — Stockholder’s Equity —Stockholder Rights Plan for additional information on the plan.
The foregoing description of the material terms of the amendment does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the amendment, which is filed as an exhibit to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and incorporated herein by reference.
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our executive officers and directors, including but not limited to, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer. A copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics may be obtained, free of charge, by sending a written request to our executive office – 650 Fifth Avenue – 30th Floor, New York, NY 10019, attention Chief Financial Officer. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is also available on our website, www.globalnetlease.com.
The information required by this Item will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement with respect to our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed not later than 120 days after the end of the 2020 fiscal year, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
The information required by this Item will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement with respect to our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed not later than 120 days after the end of the 2020 fiscal year, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The information required by this Item will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement with respect to our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed not later than 120 days after the end of the 2020 fiscal year, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
The information required by this Item will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement with respect to our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed not later than 120 days after the end of the 2020 fiscal year, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
The information required by this Item will be set forth in our definitive proxy statement with respect to our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed not later than 120 days after the end of the 2020 fiscal year, and is incorporated herein by reference.
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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) Financial Statement Schedules
See the Index to audited consolidated financial statements at page F-1 of this report.
The following financial statement schedule is included herein at page F-52 of this report:
Schedule III – Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation as of December 31, 2020 and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
(b) Exhibits
EXHIBITS INDEX
The following exhibits are included, or incorporated by reference, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (and are numbered in accordance with Item 601 of Regulation S-K).
Exhibit No. Description
3.2 (1) Amended and Restated Bylaws of Global Net Lease, Inc.
3.3 (2) Amendment to Amended and Restated Bylaws of Global Net Lease, Inc.
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Exhibit No. Description
10.20 (17) Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement.
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Exhibit No. Description
10.40 (19) Form of Indemnification Agreement.
10.41 (26) Form of Restricted Share Award Agreement.
21.1 * List of Subsidiaries.
23.1 * Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
101.SCH * Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CAL * Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.DEF * Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
101.LAB * Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
101.PRE * Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.
_________________
* Filed herewith
(1)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 3, 2015.
(2)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 9, 2020.
(3)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 2, 2015.
(4)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 17, 2020.
(5)Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 filed with the SEC on March 11, 2013.
(6)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 9, 2015.
(7)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 11, 2017.
(8)Filed as an exhibit to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 filed with the SEC on November 7, 2017.
(9)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 18, 2017.
(10)Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 filed with the SEC on February 28, 2018.
(11)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 23, 2018.
(12)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 23, 2018.
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(13)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 14, 2018.
(14)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 filed with the SEC on November 7, 2018.
(15)Filed as an exhibit to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on May 7, 2020.
(16)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 16, 2018.
(17)Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the SEC on February 28, 2019.
(18)Filed as an exhibit to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 filed with the SEC on May 10, 2019.
(19)Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the SEC on February 28, 2020.
(20)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 21, 2019.
(21)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 6, 2019.
(22)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 18, 2019.
(23)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 12, 2019.
(24)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 22, 2019.
(25)Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 13, 2019.
(26)Filed as an exhibit to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020 filed with the SEC on November 6, 2020.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized this 26th day of February, 2021.
GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
By: /s/ James L. Nelson
James L. Nelson
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRESIDENT
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name Capacity Date
P. Sue Perrotty
/s/ Edward M. Weil, Jr. Director February 26, 2021
Edward M. Weil, Jr.
James L. Nelson
Christopher J. Masterson
M. Therese Antone
Edward G. Rendell
Lee M. Elman
/s/ Abby M. Wenzel Independent Director February 26, 2021
Abby M. Wenzel
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GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 F-4
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-10
Financial Statement Schedule:
Financial statement schedules other than those listed above are omitted because the required information is given in the financial statements, including the notes thereto, or because the conditions requiring their filing do not exist.
F-1
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To theBoard of Directors and Stockholders of Global Net Lease, Inc.
Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Global Net Lease, Inc. and its subsidiaries(the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the related consolidated statements of operations, of comprehensive income (loss), of equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, including the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the accompanying index (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”).We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework(2013)issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
In our opinion, the consolidatedfinancial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of itsoperations and itscash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework(2013)issued by the COSO.
Basis for Opinions
The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management's Annual Reporting on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A.Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidatedfinancial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (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 audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidatedfinancial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audits of the consolidatedfinancial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidatedfinancial 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 consolidatedfinancial 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 consolidatedfinancial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
F-2
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Critical Audit Matters
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 (i) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to theconsolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidatedfinancial 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.
Purchase Price Allocations for Property Acquisitions
As described in Notes 2 and 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company completed property acquisitions with cash paid for acquired real estate investments, net of liabilities assumed, of $464.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. For acquired properties with leases classified as operating leases, management allocates the purchase price of acquired properties to tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their respective fair values. Tangible assets include land, land improvements, buildings, fixtures and tenant improvements on an as-if vacant basis. Management utilizes various estimates, processes and information to determine the as-if vacant property value. Estimates of value are made by management using customary methods, including data from appraisals, comparable sales, discounted cash flow analysis and other methods. Fair value estimates are also made using significant assumptions such as capitalization rates, discount rates, fair market lease rates, and land values per square foot. Identifiable intangible assets include amounts allocated to acquire leases for above- and below-market lease rates, and the value of in-place leases, as applicable. Above-market and below-market lease values for acquired properties are initially recorded based on the present value (using a discount rate which reflects the risks associated with the leases acquired) of the difference between (i) the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to each in-place lease, and (ii) management’s estimate of fair market lease rates for each corresponding in-place lease, measured over a period equal to the remaining term of the lease for above-market leases and the remaining initial term plus the term of any below-market fixed rate renewal options for below-market leases.
The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to purchase price allocations for property acquisitions is a critical audit matter are the significant judgment by management to develop the fair value estimates of tangible and intangible assets and liabilities. This in turn led to a high degree of auditor judgment and subjectivity in applying procedures and evaluating audit evidence relating to these fair value estimates. In addition, significant audit effort was required in evaluating the significant assumptions relating to the discounted cash flows of tangible and intangible assets and liabilities and capitalization rates, discount rates, fair market lease rates, and land values per square foot. The audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in performing these procedures and evaluating the audit evidence obtained.
Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to purchase price allocations for property acquisitions, including controls over management’s valuation of tangible and intangible assets and liabilities and controls over developing the assumptions used in the discounted cash flow model, related to capitalization rates, discount rates, fair market lease rates, and land values per square foot. Audit procedures also included, among others, (i) reading the executed purchase agreements and lease documents; (ii) testing management’s process for estimating the fair value of tangible and intangible assets and liabilities; (iii) testing management’s projected cash flows used to estimate the fair value of tangible and intangible assets and liabilities, using professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in doing so; and (iv) evaluating the accuracy of discounted cash flow model outputs, using professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in doing so. Testing management’s process included evaluating the appropriateness of the valuation methods and the reasonableness of the significant assumptions used in the discounted cash flow model, related to capitalization rates, discount rates, fair market lease rates, and land values per square foot. Evaluating the reasonableness of the significant assumptions included considering whether these assumptions were consistent with external market data, comparable transactions, and evidence obtained in other areas of the audit.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
New York, New York
February 26, 2021
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2015.
F-3
GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
December 31,
ASSETS
Real estate investments, at cost (Note 3):
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization (675,200) (517,123)
Derivative assets, at fair value (Note 8) 525 4,151
Due from related parties 377 351
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net 23,089 21,920
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Senior notes, net (Note 6) 490,345 —
Acquired intangible lease liabilities, net 32,970 30,529
Derivative liabilities, at fair value (Note 8) 19,984 7,507
Accounts payable and accrued expenses 28,310 22,903
Taxes payable — 1,046
Commitments and contingencies (Note 10) — —
Stockholders’ Equity (Note 9):
Accumulated other comprehensive income 8,073 20,195
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-4
GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
Year Ended December 31,
Expenses (income):
Fire (recovery) loss — — (50)
Impairment charges and related lease intangible write-offs — 6,375 5,000
(Loss) gain on dispositions of real estate investments (153) 23,616 (5,751)
Other income (expense):
Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders $ (7,775) $ 34,535 $ 1,082
Basic and Diluted (Loss) Earnings Per Common Share:
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-5
GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME
(In thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Other comprehensive income (loss)
Designated derivatives, fair value adjustments (8,856) (7,430) 4,918
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-6
GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY
Years Ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017
(In thousands, except share data)
Series A Preferred Stock Series B Preferred Stock Common Stock
Dividends declared:
Cumulative translation adjustment — — — — — — — (17,555) — (17,555) — (17,555)
Dividends declared:
Series B Preferred Stock $0.17 per share — — — — — — — — (588) (588) — (588)
Common Stock issuance costs — — — — — — (345) — — (345) — (345)
Issuance of Series A Preferred Stock, net — — — — — — (125) — — (125) — (125)
Dividends declared:
Cumulative translation adjustment — — — — — — — (3,266) — (3,266) — (3,266)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-7
GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities:
Amortization of mortgage discounts and premiums, net 13 260 1,249
Amortization of below-market lease liabilities (3,444) (3,518) (3,463)
Amortization related to right-of-use assets 863 845 979
Amortization of lease incentive 341 — —
Bad debt expense — — 835
Payments for settlement of derivatives — (1,879) (1,926)
Loss (gain) on dispositions of real estate investments 153 (23,616) 5,751
Lease incentive payment (4,676) — —
Impairment charges and related lease intangible write-offs — 6,375 5,000
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net:
Cash flows from investing activities:
Deposits for real estate investments — (2,795) —
Proceeds from dispositions of real estate investments — 288,398 23,717
(Payments for) proceeds from settlement of net investment hedges — — (561)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Payments on term loan (136,702) — —
Proceeds from issuance of Senior Notes 500,000 — —
Payments on early extinguishment of debt charges (548) (137) (2,398)
Series A Preferred Stock issuance (costs) proceeds, net (125) 34,604 (227)
Series B Preferred Stock issuance proceeds, net 10,150 83,068 —
Dividends paid on Series B Preferred Stock (5,105) — —
Distributions to non-controlling interest holders (441) (542) (585)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-8
GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Supplemental Disclosures:
Non-Cash Investing and Financing Activities:
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-9
GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2020
Note 1 — Organization
Global Net Lease, Inc. (the “Company”) is an externally managed real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes (“REIT”) that focuses on acquiring and managing a globally diversified portfolio of strategically-located commercial real estate properties, which are crucial to the success of the Company’s roster of primarily “Investment Grade” (defined herein) tenants.The Company invests in commercial properties, with an emphasis on sale-leaseback transactions and mission-critical, single tenant net-lease assets.
As of December 31, 2020, the Company owned 306 properties (all references to number of properties, square footage and industry types are unaudited) consisting of 37.2 million rentable square feet, which were 99.7% leased, with a weighted-average remaining lease term of 8.5 years. Based on the percentage of annualized rental income on a straight-line basis as of December 31, 2020, approximately 64% of the Company’s properties were located in the U.S. and Canada and approximately 36% were located in Europe. In addition, the Company’s portfolio was comprised of 49% industrial/distribution properties, 46% office properties and 5% retail properties. These percentages are calculated using annualized straight-line rent converted from local currency into the U.S. Dollar (“USD”) as of December 31, 2020. The straight-line rent includes amounts for tenant concessions.
Substantially all of the Company’s business is conducted through the Global Net Lease Operating Partnership, L.P. (the “OP”), a Delaware limited partnership. The Company has retained Global Net Lease Advisors, LLC (the “Advisor”) to manage the Company’s affairs on a day-to-day basis. The Company’s properties are managed and leased to third parties by Global Net Lease Properties, LLC (the “Property Manager”). The Advisor and the Property Manager are under common control with AR Global Investments, LLC (the successor business to AR Capital LLC, “AR Global”), and these related parties receive compensation and fees for various services provided to the Company.
Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Accounting
The accompanying consolidated financial statements of the Company are prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, the OP and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. In determining whether the Company has a controlling financial interest in a joint venture and the requirement to consolidate the accounts of that entity, management considers factors such as ownership interest, authority to make decisions and contractual and substantive participating rights of the other partners or members as well as whether the entity is a variable interest entity (“VIE”) for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. Substantially all of the Company’s assets and liabilities are held by the OP.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Management makes significant estimates regarding revenue recognition, purchase price allocations to record investments in real estate, income taxes, derivative financial instruments, hedging activities, equity-based compensation expenses related to multi-year outperformance agreements entered into with the Advisor in 2015 (the “2015 OPP”) and 2018 (the “2018 OPP”) and fair value measurements, as applicable.
F-10
GLOBAL NET LEASE, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2020
Out-of-Period Adjustments
During the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company identified certain historical errors in its accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) as well as its consolidated statements operations, statements of comprehensive (loss) income and consolidated statements of changes in equity since the second quarter of 2020. These errors impacted the previously issued financial statements for the second and third quarters of 2020.
Specifically, the impact of foreign currency changes on the Company’s over-hedged portion of its net investment hedges, which is the portion the Company considered to be ineffective, was incorrectly recorded as a currency translation adjustment in AOCI in the second and third quarters of 2020. The foreign currency impacts on the ineffective portion of its net investment hedges should have been recorded in unrealized (loss) income on undesignated foreign currency advances and other hedge ineffectiveness in the consolidated statement of operations. For additional information on the Company’s derivatives and hedging activities, see the “Derivative Instruments” section in this Note below and see Note8 — Derivatives and Hedging Activities. The impact of the errors are as follows:
•AOCI was understated by $1.3 million as of June 30, 2020 and net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders was overstated by $1.3 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020.
•AOCI was understated by $3.9 million as of September 30, 2020 and net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders was overstated by $2.6 million and $3.9 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively.
The Company concluded that the errors noted above were not material for any prior quarterly periods presented and has adjusted the amounts on a cumulative basis in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The financial stability and overall health of the Company’s tenants is critical to its business. The negative effects that the global COVID-19 pandemic has had on the economy has impacted the ability of some of the Company’s tenants to pay their monthly rent. The Company executed rent deferral agreements on leases with several tenants. For accounting purposes, in accordance with ASC 842, normally a company would be required to assess the modification to determine if the modification should be treated as a separate lease and if not, modification accounting would be applied which would require a company to reassess the classification of the lease (i.e. operating, direct financing or sales-type). However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic due to which many leases are being modified, the FASB and SEC have provided relief allows companies to make a policy election as to whether they treat COVID-19 related lease amendments as a provision included in the pre-concession arrangement, and therefore, not a lease modification, or to treat a lease amendment as a modification. In order to qualify for the relief, the modifications must be COVID-19 related and cash flows must be substantially the same or less than those prior to the concession. For COVID-19 relief qualified changes, there are two methods to potentially account for such rent deferrals or abatements under the relief, (1) as if the changes were originally contemplated in the lease contract or (2) as if the deferred payments are variable lease payments contained in the lease contract. For all other lease changes that did not qualify for FASB relief, the Company would be required to apply modification accounting including assessing classification under ASC 842.
Some, but not all of the Company’s lease modifications qualify for the FASB relief. In accordance with the relief provisions, instead of treating these qualifying leases as modifications, the Company has elected to treat the modifications as if previously contained in the lease and recast rents receivable prospectively (if necessary). Under that accounting, for modifications that were deferrals only, there would be no impact on overall rental revenue and for any abatement amounts that reduced total rent to be received, the impact would be recognized ratably over the remaining life of the lease.
For leases not qualifying for this relief, the Company has applied modification accounting and determined that there were no changes in the current classification of its leases impacted by negotiations with its tenants.
Revenue Recognition