Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Our business, results of operations, financial condition, and ability to pay dividends could be materially adversely affected by various risks and uncertainties, including those enumerated below, which could cause such results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements. You should not consider this list exhaustive. New risk factors emerge periodically and we cannot assure you that the factors described below list all risks that may become material to us at any later time.
Risks Related to Our Portfolio and Ownership of Real Estate
We face an increasingly competitive marketplace for investments.
The net lease financing market is perceived as a relatively conservative investment vehicle and there has been increasing capital inflows into our sector; accordingly, we face escalating competition for investments, both domestically and internationally. We compete for investments with many other financial institutions and investors, including other REITs, private equity firms, pension funds, and finance companies. Our competitors may accept greater risk or lower returns, allowing them to offer more attractive terms to prospective tenants. Further capital inflows into our sector will place additional pressure on our ability to execute transactions and the returns that we can generate from investments. In particular, private equity real estate investors have raised record amounts of capital in recent periods, which is expected to be deployed into acquisitions that are contributing to an increasingly competitive marketplace.
In addition, expectations of rising interest rates may increase our cost of capital, while capitalization rates (which generally respond to higher interest rates on a lag) could remain low or continue to decline, thereby placing additional pressure on investment spreads throughout the net lease sector. Finally, the vast majority of our current investments are in single-tenant commercial properties that are subject to triple-net leases. Many factors, including changes in tax laws or accounting rules, may make these types of sale-leaseback transactions less attractive to potential sellers and lessees, which could negatively affect our ability to increase these types of investments.
We are not required to meet any diversification standards; therefore, our investments may become subject to concentration risks.
Subject to our intention to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are not required to meet any diversification standards. Therefore, our investments may become concentrated in type or geographic location, which could subject us to significant risks (e.g., COVID-19 has negatively impacted certain sectors more harshly than others) with potentially adverse effects on our investment objectives.
We may incur substantial impairment charges.
We may incur substantial impairment charges, which could adversely affect our results of operations or limit our ability to dispose of assets at attractive prices and may reduce the availability of buyer financing. By their nature, the timing or extent of impairment charges are not predictable.
Because we invest in properties located outside the United States, we are exposed to additional risks.
We have invested, and may continue to invest, in properties located outside the United States. At December 31, 2021, our real estate properties located outside of the United States represented 37% of our ABR. These investments may be affected by factors particular to the local jurisdiction where the property is located and may expose us to additional risks, including:
•enactment of laws relating to foreign ownership of property (including expropriation of investments), or laws and regulations relating to our ability to repatriate invested capital, profits, or cash and cash equivalents back to the United States;
•legal systems where the ability to enforce contractual rights and remedies may be more limited than under U.S. law;
•difficulty in complying with conflicting obligations in various jurisdictions and the burden of observing a variety of evolving foreign laws, regulations, and governmental rules and policies, which may be more stringent than U.S. laws and regulations (including land use, zoning, environmental, financial, and privacy laws and regulations, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation);
•tax requirements vary by country and existing foreign tax laws and interpretations may change (e.g., the on-going implementation of the European Union’s Anti-Tax Avoidance Directives), which may result in additional taxes on our international investments;
•changes in operating expenses in particular countries or regions; and
•geopolitical risk and adverse market conditions caused by changes in national or regional economic or political conditions (which may impact relative interest rates and the terms or availability of mortgage funds).
The failure of our compliance and internal control systems to properly mitigate such additional risks, or of our operating infrastructure to support such international investments, could result in operational failures, regulatory fines, or other governmental sanctions. We may engage third-party asset managers in international jurisdictions to monitor compliance with legal requirements and lending agreements. Failure to comply with applicable requirements may expose us, our operating subsidiaries, or the entities we manage to additional liabilities. Our operations in the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area, and other countries are subject to significant compliance, disclosure, and other obligations.
In addition, the lack of publicly available information in certain jurisdictions could impair our ability to analyze transactions and may cause us to forego an investment opportunity. It may also impair our ability to receive timely and accurate financial information from tenants necessary to meet reporting obligations to financial institutions or governmental and regulatory agencies. Certain of these risks may be greater in less developed countries. Further, our expertise to date is primarily in the United States and certain countries in Europe. We have less experience in other international markets and may not be as familiar with the potential risks to investments in these areas, which could cause us and the entities we manage to incur losses.
We are also subject to potential fluctuations in exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar because we translate revenue denominated in foreign currency into U.S. dollars for our financial statements (our principal exposure is to the euro). Our results of foreign operations are adversely affected by a stronger U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies (i.e., absent other considerations, a stronger U.S. dollar will reduce both our revenues and our expenses).
A significant amount of our leases will expire within the next five years and we may have difficulty re-leasing or selling our properties if tenants do not renew their leases.
Within the next five years, approximately 24% of our leases, based on our ABR as of December 31, 2021, are due to expire. If these leases are not renewed or if the properties cannot be re-leased on terms that yield comparable payments, our lease revenues could be substantially adversely affected. In addition, when attempting to re-lease such properties, we may incur significant costs and the terms of any new or renewed leases will depend on prevailing market conditions at that time. We may also seek to sell such properties and incur losses due to prevailing market conditions. Some of our properties are designed for the particular needs of a tenant; thus, we may be required to renovate or make rent concessions in order to lease the property to another tenant. If we need to sell such properties, we may have difficulty selling it to a third party due to the property’s unique design. Real estate investments are generally less liquid than many other financial assets, which may limit our ability to quickly
adjust our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions. These and other limitations may adversely affect returns to our stockholders.
Certain of our leases permit tenants to purchase a property at a predetermined price, which could limit our realization of any appreciation or result in a loss.
Under our existing leases, certain tenants have a right to repurchase the properties they lease from us. The purchase price may be a fixed price or it may be based on a formula or the market value at the time of exercise. If a tenant exercises its right to purchase the property and the property’s market value has increased beyond that price, we would not be able to fully realize the appreciation on that property. Additionally, if the price at which the tenant can purchase the property is less than our carrying value (e.g., where the purchase price is based on an appraised value), we may incur a loss. In addition, we may also be unable to reinvest proceeds from these dispositions in investments with similar or better investment returns.
Our ability to control the management of our net-leased properties is limited, which limits our ability to manage property deterioration risks and could impact our ESG ratings and our ability to make ESG disclosures.
The tenants or managers of net-leased properties are responsible for maintenance and other day-to-day management of the properties. If a property is not adequately maintained in accordance with the terms of the applicable lease, we may incur expenses for deferred maintenance expenditures or other liabilities once the property becomes free of the lease. While our leases generally provide for recourse against the tenant in these instances, a bankrupt or financially troubled tenant may be more likely to defer maintenance and it may be more difficult to enforce remedies against such a tenant. Although we endeavor to monitor compliance by tenants with their lease obligations and other factors that could affect the financial performance of our properties on an ongoing basis, we may not always be able to ascertain or forestall deterioration in the condition of a property or the financial circumstances of a tenant.
This lack of control over our net-leased properties also makes it difficult for us to collect property-level environmental metrics and to enforce sustainability initiatives, which may impact our ability to comply with certain ESG disclosure requirements (such as the SEC’s expected new ESG disclosure rules) or engage effectively with established ESG frameworks and standards, such as the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmarks, the Task Force for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. If we are unable to successfully collect the data necessary to comply with ESG disclosure requirements, we may be subject to increased regulatory risk; and if such data is incomplete or unfavorable, our relationship with our investor base, our stock price, and our access to capital may be negatively impacted.
The value of our real estate is subject to fluctuation.
We are subject to all of the general risks associated with the ownership of real estate, which include:
•adverse changes in general or local economic conditions, including changes in interest rates or foreign exchange rates;
•changes in the supply of, or demand for, similar or competing properties;
•competition for tenants and changes in market rental rates;
•inability to lease or sell properties upon termination of existing leases, or renewal of leases at lower rental rates;
•inability to collect rents from tenants due to financial hardship, including bankruptcy;
•changes in tax, real estate, zoning, or environmental laws that adversely impact the value of real estate;
•failure to comply with federal, state, and local legal and regulatory requirements, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and fire or life-safety requirements;
•uninsured property liability, property damage, or casualty losses;
•changes in operating expenses or unexpected expenditures for capital improvements;
•exposure to environmental losses; and
•force majeure and other factors beyond the control of our management.
While the revenues from our leases are not directly dependent upon the value of the real estate owned, significant declines in real estate values could adversely affect us in many ways, including a decline in the residual values of properties at lease expiration, possible lease abandonment by tenants, and a decline in the attractiveness of triple-net lease transactions to potential sellers. We also face the risk that lease revenue will be insufficient to cover all corporate operating expenses and the debt service payments we incur.
Because most of our properties are occupied by a single tenant, our success is materially dependent upon the tenant’s financial stability.
Most of our properties are occupied by a single tenant; therefore, the success of our investments is materially dependent on the financial stability of these tenants. Revenues from several of our tenants/guarantors constitute a significant percentage of our lease revenues. Our top ten tenants accounted for approximately 20% of total ABR at December 31, 2021. Lease payment defaults by tenants could negatively impact our net income and reduce the amounts available for distribution to stockholders.
The bankruptcy or insolvency of tenants may cause a reduction in our revenue and an increase in our expenses.
We have had, and may in the future have, tenants file for bankruptcy protection. Bankruptcy or insolvency of a tenant could lead to the loss of lease or interest and principal payments, an increase in the carrying cost of the property, and litigation. If one or a series of bankruptcies or insolvencies is significant enough (more likely during a period of economic downturn), it could lead to a reduction in the value of our shares and/or a decrease in our dividend. Under U.S. bankruptcy law, a tenant that is the subject of bankruptcy proceedings has the option of assuming or rejecting any unexpired lease. If the tenant rejects the lease, any resulting claim we have for breach of the lease (excluding collateral securing the claim) will be treated as a general unsecured claim and the maximum claim will be capped. In addition, due to the long-term nature of our leases and, in some cases, terms providing for the repurchase of a property by the tenant, a bankruptcy court could recharacterize a net lease transaction as a secured lending transaction. Insolvency laws outside the United States may be more or less favorable to reorganization or the protection of a debtor’s rights as in the United States. In circumstances where the bankruptcy laws of the United States are considered to be more favorable to debtors and/or their reorganization, entities that are not ordinarily perceived as U.S. entities may seek to take advantage of U.S. bankruptcy laws.
The continued disruption and reduced economic activity caused by COVID-19 may severely affect our tenants’ businesses, financial condition and liquidity, leading to an increase in tenant bankruptcy or insolvency. In addition, a portion of our tenants may fail to meet their obligations to us in full (or at all), or may otherwise seek modifications of such obligations. Certain jurisdictions may also enact laws or regulations that impact or alter our ability to collect rent under our existing least terms. The ultimate extent to which COVID-19 will continue to impact the operations of our tenants will depend on future developments, which remain uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence.
Because we are subject to possible liabilities relating to environmental matters, we could incur unexpected costs and our ability to sell or otherwise dispose of a property may be negatively impacted.
We have invested, and may in the future invest, in real properties historically or currently used for industrial, manufacturing, and other commercial purposes, and some of our tenants may handle hazardous or toxic substances, generate hazardous wastes, or discharge regulated pollutants to the environment. Buildings and structures on the properties we purchase may have known or suspected asbestos-containing building materials. We may invest in properties located in countries that have adopted laws or observe environmental management standards that are less stringent than those generally followed in the United States, which may pose a greater risk that releases of hazardous or toxic substances have occurred. We therefore may own properties that have known or potential environmental contamination as a result of historical or ongoing operations, which may expose us to liabilities under environmental laws. Some of these laws could impose the following on us:
•responsibility and liability for the cost of investigation and removal or remediation (including at appropriate disposal facilities) of hazardous or toxic substances in, on, or migrating from our property, generally without regard to our knowledge of, or responsibility for, the presence of these contaminants;
•liability for claims by third parties based on damages to natural resources or property, personal injuries, or costs of removal or remediation of hazardous or toxic substances in, on, or migrating from our property; and
•responsibility for managing asbestos-containing building materials and third-party claims for exposure to those materials.
Costs relating to investigation, remediation, or removal of hazardous or toxic substances, or for third-party claims for damages, may be substantial and could exceed any amounts estimated and recorded within our consolidated financial statements. The presence of hazardous or toxic substances at any of our properties, or the failure to properly remediate a contaminated property, could (i) give rise to a lien in favor of the government for costs it may incur to address the contamination or (ii) otherwise adversely affect our ability to sell or lease the property or to borrow using the property as collateral. In addition, environmental liabilities, or costs or operating limitations imposed on a tenant by environmental laws, could affect its ability to make rental
payments to us. And although we endeavor to avoid doing so, we may be required, in connection with any future divestitures of property, to provide buyers with indemnifications against potential environmental liabilities.
Risks Related to Our Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our level of indebtedness could have significant adverse consequences and our cash flow may be insufficient to meet our debt service obligations.
Our consolidated indebtedness as of December 31, 2021 was approximately $6.8 billion, representing a consolidated debt to gross assets ratio of approximately 40.1%. This consolidated indebtedness was comprised of (i) $5.7 billion in Senior Unsecured Notes (as defined in Note 10), (ii) $721.2 million outstanding under our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility (as defined in Note 10), and (iii) $368.5 million in non-recourse mortgage loans on various properties. Our level of indebtedness could have significant adverse consequences on our business and operations, including the following:
•it may increase our vulnerability to changes in economic conditions (including increases in interest rates) and limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and/or industry;
•we may be at a disadvantage compared to our competitors with comparatively less indebtedness;
•we may be unable to hedge our debt, or such hedges may fail or expire, leaving us exposed to potentially volatile interest or currency exchange rates;
•any default on our secured indebtedness may lead to foreclosures, creating taxable income that could hinder our ability to meet the REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code; and
•we may be unable to refinance our indebtedness or obtain additional financing as needed or on favorable terms.
Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow determines whether we will be able to (i) meet our existing or potential future debt service obligations; (ii) refinance our existing or potential future indebtedness; and (iii) fund our operations, working capital, acquisitions, capital expenditures, and other important business uses. Our future cash flow is subject to many factors beyond our control and we cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations, or that future sources of cash will be available to us on favorable terms, to meet all of our debt service obligations and fund our other important business uses or liquidity needs. As a result, we may be forced to take other actions to meet those obligations, such as selling properties, raising equity, or delaying capital expenditures, any of which may not be feasible or could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, despite our substantial outstanding indebtedness and the restrictions in the agreements governing our indebtedness, we may incur significantly more indebtedness in the future, which would exacerbate the risks discussed above.
The anticipated replacement of the London Inter-bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) with an alternative reference rate may cause disruptions that will have an adverse effect on us.
In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), the authority that regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. As a result, the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York organized the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, which identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as its preferred alternative to USD LIBOR in derivatives and other financial contracts. On November 30, 2020, the FCA announced a partial extension of this deadline, indicating its intention to cease the publication of the one-week and two-month USD LIBOR settings immediately following December 31, 2021, and the remaining USD LIBOR settings immediately following the LIBOR publication on June 30, 2023. While we expect LIBOR to be available in substantially its current form until at least such date, it is possible that LIBOR will become unavailable prior to that point; in which case, the risks associated with the transition to an alternative reference rate will be accelerated and magnified. The introduction of an alternative rate also may create additional basis risk and increased volatility as alternative rates are phased in and utilized in parallel with LIBOR.
We have financial contracts that are indexed to LIBOR and have transitioned certain non-USD LIBOR base rates phased out at the end of 2021 to their respective alternative reference rates. Our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility contains provisions that contemplate alternative methods to establishing a base rate upon LIBOR’s retirement. We expect to manage the transition to alternative reference rates using the language set forth in our agreements and through potential modifications to our debt and derivative instruments. In some instances, transitioning to an alternative reference rate may require negotiations with lenders and other counterparties, which could present challenges if we disagree regarding the method of transition. We continue to monitor and evaluate the risks related to potential changes in LIBOR availability, which include potential changes to financial products and market practices, borrowing rates, interest obligations, and the value of debt and derivative instruments. We are not able to predict when LIBOR will ultimately cease to be published or how SOFR will be calculated and implemented as an
alternative reference rate to USD LIBOR. In addition, there is no guarantee that the transition period will not result in general financial market disruptions, significant increases in benchmark rates or borrowing costs to borrowers, any of which could have an adverse effect on our financing costs, liquidity, results of operations, and overall financial condition.
Restrictive covenants in our credit agreement and indentures may limit our ability to expand or fully pursue our business strategies.
The credit agreement for our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility and the indentures governing our Senior Unsecured Notes contain financial and operating covenants that, among other things, require us to meet specified financial ratios and may limit our ability to take specific actions, even if we believe them to be in our best interest (e.g., subject to certain exceptions, our ability to consummate a merger, consolidation, or a transfer of all or substantially all of our consolidated assets to another person is restricted). These covenants may restrict our ability to expand or fully pursue our business strategies. Our ability to comply with these and other provisions of our debt agreements may be affected by changes in our operating and financial performance, changes in general business and economic conditions, adverse regulatory developments, or other events beyond our control. The breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under our indebtedness, which could result in the acceleration of the maturity of such indebtedness and potentially other indebtedness. If any of our indebtedness is accelerated prior to maturity, we may not be able to repay such indebtedness or refinance such indebtedness on favorable terms, or at all.
A downgrade in our credit ratings could materially adversely affect our business and financial condition as well as the market price of our Senior Unsecured Notes.
We plan to manage our operations to maintain investment grade status with a capital structure consistent with our current profile, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current credit ratings. Our credit ratings could change based upon, among other things, our historical and projected business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, and prospects. These ratings are subject to ongoing evaluation by credit rating agencies and we cannot provide any assurance that our ratings will not be changed or withdrawn by a rating agency in the future. If any of the credit rating agencies downgrades or lowers our credit rating, or if any credit rating agency indicates that it has placed our rating on a “watch list” for a possible downgrading or lowering, or otherwise indicates that its outlook for our rating is negative, it could have a material adverse effect on our costs and availability of capital, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on us and on our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations (including those under our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility, our Senior Unsecured Notes, or other similar debt securities that we issue) and to pay dividends on our common stock. Furthermore, any such action could negatively impact the market price of our Senior Unsecured Notes.
Some of our properties are encumbered by mortgage debt, which could adversely affect our cash flow.
At December 31, 2021, we had $368.5 million of property-level mortgage debt on a non-recourse basis, which limits our exposure on any property to the amount of equity invested in the property. If we are unable to make our mortgage-related debt payments as required, a lender could foreclose on the property or properties securing its debt. Additionally, lenders for our mortgage loan transactions typically incorporated various covenants and other provisions (including loan to value ratio, debt service coverage ratio, and material adverse changes in the borrower’s or tenant’s business) that can cause a technical loan default. Accordingly, if the real estate value declines or the tenant defaults, the lender would have the right to foreclose on its security. If any of these events were to occur, it could cause us to lose part or all of our investment, which could reduce the value of our portfolio and revenues available for distribution to our stockholders.
Some of our property-level financing may also require us to make a balloon payment at maturity. Our ability to make such balloon payments may depend upon our ability to refinance the obligation or sell the underlying property. When a balloon payment is due, however, we may be unable to refinance the balloon payment on terms as favorable as the original loan, make the payment with existing cash or cash resources, or sell the property at a price sufficient to cover the payment. Our ability to accomplish these goals will be affected by various factors existing at the relevant time, such as the state of national and regional economies, local real estate conditions, available mortgage or interest rates, availability of credit, our equity in the mortgaged properties, our financial condition, the operating history of the mortgaged properties, and tax laws. A refinancing or sale could affect the rate of return to stockholders and the projected disposition timeline of our assets.
Risks Related to our Corporate Structure and Maryland Law
Our charter and Maryland law contain provisions that may delay or prevent a change of control transaction.
Our charter, subject to certain exceptions, authorizes our board of directors (our “Board”) to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to limit any person to beneficial or constructive ownership of 9.8%, in either value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our aggregate outstanding shares of (i) common and preferred stock (excluding any outstanding shares of our common or preferred stock not treated as outstanding for federal income tax purposes) or (ii) common stock (excluding any of our outstanding shares of common stock not treated as outstanding for federal income tax purposes). Our Board, in its sole discretion, may exempt a person from such ownership limits, provided that they obtain such representations, covenants, and undertakings as appropriate to determine that the exemption would not affect our REIT status. Our Board may also increase or decrease the common stock ownership limit and/or the aggregate stock ownership limit, so long as the change would not result in five or fewer persons beneficially owning more than 49.9% in value of our outstanding stock. The ownership limits and other stock ownership restrictions contained in our charter may delay or prevent a transaction or change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.
Our Board may modify our authorized shares of stock of any class or series and may create and issue a class or series of common stock or preferred stock without stockholder approval.
Our charter empowers our Board to, without stockholder approval, increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of our stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we have authority to issue; classify any unissued shares of common stock or preferred stock; reclassify any previously classified, but unissued, shares of common stock or preferred stock into one or more classes or series of stock; and issue such shares of stock so classified or reclassified. Our Board may determine the relative rights, preferences, and privileges of any class or series of common stock or preferred stock issued. As a result, we may issue series or classes of common stock or preferred stock with preferences, dividends, powers, and rights (voting or otherwise) senior to the rights of current holders of our common stock. The issuance of any such classes or series of common stock or preferred stock could also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control transaction that might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.
Certain provisions of Maryland law could inhibit changes in control.
Certain provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law (“MGCL”) may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or impeding a change of control that could provide our stockholders with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of our common stock, including:
•“business combination” provisions that, subject to limitations, prohibit certain business combinations between us and an “interested stockholder” (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of our outstanding voting stock), or an affiliate thereof, for five years after the most recent date on which the stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, and thereafter imposes special appraisal rights and supermajority voting requirements on these combinations; and
•“control share” provisions that provide that holders of “control shares” of our company (defined as voting shares which, when aggregated with all other shares owned or controlled by the stockholder, entitle the stockholder to exercise one of three increasing ranges of voting power in electing directors) acquired in a “control share acquisition” (defined as the direct or indirect acquisition of ownership or control of issued and outstanding “control shares”) have no voting rights except to the extent approved by our stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding all interested shares.
The statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by a board of directors prior to the time that the “interested stockholder” becomes an interested stockholder. Our Board has, by resolution, exempted any business combination between us and any person who is an existing, or becomes in the future, an “interested stockholder.” Consequently, the five-year prohibition and the supermajority vote requirements will not apply to business combinations between us and any such person. As a result, such person may be able to enter into business combinations with us that may not be in the best interest of our stockholders, without compliance with the supermajority vote requirements and the other provisions of the statute. Additionally, this resolution may be altered, revoked, or repealed in whole or in part at any time and we may opt back into the business combination provisions of the MGCL. If this resolution is revoked or repealed, the statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer. In the
case of the control share provisions of the MGCL, we have elected to opt out of these provisions of the MGCL pursuant to a provision in our bylaws.
Additionally, Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL permits our Board, without stockholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in our charter or our bylaws, to implement certain governance provisions, some of which we do not currently have. We have opted out of Section 3-803 of the MGCL, which permits a board of directors to be divided into classes pursuant to Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL. Any amendment or repeal of this resolution must be approved in the same manner as an amendment to our charter. The remaining provisions of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making an acquisition proposal for our company or of delaying, deferring, or preventing a change in control of our company under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of our common stock with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-current market price. Our charter, our bylaws, and Maryland law also contain other provisions that may delay, defer, or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.
Risks Related to REIT Structure
While we believe that we are properly organized as a REIT in accordance with applicable law, we cannot guarantee that the Internal Revenue Service will find that we have qualified as a REIT.
We believe that we are organized in conformity with the requirements for qualification as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code beginning with our 2012 taxable year and that our current and anticipated investments and plan of operation will enable us to meet and continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT. Investors should be aware, however, that the Internal Revenue Service or any court could take a position different from our own. Given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations, and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, no assurance can be given that we will qualify as a REIT for any particular year.
Furthermore, our qualification and taxation as a REIT will depend on our satisfaction of certain asset, income, organizational, distribution, stockholder ownership, and other requirements on a continuing basis. Our ability to satisfy the quarterly asset tests under applicable Internal Revenue Code provisions and Treasury Regulations will depend on the fair market values of our assets, some of which are not susceptible to a precise determination. Our compliance with the REIT income and quarterly asset requirements also depends upon our ability to successfully manage the composition of our income and assets on an ongoing basis. While we believe that we will satisfy these tests, we cannot guarantee that this will be the case on a continuing basis.
If we fail to remain qualified as a REIT, we would be subject to federal income tax at corporate income tax rates and would not be able to deduct distributions to stockholders when computing our taxable income.
If, in any taxable year, we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT and are not entitled to relief under the Internal Revenue Code, we will:
•not be allowed a deduction for distributions to stockholders in computing our taxable income;
•be subject to federal and state income tax, including any applicable alternative minimum tax (for taxable years ending prior to January 1, 2018), on our taxable income at regular corporate rate; and
•be barred from qualifying as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year when we were disqualified.
Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce the amount of cash available for distributions to our stockholders, which in turn could have an adverse impact on the value of our common stock. This adverse impact could last for five or more years because, unless we are entitled to relief under certain statutory provisions, we will be taxed as a corporation beginning the year in which the failure occurs and for the following four years.
If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may need to borrow funds or liquidate some investments to pay the additional tax liability. Were this to occur, funds available for investment would be reduced. REIT qualification involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to our operations, as well as various factual determinations concerning matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. There are limited judicial or administrative interpretations of these provisions. Although we plan to continue to operate in a manner consistent with the REIT qualification rules, we cannot assure you that we will qualify in a given year or remain so qualified.
If we fail to make required distributions, we may be subject to federal corporate income tax.
We intend to declare regular quarterly distributions, the amount of which will be determined, and is subject to adjustment, by our Board. To continue to qualify and be taxed as a REIT, we will generally be required to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends-paid deduction and excluding net capital gain) each year to our stockholders. Generally, we expect to distribute all, or substantially all, of our REIT taxable income. If our cash available for distribution falls short of our estimates, we may be unable to maintain the proposed quarterly distributions that approximate our taxable income and we may fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT. In addition, our cash flows from operations may be insufficient to fund required distributions as a result of differences in timing between the actual receipt of income and the recognition of income for federal income tax purposes or the effect of nondeductible expenditures (e.g., capital expenditures, payments of compensation for which Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code denies a deduction, the creation of reserves, or required debt service or amortization payments). To the extent we satisfy the 90% distribution requirement, but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will be subject to federal corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income. We will also be subject to a 4.0% nondeductible excise tax if the actual amount that we pay out to our stockholders for a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, in order to continue to qualify as a REIT, any C corporation earnings and profits to which we succeed must be distributed as of the close of the taxable year in which we accumulate or acquire such C corporation’s earnings and profits.
Because certain covenants in our debt instruments may limit our ability to make required REIT distributions, we could be subject to taxation.
Our existing debt instruments include, and our future debt instruments may include, covenants that limit our ability to make required REIT distributions. If the limits set forth in these covenants prevent us from satisfying our REIT distribution requirements, we could fail to qualify for federal income tax purposes as a REIT. If the limits set forth in these covenants do not jeopardize our qualification for taxation as a REIT, but prevent us from distributing 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will be subject to federal corporate income tax, and potentially a nondeductible excise tax, on the retained amounts.
Because we are required to satisfy numerous requirements imposed upon REITs, we may be required to borrow funds, sell assets, or raise equity on terms that are not favorable to us.
In order to meet the REIT distribution requirements and maintain our qualification and taxation as a REIT, we may need to borrow funds, sell assets, or raise equity, even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable for such transactions. If our cash flows are not sufficient to cover our REIT distribution requirements, it could adversely impact our ability to raise short- and long-term debt, sell assets, or offer equity securities in order to fund the distributions required to maintain our qualification and taxation as a REIT. Furthermore, the REIT distribution requirements may increase the financing we need to fund capital expenditures, future growth, and expansion initiatives, which would increase our total leverage.
In addition, if we fail to comply with certain asset ownership tests at the end of any calendar quarter, we must generally correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification. As a result, we may be required to liquidate otherwise attractive investments. These actions may reduce our income and amounts available for distribution to our stockholders.
Because the REIT rules require us to satisfy certain rules on an ongoing basis, our flexibility or ability to pursue otherwise attractive opportunities may be limited.
To qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders, and the ownership of our common stock. Compliance with these tests will require us to refrain from certain activities and may hinder our ability to make certain attractive investments, including the purchase of non-qualifying assets, the expansion of non-real estate activities, and investments in the businesses to be conducted by our taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”), thereby limiting our opportunities and the flexibility to change our business strategy. Furthermore, acquisition opportunities in domestic and international markets may be adversely affected if we need or require target companies to comply with certain REIT requirements prior to closing on acquisitions. Also, please see the risk “There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain cash dividends” below.
Because the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code limit our ability to hedge effectively, the cost of our hedging may increase and we may incur tax liabilities.
The REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code limit our ability to hedge assets and liabilities that are not incurred to acquire or carry real estate. Generally, income from hedging transactions that have been properly identified for tax purposes (which we enter into to manage interest rate risk with respect to borrowings to acquire or carry real estate assets) and income from certain currency hedging transactions related to our non-U.S. operations, do not constitute “gross income” for purposes of the REIT gross income tests (such a hedging transaction is referred to as a “qualifying hedge”). In addition, if we enter into a qualifying hedge, but dispose of the underlying property (or a portion thereof) or the underlying debt (or a portion thereof) is extinguished, we can enter into a hedge of the original qualifying hedge, and income from the subsequent hedge will also not constitute “gross income” for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. As a result of these rules, we may need to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques or implement those hedges through a TRS. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities because our TRSs could be subject to tax on income or gains resulting from such hedges or expose us to greater interest rate risks than we would otherwise want to bear. In addition, losses in any of our TRSs generally will not provide any tax benefit, except for being carried forward for use against future taxable income in the TRSs.
We use TRSs, which may cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT.
To qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we hold our non-qualifying REIT assets and conduct our non-qualifying REIT income activities in or through one or more TRSs. The net income of our TRSs is not required to be distributed to us. Income that is not distributed to us by our domestic TRSs will generally not be subject to the REIT income distribution requirement. However, certain income that is not distributed to us by our foreign TRSs may be deemed distributed to us by operation of certain provisions of the U.S. Tax Code and generally subject to REIT income distribution requirements. In addition, there may be limitations on our ability to accumulate earnings in our TRSs and the accumulation or reinvestment of significant earnings in our TRSs could result in adverse tax treatment. In particular, if the accumulation of cash in our TRSs causes the fair market value of our TRS interests and certain other non-qualifying assets to exceed 20% of the fair market value of our assets, we would lose tax efficiency and could potentially fail to qualify as a REIT.
Because the REIT rules limit our ability to receive distributions from TRSs, our ability to fund distribution payments using cash generated through our TRSs may be limited.
Our ability to receive distributions from our TRSs is limited by the rules we must comply with in order to maintain our REIT status. In particular, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year as a REIT must be derived from real estate-related sources, which principally includes gross income from the leasing of our properties. Consequently, no more than 25% of our gross income may consist of dividend income from our TRSs and other non-qualifying income types. Thus, our ability to receive distributions from our TRSs is limited and may impact our ability to fund distributions to our stockholders using cash flows from our TRSs. Specifically, if our TRSs become highly profitable, we might be limited in our ability to receive net income from our TRSs in an amount required to fund distributions to our stockholders commensurate with that profitability.
Transactions with our TRSs could cause us to be subject to a 100% penalty tax on certain income or deductions if those transactions are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis.
The Internal Revenue Code limits the deductibility of interest paid or accrued by a TRS to its parent REIT to assure that the TRS is subject to an appropriate level of corporate taxation. The Internal Revenue Code also imposes a 100% excise tax on certain transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. We will monitor the value of investments in our TRSs in order to ensure compliance with TRS ownership limitations and will structure our transactions with our TRSs on terms that we believe are arm’s-length to avoid incurring the 100% excise tax described above. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to comply with the TRS ownership limitation or be able to avoid application of the 100% excise tax.
Because distributions payable by REITs generally do not qualify for reduced tax rates, the value of our common stock could be adversely affected.
Certain distributions payable by domestic or qualified foreign corporations to individuals, trusts, and estates in the United States are currently eligible for federal income tax at a maximum rate of 20% plus the 3.8% Medicare tax on net investment income, if
applicable. Distributions payable by REITs, in contrast, are generally not eligible for this reduced rate, unless the distributions are attributable to dividends received by the REIT from other corporations that would otherwise be eligible for the reduced rate. This more favorable tax rate for regular corporate distributions could cause qualified investors to perceive investments in REITs to be less attractive than investments in the stock of corporations that pay distributions, which could adversely affect the value of REIT stocks, including our common stock.
Even if we continue to qualify as a REIT, certain of our business activities will be subject to corporate level income tax and foreign taxes, which will continue to reduce our cash flows, and we will have potential deferred and contingent tax liabilities.
Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain (i) federal, state, local, and foreign taxes on our income and assets (including alternative minimum taxes for taxable years ending prior to January 1, 2018); (ii) taxes on any undistributed income and state, local, or foreign income; and (iii) franchise, property, and transfer taxes. In addition, we could be required to pay an excise or penalty tax under certain circumstances in order to utilize one or more relief provisions under the Internal Revenue Code to maintain qualification for taxation as a REIT, which could be significant in amount.
Any TRS assets and operations would continue to be subject, as applicable, to federal and state corporate income taxes and to foreign taxes in the jurisdictions in which those assets and operations are located. Any of these taxes would decrease our earnings and our cash available for distributions to stockholders.
We will also be subject to a federal corporate level tax at the highest regular corporate rate (currently 21%) on all or a portion of the gain recognized from a sale of assets formerly held by any C corporation that we acquire on a carry-over basis transaction occurring within a five-year period after we acquire such assets, to the extent the built-in gain based on the fair market value of those assets on the effective date of the REIT election is in excess of our then tax basis. The tax on subsequently sold assets will be based on the fair market value and built-in gain of those assets as of the beginning of our holding period. Gains from the sale of an asset occurring after the specified period will not be subject to this corporate level tax. We expect to have only a de minimis amount of assets subject to these corporate tax rules and do not expect to dispose of any significant assets subject to these corporate tax rules.
Because dividends received by foreign stockholders are generally taxable, we may be required to withhold a portion of our distributions to such persons.
Ordinary dividends received by foreign stockholders that are not effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30%, unless reduced by an applicable income tax treaty. Additional rules with respect to certain capital gain distributions will apply to foreign stockholders that own more than 10% of our common stock.
The ability of our Board to revoke our REIT election, without stockholder approval, may cause adverse consequences for our stockholders.
Our organizational documents permit our Board to revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without the approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interest to continue to qualify as a REIT. If we cease to be a REIT, we will not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid to stockholders in computing our taxable income and we will be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rate and state and local taxes, which may have adverse consequences on the total return to our stockholders.
Federal and state income tax laws governing REITs and related interpretations may change at any time, and any such legislative or other actions affecting REITs could have a negative effect on us and our stockholders.
Federal and state income tax laws governing REITs or the administrative interpretations of those laws may be amended at any time. Federal, state, and foreign tax laws are under constant review by persons involved in the legislative process, at the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and at various state and foreign tax authorities. Changes to tax laws, regulations, or administrative interpretations, which may be applied retroactively, could adversely affect us or our stockholders. We cannot predict whether, when, in what forms, or with what effective dates, the tax laws, regulations, and administrative interpretations applicable to us or our stockholders may be changed. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that any such change will not significantly affect our ability to qualify for taxation as a REIT or the federal income tax consequences to you or us.
Risks Related to Our Overall Business
We are subject to the volatility of the capital markets, which may impact our ability to deploy capital.
The trading volume and market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly and be adversely impacted in response to a number of factors. Therefore, our current or historical trading volume and share prices are not indicative of the number of shares of our common stock that will trade going forward or how the market will value shares of our common stock in the future. In addition, the capital markets may experience extreme volatility, disruption and periods of dislocation (e.g., during pandemics or a global financial crisis), which could make it more difficult for us to raise capital. Since net-lease REITs must be able to deploy capital with agility and consistency, if we cannot access the capital markets upon favorable terms or at all, we may be required to liquidate one or more investments, including when an investment has not yet realized its maximum return, which could also result in adverse tax consequences and affect our ability to capitalize on acquisition opportunities and/or meet operational needs. Moreover, market turmoil could lead to decreased consumer confidence and widespread reduction of business activity, which may materially and adversely impact us, including our ability to acquire and dispose of properties.
Future issuances of debt and equity securities may negatively affect the market price of our common stock.
We may issue debt or equity securities or incur additional borrowings in the future. Future issuances of debt securities would increase our interest costs and rank senior to our common stock upon our liquidation, and additional issuances of equity securities would dilute the holdings of our existing common stockholders (and any preferred stock may rank senior to our common stock for the purposes of making distributions), both of which may negatively affect the market price of our common stock. However, our future growth will depend, in part, upon our ability to raise additional capital, including through the issuance of debt and equity securities. Because our decision to issue additional debt or equity securities or incur additional borrowings in the future will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, nature, or success of our future capital raising efforts. Thus, common stockholders bear the risk that our future issuances of debt or equity securities, or our incurrence of additional borrowings, will negatively affect the market price of our common stock.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain cash dividends.
Our ability to continue to pay dividends in the future may be adversely affected by the risk factors described in this Report. More specifically, while we expect to continue our current dividend practices, we can give no assurance that we will be able to maintain dividend levels in the future for various reasons, including the following:
•there is no assurance that rents from our properties will increase or that future acquisitions will increase our cash available for distribution to stockholders, and we may not have enough cash to pay such dividends due to changes in our cash requirements, capital plans, cash flow, or financial position;
•our Board, in its sole discretion, determines the amount and timing of any future dividend payments to our stockholders based on a number of factors, therefore our dividend levels are not guaranteed and may fluctuate; and
•the amount of dividends that our subsidiaries may distribute to us may be subject to restrictions imposed by state law or regulators, as well as the terms of any current or future indebtedness that these subsidiaries may incur.
Furthermore, certain agreements relating to our borrowings may, under certain circumstances, prohibit or otherwise restrict our ability to pay dividends to our common stockholders. Future dividends, if any, are expected to be based upon our earnings, financial condition, cash flows and liquidity, debt service requirements, capital expenditure requirements for our properties, financing covenants, and applicable law. If we do not have sufficient cash available to pay dividends, we may need to fund the shortage out of working capital or revenues from future acquisitions, if any, or borrow to provide funds for such dividends, which would reduce the amount of funds available for investment and increase our future interest costs. Our inability to pay dividends, or to pay dividends at expected levels, could adversely impact the market price of our common stock.
Our accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we record and report our financial position and results of operations, and they require management to make estimates, judgments, and assumptions about matters that are inherently uncertain.
Our accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we record and report our financial position and results of operations. We have identified several accounting policies as being critical to the presentation of our financial position and results of operations because they require management to make particularly subjective or complex judgments about matters that
are inherently uncertain and because of the likelihood that materially different amounts would be recorded under different conditions or using different assumptions. Due to the inherent uncertainty of the estimates, judgments, and assumptions associated with these critical accounting policies, we cannot provide any assurance that we will not make significant subsequent adjustments to our consolidated financial statements. If our judgments, assumptions, and allocations prove to be incorrect, or if circumstances change, our business, financial condition, revenues, operating expense, results of operations, liquidity, ability to pay dividends, or stock price may be materially adversely affected.
Our future success depends on the successful recruitment and retention of personnel, including our executives.
Our future success depends in large part on our ability to hire and retain a sufficient number of qualified and diverse personnel. Failure to recruit from a diverse pool of qualified candidates, particularly in light of recent labor shortages triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, could negatively impact the dynamic growth of our company. In addition, the nature of our executive officers’ experience and the extent of the relationships they have developed with real estate professionals and financial institutions are important to the success of our business. We cannot provide any assurances regarding their continued employment with us. The loss of the services of certain of our executive officers could detrimentally affect our business and prospects, and a sustained labor shortage or increased turnover rates among our employees, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or other factors, could increase costs and materially adversely affect our business.
The occurrence of cyber incidents, or a deficiency in our cyber security, could negatively impact our business by causing a disruption to our operations, a compromise or corruption of our confidential information, and/or damage to our business relationships, all of which could negatively impact our financial results.
A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of our information resources, which could be an intentional attack or an unintentional accident or error. We use information technology and other computer resources to carry out important operational activities and to maintain our business records. With the advent of remote work environments and technologies, we face heightened cybersecurity risks as our employees and counterparties increasingly depend on the internet and face greater exposure to malware and phishing attacks. These heightened cybersecurity risks may increase our vulnerability to cyber-attacks and cause disruptions to our internal control procedures.
In addition, we may store or come into contact with sensitive information and data. If we or our third-party service providers fail to comply with applicable privacy or data security laws in handling this information, including the General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act, we could face significant legal and financial exposure to claims of governmental agencies and parties whose privacy is compromised, including sizable fines and penalties.
We have implemented processes, procedures, and controls intended to address ongoing and evolving cyber security risks, but these measures, as well as our increased awareness of a risk of a cyber incident, do not guarantee that our financial results will not be negatively impacted by such an incident. The primary risks that could directly result from the occurrence of a cyber incident include operational interruption, damage to our relationship with our tenants, and private data exposure. A significant and extended disruption could damage our business or reputation; cause a loss of revenue; have an adverse effect on tenant relations; cause an unintended or unauthorized public disclosure; or lead to the misappropriation of proprietary, personal identifying and confidential information; all of which could result in us incurring significant expenses to address and remediate or otherwise resolve these kinds of issues. There can be no assurance that the insurance we maintain to cover some of these risks will be sufficient to cover the losses from any future breaches of our systems.
Our business may continue to be adversely affected by COVID-19.
We are unable to predict the impact of ongoing disruptions caused by additional surges of COVID-19 transmission. The economic downturn and market volatility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has already eroded the financial condition of certain of our tenants and operating properties; therefore, we cannot predict the impact that COVID-19 will continue to have on our tenants’ ability to pay rent and any information provided regarding historical rent collections should not serve as an indication of expected future rent collections. We also cannot assure you that conditions in the bank lending, capital, and other financial markets will not deteriorate as a result of the ongoing disruptions caused by COVID-19, causing our access to capital and other sources of funding to become constrained, which could adversely affect the terms or even availability of future borrowings, renewals, and refinancings. Changes in laws and regulatory policies, including any governmental actions related to COVID-19 and the effects of fiscal and monetary policy changes, could result in business disruptions and subject us to additional market volatility and risks. On a company-level, rapidly changing guidance regarding COVID-19 protocols could subject us to risks arising from potential legal liabilities. The extent to which COVID-19 will impact our results and operations
will depend on future developments, including progression in vaccination and treatment regimes, the frequency and duration of additional surges in transmission, and governmental actions taken to contain or mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
Our principal corporate offices are located at One Manhattan West, 395 9th Avenue, 58th Floor, New York, NY 10001 and our international offices are located in London and Amsterdam. We have additional office space domestically in Dallas. We lease all of these offices and believe these leases are suitable for our operations for the foreseeable future.
See Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Portfolio Overview — Net-Leased Portfolio for a discussion of the properties we hold for rental operations and Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Schedule III — Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation for a detailed listing of such properties.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
Various claims and lawsuits arising in the normal course of business are pending against us. The results of these proceedings are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Mattersand Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “WPC.” At February 4, 2022 there were 8,319 registered holders of record of our common stock. This figure does not reflect the beneficial ownership of shares of our common stock.
Stock Price Performance Graph
The graph below provides an indicator of cumulative total stockholder returns for our common stock for the period December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2021, as compared with the S&P 500 Index and the FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs Index. The graph assumes a $100 investment on December 31, 2016, together with the reinvestment of all dividends.
At December 31,
The stock price performance included in this graph is not indicative of future stock price performance.
Dividends
We currently intend to continue paying cash dividends consistent with our historical practice; however, our Board determines the amount and timing of any future dividend payments to our stockholders based on a variety of factors.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
This information will be contained in our definitive proxy statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed within 120 days following the end of our fiscal year, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 6. Reserved
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Resultsof Operations.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is intended to assist in understanding our financial statements and the reasons for changes in certain key components of our financial statements from period to period. This item also provides our perspective on our financial position and liquidity, as well as certain other factors that may affect our future results. The discussion also breaks down the financial results of our business by segment to provide a better understanding of how these segments and their results affect our financial condition and results of operations.
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Report and the matters described under Item 1A. Risk Factors. Please see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 for discussion of our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019. Refer to Item 1. Business for a description of our business.
Significant Developments
COVID-19
We continue to actively engage in discussions with our tenants regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their business operations, liquidity, and financial position. Through the date of this Report, we have received from tenants over 99.8% of contractual base rent due during the fourth quarter of 2021 (based on contractual minimum annualized base rent (“ABR”) as of September 30, 2021). Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are unable to predict its effect on our tenants’ continued ability to pay rent. Therefore, information provided in this Report regarding rent collections should not serve as an indication of expected future rent collections.
Financial Highlights
During the year ended December 31, 2021, we completed the following (as further described in the consolidated financial statements):
Real Estate
Investments
•We acquired 28 investments totaling $1.5 billion (Note 4, Note 5).
•We completed four construction projects at a cost totaling $88.2 million (Note 4).
•We entered into an agreement to fund a construction loan of approximately $224.9 million for a retail complex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Through December 31, 2021, we have funded $103.7 million (Note 7).
•We committed to fund six build-to-suit or expansion projects totaling $63.5 million (based on the exchange rate of the euro at December 31, 2021, as applicable). We currently expect to complete the projects in 2022 and 2023 (Note 4).
Dispositions
•As part of our active capital recycling program, we disposed of 24 properties for total proceeds, net of selling costs, of $163.6 million (Note 15).
Financing and Capital Markets Transactions
•On February 25, 2021, we completed an underwritten public offering of $425.0 million of 2.250% Senior Notes due 2033, at a price of 98.722% of par value. These 2.250% Senior Notes due 2033 have a 12.1-year term and are scheduled to mature on April 1, 2033 (Note 10).
•On March 8, 2021, we completed an underwritten public offering of €525.0 million of 0.950% Senior Notes due 2030, at a price of 99.335% of par value, issued by our wholly owned finance subsidiary, WPC Eurobond B.V., and fully and unconditionally guaranteed by us. These 0.950% Senior Notes due 2030 have a 9.2-year term and are scheduled to mature on June 1, 2030. We used the net proceeds from this offering to redeem the €500.0 million of 2.0% Senior Notes due 2023, for which we paid a “make-whole” amount of $26.2 million (based on the exchange rate of the euro as of the date of redemption) (Note 10).
•On October 15, 2021, we completed an underwritten public offering of $350.0 million of 2.450% Senior Notes due 2032, at a price of 99.048% of par value, in our inaugural green bond offering. These 2.450% Senior Notes due 2032 have a 10.3-year term and are scheduled to mature on February 1, 2032. We intend to fully allocate an amount equal to the net proceeds from this offering to the financing and refinancing, in whole or in part, of one or more recently completed or future eligible green projects (as defined in the prospectus supplement for the offering) (Note 10).
•On June 7, 2021, we offered 6,037,500 shares of common stock through our June 2021 Equity Forwards, for gross proceeds of approximately $454.6 million. In addition, on August 9, 2021, we offered 5,175,000 shares of common stock through our August 2021 Equity Forwards, for gross proceeds of approximately $403.7 million. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we settled portions of our Equity Forwards by delivering 9,798,209 shares of common stock to certain forward purchasers for net proceeds of $697.0 million. As of December 31, 2021, 3,925,000 shares remained outstanding under our Equity Forwards (Note 12).
•We issued 4,690,073 shares of our common stock under our ATM Program at a weighted-average price of $73.42 per share, for net proceeds of $340.0 million (Note 12).
•We reduced our mortgage debt outstanding by prepaying or repaying at or close to maturity a total of $777.8 million of non-recourse mortgage loans (including prepayment penalties totaling $45.2 million) with a weighted-average interest rate of 4.8% (Note 10).
Investment Management
Assets Under Management
•As of December 31, 2021, we managed total assets of approximately $2.7 billion on behalf of CPA:18 – Global and CESH. We expect that the vast majority of our Investment Management earnings going forward will be generated from asset management fees and our ownership interests in CPA:18 – Global and CESH.
Dividends to Stockholders
We declared cash dividends totaling $4.205 per share, comprised of four quarterly dividends per share of $1.048, $1.050, $1.052, and $1.055.
Consolidated Results
(in thousands, except shares)
Years Ended December 31,
Net income from Real Estate attributable to W. P. Carey 384,766 459,512
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 557,048 (210,713)
Supplemental financial measures (a):
__________
(a)We consider Adjusted funds from operations (“AFFO”), a supplemental measure that is not defined by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) (a “non-GAAP measure”), to be an important measure in the evaluation of our operating performance. See Supplemental Financial Measures below for our definition of this non-GAAP measure and a reconciliation to its most directly comparable GAAP measure.
Revenues
Real Estate revenue increased in 2021 as compared to 2020, primarily due to higher lease revenues (substantially as a result of property acquisition activity, the strengthening euro and British pound sterling, and the positive impact on rent collections as businesses recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by property dispositions) and higher lease termination and other income (Note 4). Investment Management revenue decreased in 2021 as compared to 2020, primarily due to lower asset management revenue and reimbursable costs earned from the Managed Programs following the termination of our advisory agreements in connection with the closing of the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger on April 13, 2020 (Note 3).
Net Income Attributable to W. P. Carey
Net income from Real Estate attributable to W. P. Carey decreased in 2021 as compared to 2020, primarily due to a higher loss on extinguishment of debt (Note 10), a lower aggregate gain on sale of real estate (Note 15), and a deferred tax benefit as a result of the release of a deferred tax liability relating to our investment in shares of Lineage Logistics during the prior year (Note 14), partially offset by the impact of real estate acquisitions, the positive impact on rent collections as businesses recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and lower interest expense. In addition, we recognized non-cash unrealized gains on our investment in shares of Lineage Logistics during both the current and prior year (Note 8). Net income from Investment Management attributable to W. P. Carey increased in 2021 as compared to 2020, primarily due to other-than temporary impairment charges on our equity method investments in CWI 1 and CWI 2 during the prior year period (Note 8), partially offset by a non-cash net gain recognized on the redemption of our special general partner interests in CWI 1 and CWI 2 in connection with the WLT management internalization in April 2020 (Note 3), as well as the cessation of revenues previously earned from CWI 1 and CWI 2.
AFFO
AFFO increased in 2021 as compared to 2020, primarily due to higher lease revenues from net investment activity, lower interest expense, and the positive impact on rent collections as businesses recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by lower Investment Management revenues due to the WLT management internalization in April 2020 (Note 3).
Portfolio Overview
Our portfolio is comprised of operationally-critical, commercial real estate assets net leased to tenants located primarily in the United States and Northern and Western Europe. We invest in high-quality single tenant industrial, warehouse, office, retail, and self-storage (net lease) properties subject to long-term leases with built-in rent escalators. Portfolio information is provided on a pro rata basis, unless otherwise noted below, to better illustrate the economic impact of our various net-leased jointly owned investments. See Terms and Definitions below for a description of pro rata amounts.
Portfolio Summary
As of December 31,
Number of net-leased properties 1,304 1,243
Number of operating properties (a) 20 20
Number of tenants (net-leased properties) 352 350
Total square footage (net-leased properties, in thousands) 155,674 144,259
Occupancy (net-leased properties) 98.5 % 98.5 %
Weighted-average lease term (net-leased properties, in years) 10.8 10.6
Number of countries (b) 24 25
Years Ended December 31,
Acquisition volume (in millions) (c) $ 1,627.9 $ 661.4
Construction projects completed (in millions) 88.2 171.2
Average U.S. dollar/euro exchange rate 1.1830 1.1410
Average U.S. dollar/British pound sterling exchange rate 1.3755 1.2834
__________
(a)At both December 31, 2021 and 2020, operating properties consisted of 19 self-storage properties (of which we consolidated ten, with an average occupancy of 95.3% at December 31, 2021), and one hotel property, with an average occupancy of 45.2% for the year ended December 31, 2021 (due to the adverse effect of the COVID-19 pandemic).
(b)We sold our only remaining investment in Belgium during 2021.
(c)Amount for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes $217.0 million of sale-leasebacks classified as loans receivable (Note 5). Amount for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes $103.7 million of funding for a construction loan (Note 7).
Net-Leased Portfolio
The tables below represent information about our net-leased portfolio at December 31, 2021 on a pro rata basis and, accordingly, exclude all operating properties. See Terms and Definitions below for a description of pro rata amounts and ABR.
Top Ten Tenants by ABR
(dollars in thousands)
OBI Group (a) Do-it-yourself retail properties in Poland 26 22,635 1.8 % 8.4
Marriott Corporation Net lease hotel properties in the U.S. 18 21,100 1.7 % 2.0
Nord Anglia Education, Inc. K-12 private schools in the U.S. 3 19,473 1.6 % 21.7
__________
(a)ABR amounts are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.
Portfolio Diversification by Geography
(in thousands, except percentages)
Region ABR ABR Percent Square Footage (a) Square Footage Percent
United States
South
Midwest
East
West
International
Portfolio Diversification by Property Type
(in thousands, except percentages)
Property Type ABR ABR Percent Square Footage (a) Square Footage Percent
__________
(a)Includes square footage for any vacant properties.
(b)Other properties within South include assets in Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. Other properties within Midwest include assets in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Other properties within East include assets in Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Connecticut, West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Maine. Other properties within West include assets in Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, New Mexico, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska.
(c)Includes assets in Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Mexico, Hungary, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, Slovakia, Japan, Latvia, and Estonia.
(d)Includes automotive dealerships.
(e)Includes ABR from tenants with the following property types: education facility, hotel (net lease), laboratory, fitness facility, theater, student housing (net lease), restaurant, and land.
Portfolio Diversification by Tenant Industry
(in thousands, except percentages)
Industry Type ABR ABR Percent Square Footage Square Footage Percent
__________
(a)Includes automotive dealerships.
(b)Includes ABR from tenants in the following industries: media: advertising, printing, and publishing, oil and gas, environmental industries, consumer transportation, forest products and paper, real estate, and electricity. Also includes square footage for vacant properties.
Lease Expirations
(dollars and square footage in thousands)
__________
(a)Assumes tenants do not exercise any renewal options or purchase options.
(b)Includes ABR of $38.8 million from a tenant (U-Haul Moving Partners, Inc. and Mercury Partners, LP) that holds an option to repurchase the 78 properties it is leasing in April 2024. There can be no assurance that such repurchase will be completed.
Terms and Definitions
Pro Rata Metrics —The portfolio information above contains certain metrics prepared on a pro rata basis. We refer to these metrics as pro rata metrics. We have a number of investments, usually with our affiliates, in which our economic ownership is less than 100%. On a full consolidation basis, we report 100% of the assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses of those investments that are deemed to be under our control or for which we are deemed to be the primary beneficiary, even if our ownership is less than 100%. Also, for all other jointly owned investments, which we do not control, we report our net investment and our net income or loss from that investment. On a pro rata basis, we present our proportionate share, based on our economic ownership of these jointly owned investments, of the portfolio metrics of those investments. Multiplying each of our jointly owned investments’ financial statement line items by our percentage ownership and adding or subtracting those amounts from our totals, as applicable, may not accurately depict the legal and economic implications of holding an ownership interest of less than 100% in our jointly owned investments.
ABR —ABR represents contractual minimum annualized base rent for our net-leased properties and reflects exchange rates as of December 31, 2021. If there is a rent abatement, we annualize the first monthly contractual base rent following the free rent period. ABR is not applicable to operating properties.
Results of Operations
We operate in two reportable segments: Real Estate and Investment Management. We evaluate our results of operations with a primary focus on increasing and enhancing the value, quality, and number of properties in our Real Estate segment. We focus our efforts on accretive investing and improving portfolio quality through re-leasing efforts, including negotiation of lease renewals, or selectively selling assets in order to increase value in our real estate portfolio. Through our Investment Management segment, we expect to continue to earn fees and other income from the management of the portfolios of the remaining Managed Programs until those programs reach the end of their respective life cycles. Refer to Note 16 for tables presenting the comparative results of our Real Estate and Investment Management segments.
Real Estate
Revenues
The following table presents revenues within our Real Estate segment (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Real Estate Revenues
Lease revenues from:
Income from direct financing leases and loans receivable 67,555 74,893 (7,338)
Lease Revenues
“Existing net-leased properties” are those that we acquired or placed into service prior to January 1, 2020 and that were not sold or held for sale during the periods presented. For the periods presented, there were 1,071 existing net-leased properties.
For the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, lease revenues from existing net-leased properties increased due to the following items (in millions):
__________
(a)Excludes fixed minimum rent increases, which are reflected as straight-line rent adjustments within lease revenues.
(b)Primarily related to (i) straight-line rent adjustments and (ii) write-offs of above/below-market rent intangibles.
(c)Primarily comprised of winter storm-related charges recorded during the first quarter of 2021 from a tenant at a property in Texas.
“Recently acquired net-leased properties” are those that we acquired or placed into service subsequent to December 31, 2019 and that were not sold or held for sale during the periods presented. Since January 1, 2020, we acquired 40 investments (comprised of 115 properties and six land parcels under buildings that we already own) and placed two properties into service.
“Net-leased properties sold or held for sale” include (i) 24 net-leased properties disposed of during the year ended December 31, 2021; (ii) two net-leased properties classified as held for sale at December 31, 2021, which were sold in January and February 2022 (Note 4, Note 17); and (iii) 21 net-leased properties disposed of during the year ended December 31, 2020. Our dispositions are more fully described in Note 15.
Income from Direct Financing Leases and Loans Receivable
We currently present Income from direct financing leases and loans receivable on its own line item in the consolidated statements of income. Previously, income from direct financing leases was included within Lease revenues and income from loans receivable was included within Lease termination income and other in the consolidated statements of income. Prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.
For the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, income from direct financing leases and loans receivable decreased due to the following items (in millions):
Lease Termination Income and Other
Lease termination income and other is described in Note 4.
Operating Property Revenues and Expenses
For the periods presented, we recorded operating property revenues from 12 operating properties, comprised of ten self-storage operating properties (which excludes nine self-storage properties accounted for under the equity method) and two hotel operating properties (one of which was sold in January 2020, as described in Note 15). For our remaining hotel operating property, revenues and expenses increased by $3.2 million and $1.6 million, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, reflecting higher occupancy as the hotel’s business recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, operating property revenues and expenses decreased by $1.9 million each, due to the hotel sale in January 2020. Furthermore, for our self-storage operating properties, revenues and expenses increased by $0.7 million and $0.2 million, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, reflecting higher occupancy and unit rates.
Operating Expenses
Depreciation and Amortization
The following table presents depreciation and amortization expense within our Real Estate segment (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Depreciation and Amortization
For the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, depreciation and amortization expense for net-leased properties increased primarily due to the impact of acquisition activity and the strengthening of foreign currencies (primarily the euro) in relation to the U.S. dollar between the periods, partially offset by in-place lease intangible assets recorded on certain net-leased self-storage properties becoming fully amortized during 2020.
Beginning with the second quarter of 2020, corporate depreciation and amortization expense is fully recognized within our Real Estate segment, consistent with the segment allocation changes described below under General and Administrative.
General and Administrative
Beginning with the second quarter of 2020, general and administrative expenses attributed to our Investment Management segment are comprised of the incremental costs of providing services to the Managed Programs, which are fully reimbursed by those funds (resulting in no net expense for us). All other general and administrative expenses are attributed to our Real Estate segment. Previously, general and administrative expenses were allocated based on time incurred by our personnel for the Real Estate and Investment Management segments. In light of the termination of the advisory agreements with CWI 1 and CWI 2 in connection with the WLT management internalization (Note 3), we now view essentially all assets, liabilities, and operational expenses as part of our Real Estate segment, other than incremental activities that are expected to wind down as we manage CPA:18 – Global and CESH through the end of their respective life cycles (Note 2). This change between the segments had no impact on our consolidated financial statements.
For the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, general and administrative expenses allocated to our Real Estate segment increased by $11.8 million, primarily due to (i) higher incentive compensation expense, (ii) lower overhead reimbursements from WLT following the termination of all services provided under the transition services agreement, and (iii) the change in methodology for allocation of expenses between our Real Estate and Investment Management segments discussed above.
Property Expenses, Excluding Reimbursable Tenant Costs
For the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, property expenses, excluding reimbursable tenant costs, increased by $3.8 million, primarily due to tenant vacancies during 2020 and 2021 (which resulted in property expenses no longer being reimbursable) and higher property tax assessments at certain properties.
Stock-based Compensation Expense
For a description of our equity plans and awards, please see Note 13. Beginning with the second quarter of 2020, stock-based compensation expense is fully recognized within our Real Estate segment. In light of the termination of the advisory agreements with CWI 1 and CWI 2 in connection with the WLT management internalization (Note 3), we believe that this allocation methodology is appropriate, as described above (Note 2). This change between the segments had no impact on our consolidated financial statements.
For the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, stock-based compensation expense allocated to the Real Estate segment increased by $9.6 million, primarily due to changes in the projected payout for performance share units.
Impairment Charges
Our impairment charges are described in Note 8.
Merger and Other Expenses
For the year ended December 31, 2021, merger and other expenses allocated to our Real Estate segment totaled benefits of $4.6 million, primarily comprised of reversals of estimated liabilities for German real estate transfer taxes that were previously recorded in connection with business combinations in prior years.
Other Income and (Expenses), and (Provision for) Benefit from Income Taxes
Interest Expense
For the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, interest expense decreased by $13.3 million, primarily due to the reduction of our mortgage debt outstanding by prepaying or repaying at or close to maturity a total of $1.1 billion of non-recourse mortgage loans with a weighted-average interest rate of 4.9% since January 1, 2020, partially offset by four senior unsecured notes issuances totaling $1.9 billion (based on the exchange rate of the euro on the dates of issuance for our euro-denominated senior unsecured notes) with a weighted-average interest rate of 1.9% completed since January 1, 2020.
The following table presents certain information about our outstanding debt (dollars in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Weighted-average interest rate 2.6 % 3.0 %
Gain on Sale of Real Estate, Net
Gain on sale of real estate, net, consists of gain on the sale of properties that were disposed of during the reporting period. Our dispositions are more fully described in Note 15.
(Losses) Earnings from Equity Method Investments in Real Estate
Our equity method investments in real estate are more fully described in Note 7. The following table presents (losses) earnings from equity method investments in real estate (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
(Losses) Earnings from Equity Method Investments in Real Estate
Earnings from Las Vegas Retail Complex 3,017 — 3,017
__________
(a)Losses for each period are primarily due to the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on WLT’s operations. In addition, losses for 2021 reflect four quarters of activity as compared to two quarters for 2020. We record (losses) earnings from this investment on a one quarter lag.
(b)Increase is primarily due to higher occupancy rates at these self-storage facilities.
(c)Increase is primarily due to improved performance at these properties, as well as our proportionate share of a gain recognized on the sale of one of the properties in this portfolio.
Non-Operating Income
Non-operating income primarily consists of realized gains and losses on derivative instruments, dividends from equity securities, and interest income on our loans to affiliates and cash deposits.
The following table presents non-operating income within our Real Estate segment (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Non-Operating Income
Other Gains and (Losses)
Other gains and (losses) primarily consists of gains and losses on (i) extinguishment of debt, (ii) the mark-to-market fair value of equity securities, and (iii) foreign currency transactions. The timing and amount of such gains or losses cannot always be estimated and are subject to fluctuation. All of our foreign currency-denominated unsecured debt instruments were designated as net investment hedges during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Therefore, no gains and losses on foreign currency transactions were recognized on the remeasurement of such instruments during those periods (Note 9).
The following table presents other gains and (losses) within our Real Estate segment (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Other Gains and (Losses)
__________
(a)Amount for the year ended December 31, 2021 is related to the prepayment of mortgage loans (primarily comprised of prepayment penalties totaling $45.2 million) and redemption of the €500.0 million of 2.0% Senior Notes due 2023 in March 2021 (primarily comprised of a “make-whole” amount of $26.2 million related to the redemption) (Note 10).
(b)We make certain foreign currency-denominated intercompany loans to a number of our foreign subsidiaries, most of which do not have the U.S. dollar as their functional currency. Remeasurement of foreign currency intercompany transactions that are scheduled for settlement, consisting primarily of accrued interest and amortizing loans, are included in other gains and (losses).
(Provision for) Benefit from Income Taxes
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded a provision for income taxes of $28.7 million, compared to a benefit from income taxes of $18.5 million recognized during the year ended December 31, 2020, within our Real Estate segment. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized a deferred tax benefit of $37.2 million as a result of the release of a deferred tax liability relating to our investment in shares of Lineage Logistics (Note 13), which converted to a REIT during the prior year period and is therefore no longer subject to federal and state income taxes. In addition, international taxes increased due to acquisitions and various new tax laws and regulations.
Investment Management
We earn revenue as the advisor to the Managed Programs. For the periods presented, we acted as advisor to the following Managed Programs: CPA:18 – Global, CWI 1 (through April 13, 2020), CWI 2 (through April 13, 2020), and CESH. The CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger closed on April 13, 2020, and as a result, the advisory agreements with each of CWI 1 and CWI 2 terminated and CWI 2 was renamed Watermark Lodging Trust, Inc. (“WLT”). We provided certain services to WLT pursuant to a transition services agreement, which was terminated on October 13, 2021 (Note 3).
We no longer raise capital for new or existing funds, but we currently expect to continue managing CPA:18 – Global and CESH and earn the various fees described below through the end of their respective life cycles (Note 1, Note 3). As of December 31, 2021, we managed total assets of approximately $2.7 billion on behalf of the Managed Programs.
Revenues
The following table presents revenues within our Investment Management segment (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Investment Management Revenues
Asset management and other revenue
Reimbursable costs from affiliates
Asset Management and Other Revenue
Asset management and other revenue includes asset management revenue, structuring revenue, and other advisory revenue. During the periods presented, we earned asset management revenue from (i) CPA:18 – Global based on the value of its real estate-related assets under management, (ii) the CWI REITs, prior to the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger (Note 3), based on the value of their lodging-related real estate assets under management, and (iii) CESH based on its gross assets under management at fair value. Asset management revenue may increase or decrease depending upon changes in the Managed Programs’ asset bases as a result of purchases, sales, or changes in the appraised value of the real estate-related and lodging-related assets in their investment portfolios. For 2021, we received asset management fees from (i) CPA:18 – Global in shares of its common stock, and (ii) CESH in cash.
We earn structuring and other advisory revenue when we structure new investments on behalf of the Managed Programs. Since we no longer raise capital for new or existing funds, and we no longer serve as advisor to CWI 1 and CWI 2 (Note 3), structuring and other advisory revenue has recently been and is expected to be insignificant going forward.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, structuring and other advisory revenue was comprised of $0.3 million for structuring a mortgage refinancing on behalf of CWI 2 and $0.2 million related to increases in build-to-suit funding commitments for certain CPA:18 – Global investments.
Operating Expenses
General and Administrative, Stock-based Compensation Expense, and Depreciation and Amortization
Beginning with the second quarter of 2020, general and administrative expenses attributed to our Investment Management segment are comprised of the incremental costs of providing services to the Managed Programs, which are fully reimbursed by those funds (resulting in no net expense for us). All other general and administrative expenses are attributed to our Real Estate segment. Previously, general and administrative expenses were allocated based on time incurred by our personnel for the Real Estate and Investment Management segments. In addition, beginning with the second quarter of 2020, stock-based compensation expense and corporate depreciation and amortization expense are fully recognized within our Real Estate segment. In light of the termination of the advisory agreements with CWI 1 and CWI 2 in connection with the WLT management internalization (Note 3), we now view essentially all assets, liabilities, and operational expenses as part of our Real Estate segment, other than incremental activities that are expected to wind down as we manage CPA:18 – Global and CESH through the end of their respective life cycles (Note 2). These changes between the segments had no impact on our consolidated financial statements.
As discussed in Note 3, certain personnel costs and overhead costs are charged to the remaining Managed Programs and reimbursed to us in accordance with their respective advisory agreements. In addition, following the closing of the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger on April 13, 2020, we began recording reimbursements from WLT within our Investment Management segment pursuant to a transition services agreement. On October 13, 2021, all services provided under the transition services agreement were terminated.
Subadvisor Fees
Pursuant to the terms of the subadvisory agreements we had with the third-party subadvisors in connection with both CWI 1 and CWI 2, we paid a subadvisory fee equal to 20% of the amount of fees paid to us by CWI 1 and 25% of the amount of fees paid to us by CWI 2. Upon completion of the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger on April 13, 2020 (Note 3), the subadvisory agreements were terminated, and we no longer pay subadvisory fees.
Other Income and Expenses, and Benefit from Income Taxers
Earnings (Losses) from Equity Method Investments in the Managed Programs
Earnings (losses) from equity method investments in the Managed Programs is recognized in accordance with GAAP (Note 7). In addition, we are entitled to receive distributions of Available Cash (Note 3) from the operating partnership of CPA:18 – Global. The net income of our unconsolidated investments fluctuates based on the timing of transactions, such as new leases and property sales, as well as the level of impairment charges. The following table presents the details of our Earnings (losses) from equity method investments in the Managed Programs (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Earnings (losses) from equity method investments in the Managed Programs:
Distributions of Available Cash from CPA:18 – Global (a) $ 7,345 $ 7,225
__________
(a)We are entitled to receive distributions of up to 10% of the Available Cash from the operating partnership of CPA:18 – Global, as defined in its operating partnership agreement (Note 3). Distributions of Available Cash received and earned from CPA:18 – Global fluctuate based on the timing of certain events, including acquisitions and dispositions.
(b)The increase for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020 was primarily due to an increase of $1.2 million from our investment in shares of CPA:18 – Global, resulting from an increase in our ownership since we receive asset management revenue from CPA:18 – Global in shares of its common stock. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized losses of $1.6 million and $1.3 million from our investments in shares of CWI 1 and CWI 2 common stock, respectively (prior to the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger in April 2020 (Note 3)). Subsequent to the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger, our investment in shares of WLT (formerly CWI 2) common stock is included in our Real Estate segment (Note 3).
(c)During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized other-than-temporary impairment charges of $27.8 million and $19.3 million on our equity method investments in CWI 1 and CWI 2, respectively, to reduce the carrying values of our investments to their estimated fair values, due to the adverse effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations of CWI 1 and CWI 2 (Note 8).
(d)Immediately following the closing of the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger, in connection with the redemption of the special general partner interests that we previously held in CWI 1 and CWI 2, we recognized a non-cash net gain on sale of $33.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 (Note 3, Note 6).
Benefit from Income Taxes
For the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 2020, benefit from income taxes within our Investment Management segment decreased by $2.0 million. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized (i) a deferred tax benefit of $6.3 million as a result of the other-than-temporary impairment charges that we recognized on our equity method investments in CWI 1 and CWI 2 during the period, (ii) a current tax benefit of $4.7 million as a result of carrying back certain net operating losses in accordance with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) that was enacted on March 27, 2020, and (iii) deferred tax expense of $8.3 million due to the establishment of a valuation allowance since we do not expect our Investment Management segment to realize its deferred tax assets.
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests
For the year ended December 31, 2020, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests within our Investment Management segment was comprised of a gain of $9.9 million recognized on the redemption of noncontrolling interests in the special general partner interests previously held by the respective subadvisors for CWI 1 and CWI 2 in connection with the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger (Note 3).
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources and Uses of Cash During the Year
We use the cash flow generated from our investments primarily to meet our operating expenses, service debt, and fund dividends to stockholders. Our cash flows fluctuate periodically due to a number of factors, which may include, among other things: the timing of our equity and debt offerings; the timing of purchases and sales of real estate; the timing of the repayment of mortgage loans and receipt of lease revenues; the timing and amount of other lease-related payments; the timing of settlement of foreign currency transactions; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; the receipt of asset management fees in either shares of the common stock of CPA:18 – Global or cash; the timing of distributions from equity investments in the Managed Programs and real estate; and the receipt of distributions of Available Cash from CPA:18 – Global. Despite these fluctuations, we believe that we will generate sufficient cash from operations to meet our normal recurring short-term and long-term liquidity needs. We may also use existing cash resources, available capacity under our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility, proceeds from dispositions of properties, and the issuance of additional debt or equity securities, such as issuances of common stock through our Equity Forwards and ATM Program (Note 12), in order to meet these needs. We assess our ability to access capital on an ongoing basis. Our sources and uses of cash during the period are described below.
Operating Activities — Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $124.9 million during 2021 as compared to 2020, primarily due to an increase in cash flow generated from net investment activity and scheduled rent increases at existing properties, higher lease termination and other income, the positive impact on rent collections as businesses recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, lower interest expense, and cash dividends received from our investments in shares of Lineage Logistics and WLT during the current year (Note 8).
Investing Activities — Our investing activities are generally comprised of real estate-related transactions (purchases and sales) and funding for build-to-suit activities and other capital expenditures on real estate. In addition to these types of transactions, during the year ended December 31, 2021, we used $41.0 million to fund short-term loans to the Managed Programs, while $62.0 million of such loans were repaid (Note 3). We also received $14.0 million in distributions from equity method investments.
Financing Activities — Our financing activities are generally comprised of borrowings and repayments under our Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility, issuances of the Senior Unsecured Notes, payments and prepayments of non-recourse mortgage loans, and payments of dividends to stockholders. In addition to these types of transactions, during the year ended December 31, 2021, we (i) redeemed the €500.0 million of 2.0% Senior Notes due 2023 for a total of $617.4 million (Note 10), (ii) received $697.0 million in net proceeds from the issuance of common stock under our Equity Forwards (Note 12), and (iii) received $340.0 million in net proceeds from the issuance of common stock under our ATM Program (Note 12).
Summary of Financing
The table below summarizes our Senior Unsecured Notes, our non-recourse mortgages, and our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility (dollars in thousands):
December 31,
Carrying Value
Fixed rate:
Variable rate:
Non-recourse mortgages (a):
Amount subject to interest rate swaps and caps 79,055 147,094
Floating interest rate mortgage loans 53,571 78,082
Percent of Total Debt
Variable rate 13 % 9 %
Weighted-Average Interest Rate at End of Year
Fixed rate 2.7 % 3.0 %
Variable rate (b) 1.1 % 1.6 %
Total debt 2.5 % 2.9 %
____________
(a)Aggregate debt balance includes unamortized discount, net, totaling $30.9 million and $28.3 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and unamortized deferred financing costs totaling $28.8 million and $24.3 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
(b)The impact of our interest rate swaps and caps is reflected in the weighted-average interest rates.
Cash Resources
At December 31, 2021, our cash resources consisted of the following:
•cash and cash equivalents totaling $165.4 million. Of this amount, $74.1 million, at then-current exchange rates, was held in foreign subsidiaries, and we could be subject to restrictions or significant costs should we decide to repatriate these amounts;
•our Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility, with available capacity of $1.4 billion (net of amounts reserved for standby letters of credit totaling $1.2 million);
•available proceeds under our Equity Forwards of approximately $293.7 million (based on 3,925,000 remaining shares outstanding and a net offering price of $74.84 per share as of December 31, 2021); and
•unleveraged properties that had an aggregate asset carrying value of approximately $12.4 billion at December 31, 2021, although there can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain financing for these properties.
Historically, we have also accessed the capital markets through additional debt (denominated in both U.S. dollars and euros) and equity offerings. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we issued (i) €525.0 million of 0.950% Senior Notes due 2030, $425.0 million of 2.250% Senior Notes due 2033, and $350.0 million of 2.450% Senior Notes due 2032 (our inaugural green bond offering) (Note 11), (ii) 9,798,209 shares of common stock under our Equity Forwards for aggregate net proceeds of $697.0 million (Note 12), and (iii) 4,690,073 shares of common stock under our ATM Program for net proceeds of $340.0 million (Note 12). As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $293.7 million of available proceeds under our Equity Forwards and $272.1 million remained available for issuance under our current ATM Program (Note 12). See Note 17, Subsequent Events for issuances under our current ATM Program subsequent to December 31, 2021 and through the date of this Report.
Our cash resources can be used for working capital needs and other commitments and may be used for future investments.
Cash Requirements and Liquidity
As of December 31, 2021, we had $165.4 million of cash and cash equivalents, approximately $1.4 billion of available capacity under our Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility (net of amounts reserved for standby letters of credit totaling $1.2 million), and available proceeds under our Equity Forwards of approximately $293.7 million (based on 3,925,000 remaining shares outstanding and a net offering price of $74.84 as of that date). Our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility includes a $1.8 billion Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility and Unsecured Term Loans outstanding totaling $310.6 million as of December 31, 2021 (Note 10), and is scheduled to mature on February 20, 2025. As of December 31, 2021, scheduled debt principal payments total $45.8 million through December 31, 2022 and $236.7 million through December 31, 2023, and our Senior Unsecured Notes do not start to mature until April 2024 (Note 10).
During the next 12 months following December 31, 2021 and thereafter, we expect that our significant cash requirements will include:
•paying dividends to our stockholders;
•making scheduled principal and balloon payments on our debt obligations (Note 10);
•making scheduled interest payments on our debt obligations (future interest payments total $884.3 million, with $169.6 million due during the next 12 months; interest on unhedged variable-rate debt obligations was calculated using the applicable annual variable interest rates and balances outstanding at December 31, 2021);
•funding future capital commitments and tenant improvement allowances (Note 4); and
•other normal recurring operating expenses.
We expect to fund these cash requirements through cash generated from operations, cash received from dispositions of properties, the use of our cash reserves or unused amounts on our Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility (as described above), issuances of common stock through our Equity Forwards and/or ATM Program (Note 12), and potential issuances of additional debt or equity securities. We may also choose to pursue the acquisitions of new investments and prepayments of certain of our non-recourse mortgage loan obligations, depending on our capital needs and improvements in market conditions at that time.
Our liquidity could be adversely affected by unanticipated costs, greater-than-anticipated operating expenses, and the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To the extent that our working capital reserve is insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, additional funds may be provided from cash from operations to meet our normal recurring short-term and long-term liquidity needs. We may also use existing cash resources, available capacity under our Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility, mortgage loan proceeds, and the issuance of additional debt or equity securities to meet these needs. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our liquidity and debt covenants will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence. The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our tenants and properties could also have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and debt covenants.
Certain amounts disclosed above are based on the applicable foreign currency exchange rate at December 31, 2021.
Environmental Obligations
In connection with the purchase of many of our properties, we required the sellers to perform environmental reviews. We believe, based on the results of these reviews, that our properties were in substantial compliance with federal, state, and foreign environmental statutes at the time the properties were acquired. However, portions of certain properties have been subject to some degree of contamination, principally in connection with leakage from underground storage tanks, surface spills, or other on-site activities. In most instances where contamination has been identified, tenants are actively engaged in the remediation process and addressing identified conditions. We believe that the ultimate resolution of any environmental matters should not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity, or results of operations. We record environmental obligations within Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities in the consolidated financial statements. See Item 1A. Risk Factors for further discussion of potential environmental risks.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2. Many of these accounting policies require judgment and the use of estimates and assumptions when applying these policies in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. On a quarterly basis, we evaluate these estimates and judgments based on historical experience as well as other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. These estimates are subject to change in the future if underlying assumptions or factors change. Certain accounting policies, while significant, may not require the use of estimates. Those accounting policies that require significant estimation and/or judgment are described under Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates in Note 2. The proposed accounting changes that may potentially impact our business are also described under Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements in Note 2.
Supplemental Financial Measures
In the real estate industry, analysts and investors employ certain non-GAAP supplemental financial measures in order to facilitate meaningful comparisons between periods and among peer companies. Additionally, in the formulation of our goals and in the evaluation of the effectiveness of our strategies, we use Funds from Operations (“FFO”) and AFFO, which are non-GAAP measures defined by our management. We believe that these measures are useful to investors to consider because they may assist them to better understand and measure the performance of our business over time and against similar companies. A description of FFO and AFFO and reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are provided below.
Funds from Operations and Adjusted Funds from Operations
Due to certain unique operating characteristics of real estate companies, as discussed below, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Inc. (“NAREIT”), an industry trade group, has promulgated a non-GAAP measure known as FFO, which we believe to be an appropriate supplemental measure, when used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP, to reflect the operating performance of a REIT. The use of FFO is recommended by the REIT industry as a supplemental non-GAAP measure. FFO is not equivalent to, nor a substitute for, net income or loss as determined under GAAP.
We define FFO, a non-GAAP measure, consistent with the standards established by the White Paper on FFO approved by the Board of Governors of NAREIT, as restated in December 2018. The White Paper defines FFO as net income or loss computed in accordance with GAAP, excluding gains or losses from sales of property, impairment charges on real estate, gains or losses on changes in control of interests in real estate, and depreciation and amortization from real estate assets; and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and jointly owned investments. Adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and jointly owned investments are calculated to reflect FFO.
We also modify the NAREIT computation of FFO to adjust GAAP net income for certain non-cash charges, such as amortization of real estate-related intangibles, deferred income tax benefits and expenses, straight-line rent and related reserves, other non-cash rent adjustments, non-cash allowance for credit losses on loans receivable and direct financing leases, stock-based compensation, non-cash environmental accretion expense, amortization of discounts and premiums on debt, and amortization of deferred financing costs. Our assessment of our operations is focused on long-term sustainability and not on such non-cash items, which may cause short-term fluctuations in net income but have no impact on cash flows. Additionally, we exclude non-core income and expenses, such as gains or losses from extinguishment of debt, and merger and acquisition expenses. We also exclude realized and unrealized gains/losses on foreign currency exchange transactions (other than those
realized on the settlement of foreign currency derivatives), which are not considered fundamental attributes of our business plan and do not affect our overall long-term operating performance. We refer to our modified definition of FFO as AFFO. We exclude these items from GAAP net income to arrive at AFFO as they are not the primary drivers in our decision-making process and excluding these items provides investors a view of our portfolio performance over time and makes it more comparable to other REITs that are currently not engaged in acquisitions, mergers, and restructuring, which are not part of our normal business operations. AFFO also reflects adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and jointly owned investments. We use AFFO as one measure of our operating performance when we formulate corporate goals, evaluate the effectiveness of our strategies, and determine executive compensation.
We believe that AFFO is a useful supplemental measure for investors to consider as we believe it will help them to better assess the sustainability of our operating performance without the potentially distorting impact of these short-term fluctuations. However, there are limits on the usefulness of AFFO to investors. For example, impairment charges and unrealized foreign currency losses that we exclude may become actual realized losses upon the ultimate disposition of the properties in the form of lower cash proceeds or other considerations. We use our FFO and AFFO measures as supplemental financial measures of operating performance. We do not use our FFO and AFFO measures as, nor should they be considered to be, alternatives to net income computed under GAAP, or as alternatives to net cash provided by operating activities computed under GAAP, or as indicators of our ability to fund our cash needs.
Consolidated FFO and AFFO were as follows (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Adjustments:
Depreciation and amortization of real property 470,554 437,885
Proportionate share of adjustments for noncontrolling interests (e) (16) (18)
FFO (as defined by NAREIT) attributable to W. P. Carey 896,560 866,365
Adjustments:
Straight-line and other leasing and financing adjustments (f) (83,267) (41,498)
Above- and below-market rent intangible lease amortization, net 53,585 48,712
Amortization of deferred financing costs 13,523 12,223
Tax (benefit) expense — deferred and other (h) (i) (j) (5,967) (48,835)
Merger and other expenses (k) (4,546) 247
Other amortization and non-cash items 1,709 1,864
Proportionate share of adjustments for noncontrolling interests (e) (24) 414
Summary
FFO (as defined by NAREIT) attributable to W. P. Carey $ 896,560 $ 866,365
FFO and AFFO from Real Estate were as follows (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Net income from Real Estate attributable to W. P. Carey $ 384,766 $ 459,512
Adjustments:
Depreciation and amortization of real property 470,554 437,885
Proportionate share of adjustments for noncontrolling interests (e) (16) (18)
Adjustments:
Straight-line and other leasing and financing adjustments (f) (83,267) (41,498)
Above- and below-market rent intangible lease amortization, net 53,585 48,712
Amortization of deferred financing costs 13,523 12,223
Tax (benefit) expense — deferred and other (i) (4,938) (45,511)
Merger and other expenses (k) (4,597) (937)
Other amortization and non-cash items 1,709 1,665
Proportionate share of adjustments for noncontrolling interests (e) (24) 414
AFFO attributable to W. P. Carey — Real Estate $ 896,139 $ 804,175
Summary
AFFO attributable to W. P. Carey — Real Estate $ 896,139 $ 804,175
FFO and AFFO from Investment Management were as follows (in thousands):
Years Ended December 31,
Adjustments:
Total adjustments — 24,643
Adjustments:
Tax (benefit) expense — deferred and other (h) (j) (1,029) (3,324)
Other (gains) and losses (g) (791) (61)
Merger and other expenses 51 1,184
Stock-based compensation — 691
Other amortization and non-cash items — 199
AFFO attributable to W. P. Carey — Investment Management $ 25,352 $ 24,911
Summary
AFFO attributable to W. P. Carey — Investment Management $ 25,352 $ 24,911
__________
(a)Amounts for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 include non-cash other-than-temporary impairment charges totaling $6.8 million and $8.3 million, respectively, recognized on certain equity method investments in real estate (Note 7, Note 8). Amount for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes our $13.2 million proportionate share of an impairment charge recognized on an equity method investment in real estate (Note 7).
(b)Amount for the year ended December 31, 2020 includes a non-cash net gain of $33.0 million (inclusive of $9.9 million attributable to the redemption of a noncontrolling interest that the former subadvisors for CWI 1 and CWI 2 held in the special general partner interests) recognized in connection with consideration received at closing of the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger (Note 3, Note 6).
(c)Amount for the year ended December 31, 2020 includes non-cash other-than-temporary impairment charges totaling $47.1 million recognized on our equity investments in CWI 1 and CWI 2 (Note 8).
(d)Equity income, including amounts that are not typically recognized for FFO and AFFO, is recognized within Earnings (losses) from equity method investments on the consolidated statements of income. This represents adjustments to equity income to reflect FFO and AFFO on a pro rata basis.
(e)Adjustments disclosed elsewhere in this reconciliation are on a consolidated basis. This adjustment reflects our FFO or AFFO on a pro rata basis.
(f)Amount for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes an adjustment to exclude $37.8 million of lease termination fees received from a tenant, as such amount was determined to be non-core income (Note 4).
(g)Primarily comprised of gains and losses on extinguishment of debt, the mark-to-market fair value of equity securities, and foreign currency transactions, as well as non-cash allowance for credit losses on loans receivable and direct financing leases.
(h)Amount for the year ended December 31, 2020 includes one-time taxes incurred upon the recognition of taxable income associated with the accelerated vesting of shares (previously issued by CWI 1 and CWI 2 to us for asset management services performed) in connection with the CWI 1 and CWI 2 Merger.
(i)Amount for the year ended December 31, 2020 includes a non-cash deferred tax benefit of $37.2 million as a result of the release of a deferred tax liability relating to our investment in shares of Lineage Logistics, which converted to a REIT during the prior year and is therefore no longer subject to federal and state income taxes (Note 14).
(j)Amount for the year ended December 31, 2020 includes a one-time tax benefit of $4.7 million as a result of carrying back certain net operating losses in accordance with the CARES Act, which was enacted on March 27, 2020 (Note 14).
(k)Amount for the year ended December 31, 2021 is primarily comprised of reversals of estimated liabilities for German real estate transfer taxes that were previously recorded in connection with business combinations in prior years.
While we believe that FFO and AFFO are important supplemental measures, they should not be considered as alternatives to net income as an indication of a company’s operating performance. These non-GAAP measures should be used in conjunction with net income as defined by GAAP. FFO and AFFO, or similarly titled measures disclosed by other REITs, may not be comparable to our FFO and AFFO measures.
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 market risks that we are exposed to are interest rate risk and foreign currency exchange risk; however, we do not use derivative instruments to hedge credit/market risks or for speculative purposes. From time to time, we may enter into foreign currency collars to hedge our foreign currency cash flow exposures.
We are also exposed to further market risk as a result of tenant concentrations in certain industries and/or geographic regions, since adverse market factors (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) 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 we attempt to diversify such portfolio so that we are not overexposed to a particular industry or geographic region.
Interest Rate Risk
The values of our real estate and related fixed-rate debt obligations, as well as the values of our unsecured 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 (including the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic) and changes in the creditworthiness of lessees, which may affect our ability to refinance property-level mortgage debt when balloon payments are scheduled, 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. An increase in interest rates would likely cause the fair value of our owned and managed assets to decrease, which would create lower revenues from managed assets and lower investment performance for the Managed Programs. Increases in interest rates may also 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. To limit this exposure, we generally seek long-term debt financing on a fixed-rate basis. However, from time to time, we or our joint investment partners 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 counterparties. See Note 9 for additional information on our interest rate swaps and caps.
At December 31, 2021, a significant portion (approximately 88.6%) of our long-term debt either bore interest at fixed rates or was swapped or capped to a fixed rate. Our debt obligations are more fully described in Note 10 and Liquidity and Capital Resources — Summary of Financing in Item 7 above. The following table presents principal cash flows based upon expected maturity dates of our debt obligations outstanding at December 31, 2021 (in thousands):
__________
(a)Amounts are based on the exchange rate at December 31, 2021, as applicable.
(b)Amounts after 2023 are primarily comprised of principal payments for our Senior Unsecured Notes (Note 10).
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, or that has been subject to interest rate caps, is affected by changes in interest rates. Annual interest expense on our unhedged variable-rate debt that does not bear interest at fixed rates at December 31, 2021 would increase or decrease by $3.9 million for our British pound sterling-denominated debt, by $3.7 million for our euro-denominated debt, and by $0.2 million for our Japanese yen-denominated debt for each respective 1% change in annual interest rates.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
We own international investments, primarily in Europe, Canada, and Japan, and as a result are subject to risk from the effects of exchange rate movements in various foreign currencies, primarily the euro, the British pound sterling, the Canadian dollar, and the Japanese yen, which may affect future costs and cash flows. We have obtained, and may in the future obtain, non-recourse mortgage financing in the local currency. We have also completed several offerings of euro-denominated senior notes, and have borrowed under our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility in foreign currencies, including the euro, British pound sterling, and Japanese yen (Note 10). Volatile market conditions arising from the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic, as well as other macroeconomic factors, may result in significant fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. To the extent that currency fluctuations increase or decrease rental revenues, as translated to U.S. dollars, the change in debt service (comprised of principal and interest, excluding balloon payments), as translated to U.S. dollars, will partially offset the effect of fluctuations in revenue and, to some extent, mitigate the risk from changes in foreign currency exchange rates. We estimate that, for a 1% increase or decrease in the exchange rate between the euro, British pound sterling, or Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar, there would be a corresponding change in the projected estimated cash flow (scheduled future rental revenues, net of scheduled future debt service payments for the next 12 months) for our consolidated foreign operations at December 31, 2021 of $2.5 million, $0.6 million, and less than $0.1 million, respectively, excluding the impact of our derivative instruments.
In addition, we may use currency hedging to further reduce the exposure to our equity cash flow. We are generally a net receiver of these currencies (we receive more cash than we pay out), and therefore our foreign operations benefit from a weaker U.S. dollar and are adversely affected by a stronger U.S. dollar, relative to the foreign currency.
We enter into foreign currency collars to hedge certain of our foreign currency cash flow exposures. See Note 9 for additional information on our foreign currency collars.
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 well-diversified, it does contain concentrations in certain areas.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, our consolidated portfolio had the following significant characteristics in excess of 10%, based on the percentage of our consolidated total revenues:
•65% related to domestic operations; and
•35% related to international operations.
At December 31, 2021, our net-lease portfolio, which excludes our operating properties, had the following significant property and lease characteristics in excess of 10% in certain areas, based on the percentage of our ABR as of that date:
•63% related to domestic properties;
•37% related to international properties;
•26% related to industrial facilities, 24% related to warehouse facilities, 20% related to office facilities, and 18% related to retail facilities; and
•22% related to the retail stores industry (including automotive dealerships).
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 238) 50
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 52
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 59
Schedule IV — Mortgage Loans on Real Estate as of December 31, 2021 130
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.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To theBoard of Directors and Stockholders of W. P. Carey Inc.
Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets ofW. P. Carey Inc.and its subsidiaries(the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020,and the related consolidated statements of income, of comprehensive income, of equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, including the related notes and financial statement schedules listed in the accompanying index (collectively referred to as the “consolidatedfinancial statements”).We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework(2013)issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (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, 2021 and 2020, and the results of itsoperations and itscash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021in 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, 2021, 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 consolidatedfinancial 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 Report 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.
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 the consolidated 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 consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Purchase Price Allocation for Acquisitions
As described in Notes 2, 4, and 5 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company completed real estate acquisitions for total consideration of $1.5 billion during the year ended December 31, 2021. For acquired properties with leases classified as operating leases, management allocated the purchase price to the tangible and intangible assets and liabilities based on their estimated fair values. Management determines the fair value of real estate (i) by applying a discounted cash flow analysis to the estimated net operating income for each property in the portfolio during the remaining anticipated lease term, and (ii) by the estimated residual value, which is based on a hypothetical sale of the property upon expiration of a lease factoring in the re-tenanting of such property at estimated market rental rates, and applying a selected capitalization rate. For any acquisitions that do not qualify as sale-leaseback transactions, management records above- and below-market lease intangible assets and liabilities for acquired properties based on the present value, using a discount rate reflecting the risks associated with the leases acquired. For acquired properties with tenants in place, management records in-place lease intangible assets based on the estimated value ascribed to the avoidance of costs of leasing the properties for the remaining primary in-place lease terms.
The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the purchase price allocation for acquisitions is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management to determine the fair value measurements of tangible and intangible assets and liabilities to allocate the purchase price, which resulted in a high degree of auditor judgment and subjectivity in performing procedures relating to these fair value measurements; (ii) significant auditor judgment, subjectivity and effort in evaluating audit evidence related to the significant assumptions used in the fair value measurement of the tangible and intangible assets and liabilities, specifically the capitalization rates, market rental rates and discount rates; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.
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 acquisitions, including controls over management’s valuation of the tangible and intangible assets and liabilities and controls over the review of the capitalization rates, market rental rates and discount rates assumptions. These procedures also included, among others, for a sample of acquisitions (i) reading the executed purchase agreements and leasing documents; (ii) using professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in testing management’s process for estimating the fair value of tangible and intangible assets and liabilities by evaluating the appropriateness of the valuation methods and the reasonableness of the significant assumptions relating to the capitalization rates, market rental rates and discount rates, which involved considering comparable market data and other industry factors; (iii) evaluating the accuracy of the purchase price allocation; and (iv) testing the completeness and accuracy of data provided by management.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
New York, New York
February 11, 2022
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1973, which includes periods before the Company became subject to SEC reporting requirements.
W. P. CAREY INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
December 31,
Assets
Investments in real estate:
Net investments in direct financing leases and loans receivable 813,577 736,117
Liabilities and Equity
Debt:
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities 572,846 603,663
Below-market rent and other intangible liabilities, net 183,286 197,248
Commitments and contingencies (Note 12)
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; none issued — —
Distributions in excess of accumulated earnings (2,224,231) (1,850,935)
__________
(a)See Note 2 for details related to variable interest entities (“VIEs”).
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
W. P. CAREY INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Years Ended December 31,
Revenues
Real Estate:
Investment Management:
Operating Expenses
Other Income and Expenses
Loss on change in control of interests — — (8,416)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (134) (10,596) (1,301)
Diluted Earnings Per Share $ 2.24 $ 2.60 $ 1.78
Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
W. P. CAREY INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(in thousands)
Years Ended December 31,
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments 35,305 (31,978) (1,054)
Unrealized gain on investments 18,688 — 7
Amounts Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments (21) (7) —
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
W. P. CAREY INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY
(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
W. P. Carey Stockholders