WPC US Equity☆

wpc-20231231

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☑ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

or

☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from__________ to __________

Commission File Number: 001-13779

W. P. Carey Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(State of incorporation) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

One Manhattan West, 395 9th Avenue, 58th Floor

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Investor Relations (212) 492-8920

(212) 492-1100

(Registrant’s telephone numbers, including area code)

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

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

Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value WPC New York Stock Exchange

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

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☑ No ☐

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

Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐

Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐

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

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

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter: $14.4 billion.

As of February 2, 2024, there were 218,672,432 shares of Common Stock of registrant outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The registrant incorporates by reference its definitive Proxy Statement with respect to its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days following the end of its fiscal year, into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

INDEX

Page No.

PART I

Item 1. Business 3

Item 1A. Risk Factors 7

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 20

Item 1C. Cybersecurity 20

Item 2. Properties 22

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 22

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 23

PART II

Item 6. Reserved 24

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 50

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 52

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 140

Item 9B. Other Information 141

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 141

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 142

Item 11. Executive Compensation 142

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 142

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 143

SIGNATURES

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Report”), including Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Item 7 of Part II of this Report, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to statements regarding: the NLOP Spin-Off (as defined herein); our expectations surrounding the impact of the broader macroeconomic environment and the ability of tenants to pay rent; our financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, and prospects; our future capital expenditure and leverage levels, debt service obligations, and plans to fund our liquidity needs; prospective statements regarding our access to the capital markets, including our “at-the-market” program (“ATM Program”); statements that we make regarding our ability to remain qualified for taxation as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”); and the impact of recently issued accounting pronouncements and other regulatory activity.

These statements are based on the current expectations of our management. It is important to note that our actual results could be materially different from those projected in such forward-looking statements. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Other unknown or unpredictable risks or uncertainties, like the risks related to fluctuating interest rates, the impact of inflation on our tenants and us, the effects of pandemics and global outbreaks of contagious diseases, and domestic or geopolitical crises, such as terrorism, military conflict, war or the perception that hostilities may be imminent, political instability or civil unrest, or other conflict, could also have material adverse effects on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, and prospects. You should exercise caution in relying on forward-looking statements as they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may materially affect our future results, performance, achievements, or transactions. Information on factors that could impact actual results and cause them to differ from what is anticipated in the forward-looking statements contained herein is included in this Report, as well as in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including but not limited to those described in Item 1A. Risk Factors and Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of this Report. Moreover, because we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment, new risks are likely to emerge from time to time. Given these risks and uncertainties, potential investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a prediction of future results, which speak only as of the date of this presentation, unless noted otherwise. Except as required by federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the SEC, we do not undertake to revise or update any forward-looking statements.

All references to “Notes” throughout the document refer to the footnotes to the consolidated financial statements of the registrant in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

General Development of Business

W. P. Carey Inc. (“W. P. Carey”) is an internally-managed diversified REIT that, together with our consolidated subsidiaries and predecessors, is a leading owner of commercial real estate, net-leased to companies located primarily in the United States and Northern and Western Europe on a long-term basis. The vast majority of our revenues originate from lease revenue provided by our real estate portfolio, which is comprised primarily of single-tenant industrial, warehouse, retail, and self-storage facilities that are critical to our tenants’ operations. Our portfolio is comprised of 1,424 properties, net-leased to 336 tenants in 26 countries. As of December 31, 2023, approximately 58% of our contractual minimum annualized base rent (“ABR”) was generated by properties located in the United States and approximately 37% was generated by properties located in Europe. As of that same date, our portfolio included 96 operating properties, comprised of 89 self-storage properties, five hotels, and two student housing properties.

In September 2023, we announced a plan to exit the office assets within our portfolio by (i) spinning-off 59 office properties into Net Lease Office Properties, a Maryland real estate investment trust (“NLOP”), so that it became a separate publicly-traded REIT (the “Spin-Off”), and (ii) implementing an asset sale program to dispose of 87 office properties retained by us (the “Office Sale Program”), which is targeted to be completed in the first half of 2024. Seventy-nine of the 87 office properties have been sold as of the date of this Report, for gross proceeds of approximately $608.1 million (Note 19).

On November 1, 2023, we completed the Spin-Off, contributing 59 office properties to NLOP (Note 3). Following the closing of the Spin-Off, NLOP operates as a separate publicly-traded REIT, which we externally manage pursuant to certain advisory agreements (the “NLOP Advisory Agreements”).

On August 1, 2022, one of our former investment programs, Corporate Property Associates 18 – Global Incorporated (“CPA:18 – Global”), merged with and into one of our indirect subsidiaries (the “CPA:18 Merger”), which added approximately $2.2 billion of real estate assets to our portfolio (Note 4).

Founded in 1973, we became a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) in 1998 and reorganized as a REIT in 2012. Our shares of common stock are listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “WPC.” Headquartered in New York, we also have offices in Dallas, London, and Amsterdam.

Narrative Description of Business

Business Objectives and Strategy

Our primary business objective is to invest in a diversified portfolio of high-quality, mission-critical assets subject to long-term net leases with built-in rent escalators for the purpose of generating stable cash flows, enabling us to grow our dividend and increase long-term stockholder value.

Our investment strategy primarily focuses on owning and actively managing a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate that is net-leased to credit-worthy companies. We review and evaluate the fundamental value of the underlying real estate. We believe that many companies prefer to lease rather than own their corporate real estate because it allows them to deploy their capital more effectively into their core competencies. We specialize in sale-leaseback transactions, where we acquire a company’s critical real estate and then lease it back to them on a long-term, triple-net basis, which requires them to pay substantially all of the costs associated with operating and maintaining the property (such as real estate taxes, insurance, and facility maintenance). Compared to other types of real estate investments, sale-leaseback transactions typically produce a more predictable income stream and require minimal capital expenditures, which in turn generate revenues that provide our stockholders with a stable, growing source of income.

We believe that diversification across property type, tenant, tenant industry, and geographic location, as well as diversification of our lease expirations and scheduled rent increases, are vital aspects of portfolio risk management and accordingly have constructed a portfolio of real estate that we believe is well-diversified across each of these categories. We capitalize on our large portfolio and existing tenant relationships through accretive expansions, renovations, and follow-on deals. We actively

manage our real estate portfolio to monitor tenant credit quality and lease renewal risks. We also maintain ample liquidity, a conservative capital structure, and access to multiple forms of capital.

Our business operates in two segments: Real Estate and Investment Management, as described herein and in Note 1. Our Real Estate segment generates the vast majority of our earnings through the lease revenues we earn from our real estate investments. We have historically earned asset management fees and other compensation from the management of non-traded real estate investment programs through our Investment Management segment. Following the close of the CPA:18 Merger, our advisory agreements with CPA:18 – Global were terminated (Note 4). As used herein, “Managed Programs” refers to CPA:18 – Global (through August 1, 2022) and Carey European Student Housing Fund I, L.P. (“CESH”). We act as the advisor to CESH and currently expect to do so through the end of its life cycle. We also act as the advisor to NLOP pursuant to the NLOP Advisory Agreements (Note 5).

We intend to operate our business in a manner that is consistent with the maintenance of our status as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. In addition, we expect to manage our investments in order to maintain our exemption from registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

Investment Strategies

When considering potential net-lease investments for our real estate portfolio, we review various aspects of a transaction to determine whether the investment and lease structure will satisfy our investment criteria. We generally analyze the following main aspects of each transaction:

Tenant/Borrower Evaluation — We evaluate each potential tenant or borrower for creditworthiness, typically considering factors such as management experience, industry position and fundamentals, operating history, and capital structure. We also rate each asset based on its market, liquidity, and criticality to the tenant’s operations, as well as other factors that may be unique to a particular investment. We seek opportunities where we believe the tenant may have a stable or improving credit profile or credit potential that has not been fully recognized by the market. We define creditworthiness as a risk-reward relationship appropriate to our investment strategies, which may or may not coincide with ratings issued by the credit rating agencies. We have a robust internal credit rating system and may designate subsidiaries of non-guarantor parent companies with investment grade ratings as “implied investment grade.”

Properties Critical to Tenant/Borrower Operations — We generally focus on properties and facilities that we believe are critical to the ongoing operations of the tenant. We believe that these properties generally provide better protection, particularly in the event of a bankruptcy, since a tenant/borrower is less likely to risk the loss of a critically important lease or property in a bankruptcy proceeding or otherwise.

Diversification — We attempt to diversify our portfolio to avoid undue dependence on any one particular tenant, borrower, collateral type, geographic location, or industry. By diversifying our portfolio, we seek to reduce the adverse effect of a single underperforming investment or a downturn in any particular industry or geographic region. While we do not set any fixed diversity metrics in our portfolio, we believe that it is well-diversified.

Lease Terms — Generally, the net-leased properties we invest in are leased on a full-recourse basis to the tenants or their affiliates. In addition, the vast majority of our leases provide for scheduled rent increases over the term of the lease (see Our Portfolio below). These rent increases are either fixed (i.e., mandated on specific dates) or tied to increases in inflation indices (e.g., the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) or similar indices in the jurisdiction where the property is located), but may contain caps or other limitations, either on an annual or overall basis. In the case of retail stores and hotels, the lease may provide for participation in the gross revenues of the tenant above a stated level, which we refer to as percentage rent.

Real Estate Evaluation — We review and evaluate the physical condition of the property and the market in which it is located. We consider a variety of factors, including current market rents, replacement cost, residual valuation, property operating history, demographic characteristics of the location and accessibility, competitive properties, and suitability for re-leasing. We obtain third-party environmental and engineering reports and market studies when required. When considering an investment outside the United States, we will also consider factors particular to a country or region, including geopolitical risk, in addition to the risks normally associated with real property investments. See Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Transaction Provisions to Enhance and Protect Value — When negotiating leases with potential tenants, we attempt to include provisions that we believe help to protect the investment from material changes in the tenant’s operating and financial characteristics, which may affect the tenant’s ability to satisfy its obligations to us or reduce the value of the investment. Such provisions include covenants requiring our consent for certain activities, requiring indemnification protections and/or security deposits, and requiring the tenant to satisfy specific operating tests. We may also seek to enhance the likelihood that a tenant will satisfy their lease obligations through a letter of credit or guaranty from the tenant’s parent or other entity. Such credit enhancements, if obtained, provide us with additional financial security. However, in markets where competition for net-lease transactions is strong, some or all of these lease provisions may be difficult to obtain.

Competition — We face active competition from many sources, both domestically and internationally, for net-lease investment opportunities in commercial properties. In general, we believe that our management’s experience in real estate, credit underwriting, and transaction structuring will allow us to compete effectively for commercial properties. However, competitors may be willing to accept rates of return, lease terms, other transaction terms, or levels of risk that we find unacceptable.

Asset Management

We believe that proactive asset management is essential to maintaining and enhancing property values. Important aspects of asset management include entering into new or modified transactions to meet the evolving needs of current tenants, re-leasing properties, credit and real estate risk analysis, building expansions and redevelopments, repositioning assets, sustainability and efficiency analysis and retrofits, and strategic dispositions. We regularly engage directly with our tenants and form long-term working relationships with their decision makers in order to provide proactive solutions and to obtain an in-depth, real-time understanding of tenant credit.

We monitor compliance by tenants with their lease obligations and other factors that could affect the financial performance of our real estate investments on an ongoing basis, which typically involves ensuring that each tenant has paid real estate taxes and other expenses relating to the properties it occupies and is maintaining appropriate insurance coverage. To ensure such compliance at our properties, we often engage the expertise of third parties to complete property inspections. We also review tenant financial statements and undertake regular physical inspections of the properties to verify their condition and maintenance. Additionally, we periodically analyze each tenant’s financial condition, the industry in which each tenant operates, and each tenant’s relative strength in its industry. The in-depth understanding of our tenants’ businesses and direct relationships with their management teams provides strong visibility into potential issues as well as additional investment opportunities. Our business intelligence platform provides real-time surveillance and early warning, allowing asset managers to work with tenants to enforce lease provisions, and where appropriate, consider lease modifications.

Financing Strategies

We believe in maintaining ample liquidity, a conservative capital structure, and access to multiple forms of capital. We preserve balance sheet flexibility and liquidity by maintaining significant capacity on our $2.0 billion unsecured revolving credit facility (the “Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility”), as well as any amounts available to us under our term loans (“Unsecured Term Loans”), which, together with our Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility, we refer to collectively as our “Senior Unsecured Credit Facility.” We generally use the Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility to fund our immediate capital needs, including new acquisitions and the repayment of secured mortgage debt as we continue to unencumber assets. We seek to replace short-term financing with more permanent forms of capital, including, but not limited to, common stock, unsecured debt securities, bank debt, and proceeds from asset sales. When evaluating which form of capital to pursue, we take into consideration multiple factors, including our corporate leverage levels and targets, and the most attractive source of capital available to us. We may choose to issue unsecured debt securities and bank debt denominated in foreign currencies in part to fund international acquisitions, unencumber assets, and mitigate our exposure to fluctuations in exchange rates. We strive to maintain an investment grade rating, which places limitations on the amount of leverage acceptable in our capital structure. Although we expect to continue to have access to a wide variety of capital sources and maintain our investment grade rating, there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so in the future.

Our Portfolio

At December 31, 2023, our portfolio had the following characteristics:

•Number of properties — full or partial ownership interests in 1,424 net-leased properties, 89 self-storage properties, five hotels, and two student housing properties;

•Total net-leased square footage — approximately 173 million; and

•Occupancy rate — approximately 98.1%.

For more information about our portfolio, see Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Portfolio Overview.

Tenant/Lease Information

At December 31, 2023, our tenants/leases had the following characteristics:

•Number of tenants — 336;

•Investment grade tenants as a percentage of total ABR — 18%;

•Implied investment grade tenants as a percentage of total ABR — 6%;

•Weighted-average lease term — 11.7 years;

•99.6% of our leases as a percentage of total ABR provide rent adjustments as follows:

◦CPI and similar — 56.2%

◦Fixed — 40.7%

◦Other — 2.7%

Human Capital

Investing in Our Employees

At December 31, 2023, we had 197 employees, 144 of which were located in the United States and 53 of which were located in Europe. We strive to make W. P. Carey a great place to work by attracting a diverse pool of the best and brightest applicants and making them feel supported as they grow with the company. We offer various levels of training, including “Respect in the Workplace,” skills training, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and executive coaching, as well as additional training including safety and cybersecurity. By engaging with our employees and investing in their careers through training and development, we have built a talented workforce capable of executing our business strategies.

Diversity

We believe that our success is dependent upon the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of our employees and directors. W. P. Carey is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other statuses protected by applicable federal, state, and local law. Our diversity, equity and inclusion initiative is designed to facilitate conversations around race, sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, creeds, and other important topics. These conversations, led by our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee, provide a forum for us to translate our positions as a company into action in both our internal and external communities. We are also signatory to the CEO Action Pledge for Diversity & Inclusion, which reflects our commitment to fostering a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

Employee Wellness and Benefits

The health and wellness of our employees and their families are paramount and our comprehensive benefits package is designed to address the evolving needs of our diverse workforce and their dependents. Our benefits package is evaluated on an annual basis. In addition to robust health and wellness benefits, we also provide our employees with competitive compensation programs, with a focus on both current compensation and retirement planning for their future.

Additional information regarding our human capital programs and initiatives is available in our annual Proxy Statement and Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) Report, which can be found on our company website. Information on our website, including our ESG Report, is not incorporated by reference into this Report.

Available Information

We will supply to any stockholder, upon written request and without charge, a copy of this Report as filed with the SEC. Our filings can also be obtained for free on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. All filings we make with the SEC, including this Report, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and our current reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments to those reports, are available for free on the Investor Relations portion of our website (http://www.wpcarey.com), as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC.

Our quarterly earnings conference call and investor presentations are accessible by the public. We generally announce via press release the dates and conference call details for upcoming scheduled quarterly earnings announcements and webcast investor presentations, which are also available in the Investor Relations section of our website approximately ten days prior to the event.

Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which applies to all employees, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, is also available on our website. We intend to make available on our website any future amendments or waivers to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics within four business days after any such amendments or waivers. We are providing our website address solely for the information of investors and do not intend for it to be an active link. We do not intend to incorporate the information contained on our website into this Report or other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC.

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.

We compete for investments with many other institutions and investors, including other REITs, private equity firms, pension funds, and real estate companies. Operating in a competitive marketplace for investments could have a negative impact on our revenue growth. Our competitors may accept greater risk, lower returns, or a combination thereof allowing them to offer more attractive terms when pursuing investment opportunities. Access to capital and the cost of that capital could further impact the returns we generate from investments relative to our competitors and impair our ability to invest accretively. For example, high interest rates and equity costs may increase our cost of capital relative to our competitors and place additional pressure on investment spreads if capitalization rates (which generally respond to higher interest rates on a lag) remain constant or decline.

Our portfolio is concentrated in industrial, warehouse and retail properties.

We are not required to meet any property-type, tenant or geographic diversification standards. Therefore, our investments may become concentrated by type, tenant or geographic location, which could subject us to significant risks with potentially adverse effects on our investment objectives. For example, following the Spin-Off of 59 of our office assets which closed in November 2023, and the sale of a significant portion of our remaining office portfolio through our Office Sale Program, almost 80% of our ABR as of December 31, 2023 is concentrated in industrial/warehouse and retail assets.

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, 2023, our real estate properties located outside of the United States represented 42% 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 and the new global minimum tax (“Pillar Two”)), which may result in additional taxes on our international investments or additional taxes as a result of Pillar Two;

•changes in operating expenses in particular countries or regions;

•increased energy and commodity prices in Europe;

•foreign exchange rates; and

•geopolitical and military conflict risk and adverse market conditions caused by changes in national or regional economic or political conditions, including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, rising tensions between China and Taiwan and the conflict in the Middle East (which may impact relative interest rates, the terms or availability of debt financing, customers’ ability and willingness to renew agreements, make payments, and enter into new agreements, and energy costs).

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.

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 our 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).

Inflation and high interest rates may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Since 2021, inflation and interest rates have been elevated compared to recent years. Inflation and high interest rates could have an adverse impact on our financial condition. Our leases typically require tenants to pay all property operating expenses and increases in those property-level expenses at our leased properties generally do not affect us. However, increased operating expenses at properties not subject to full triple-net leases could cause us to incur additional operating expenses. Inflation could also impact other costs incurred by the company including general and administrative costs and foreign income taxes. While the vast majority of leases contain rent escalators, including inflation-linked rent escalators, these costs could increase at a rate higher than our rental and other revenue.

High interest rates could also increase the cost of our existing variable-rate debt, new debt obligations entered into in the future and potentially impair our ability to arrange third-party financing, including refinancing maturing debt in part or in full as it comes due. If we are unable to find alternative credit arrangements or other funding in a high interest environment, our business needs may not be adequately met. Certain financial covenants could also be affected as a result of higher operating and debt service costs, which may place restrictions on our liquidity. In the event an increase in our costs is not sufficiently offset by contractual rent increases or increases in other revenue, we may be required to implement measures to conserve cash or preserve liquidity.

Furthermore, tenants and potential tenants of our properties may also be adversely impacted by inflation and high interest rates, which could negatively impact our tenants’ ability to pay rent and the demand for our properties.

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.

Approximately 21% of our leases, based on our ABR as of December 31, 2023, are due to expire within the next five years. 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 could impact our ability to make ESG disclosures.

The lack of direct control over our net-leased properties due to the fact that tenants or managers are responsible for maintenance and other day-to-day management of the 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 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, our ESG ratings and our access to capital may be negatively impacted.

We may be materially adversely affected by laws, regulations or other issues related to climate change as well as by potential physical impacts related to climate change.

We are subject to laws and regulations related to climate change. For example, the SEC has proposed climate change rules which are expected to be approved in 2024 and, as proposed, would require us to provide extensive information including greenhouse gas emissions and certain climate-related financial metrics in our audited financial statements. The State of California has also enacted new climate change disclosure requirements, including emissions requirements. In addition, the European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) became effective in 2023 and requires expansive disclosures on various sustainability topics.

We are currently assessing our obligations under these laws and regulations but we expect that compliance with these laws and regulations could result in substantial compliance costs, retrofit costs and construction costs, including monitoring and reporting costs and capital expenditures for environmental control facilities and other new equipment. We also expect that over time we will likely need to be prepared to contend with overlapping, yet distinct, climate-related disclosure requirements in multiple jurisdictions. Noncompliance with these laws or regulations may result in potential cost increases, litigation, fines, penalties, brand or reputational damage, loss of tenants, lower valuation and higher investor activism activities. We cannot predict how future laws and regulations, or future interpretations of current laws and regulations related to climate change will affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition to the laws and regulations surrounding climate change, the potential physical impacts of climate change on our operations are highly uncertain. These may include extreme weather, changes in rainfall and storm patterns and intensity, increased strength of hurricanes, water shortages, changing sea levels and changing temperatures. These changes may result in physical damage to, or a decrease in demand for, our properties located in the areas affected by these conditions and may adversely impact out tenants’ abilities to fulfill their obligations under their leases. Chronic climate change may also lead to increased costs for our tenants to adapt to the demands and expectations of climate change or lower carbon usage, including with respect to heating, cooling or electricity costs, retrofitting properties to be more energy efficient or comply with new rules or regulations, or other unforeseen costs.

The direct and indirect impact on us and our tenants from severe weather, flooding, and other effects of climate change, and the economic and reputational impacts of the transition to non-carbon based energy, could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results, and cash flows.

Our properties have historically been impacted by severe weather, but the effects have been small or moderate in scope. In the future, the adverse impacts from hurricanes, water shortages, changing sea levels, flooding, wildfires and other severe weather conditions are likely to worsen as a result of climate change. These events have resulted in and may in the future result in property damage and closures and may adversely impact the operations of our tenants. Even if these events do not directly impact our properties, they have impacted and may continue to impact us and our tenants through increases in insurance, energy or other costs. In addition, the ongoing transition to non-carbon based energy presents certain risks for us and our tenants, including risks related to high energy costs and energy shortages, among other things. Changes in laws or regulations, including federal, state, or local laws, relating to climate change could result in increased capital expenditures to improve the energy efficiency of our properties.

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.

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;

•the ongoing need for capital improvements;

•Federal Reserve short term rate decisions;

•the mortgage market and real estate market in the United States;

•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;

•changes in governmental rules and fiscal policies;

•uninsured property liability, property damage, or casualty losses;

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

•exposure to environmental losses and the effects of climate change; and

•civil unrest, acts of war, terrorism, acts of God, including earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters (which may result in uninsured losses) and other factors beyond our control.

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 each; 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 21% of total ABR at December 31, 2023. 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.

High interest rates, inflation and a potential economic downturn 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.

We may not achieve some or all the expected benefits of the Spin-Off and the Office Sale Program.

We may not be able to achieve the full strategic and financial benefits expected to result from the Spin-Off and the Office Sale Program, or such benefits may be delayed due to a variety of circumstances, not all of which may be under our control. We may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the Spin-Off or the Office Sale Program for a variety of reasons, including, among others: (i) the transactions may not generate the anticipated improvements in our cost of or access to capital; and (ii) we may be subject to unexpected costs related to the Spin-Off, including as a result of our indemnification obligations under the Separation and Distribution Agreement or obligations related to indebtedness associated with the transfer of NLOP assets and any guaranties related thereto. Failure to achieve some or all the benefits expected to result from the Spin-Off and the Office Sale Program, or a delay in realizing such benefits, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may acquire or develop properties or acquire other real estate related companies, and this may create risks.

We may acquire or develop properties or acquire other real estate related companies when we believe that an acquisition or development is consistent with our business strategies. We may not succeed in consummating desired acquisitions or in completing developments on time or within budget. When we do pursue a project or acquisition, we may not succeed in leasing newly developed or acquired properties at rents sufficient to cover the costs of acquisition or development and operations. Difficulties in integrating acquisitions may prove costly or time-consuming and could divert management’s attention from other activities. Acquisitions or developments in new markets or industries where we do not have the same level of market knowledge may result in poorer than anticipated performance. We may also abandon acquisition or development opportunities that management has begun pursuing and consequently fail to recover expenses already incurred and will have devoted management’s time to a matter not consummated. Furthermore, our acquisitions of new properties or companies will expose us to the liabilities of those properties or companies, some of which we may not be aware of at the time of the acquisition. In addition, development of our existing properties presents similar risks.

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, 2023, was approximately $8.1 billion, representing a consolidated debt to gross assets ratio of approximately 41.6%. This consolidated indebtedness was comprised of (i) $6.0 billion in Senior Unsecured Notes (as defined in Note 12), (ii) $403.8 million outstanding under our Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility (as defined in Note 12), (iii) $1.1 billion outstanding under our Unsecured Term Loans (as defined in Note 12), and (iv) $579.1 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.

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. In September 2022 our rating was upgraded by Moody’s to Baa1 and in January 2023 our rating was upgraded by S&P Global Ratings to BBB+, 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, 2023, we had $579.1 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

Certain provisions of our charter and Maryland law could inhibit changes in control.

Certain provisions of our charter and 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:

•to protect against the loss of our REIT status due to concentration of ownership levels, our charter generally limits the ability of a person, to own, actually or constructively, more than 9.8%, in either value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our aggregate outstanding shares of common stock or preferred stock. 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;

•“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 appraisal rights and supermajority voting requirements on these combinations;

•“control share” provisions that provide that holders of “control shares” of our company (defined as outstanding 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; and

•our charter empowers our Board, without stockholder approval, to 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, and our Board may determine the relative rights, preferences, and privileges of any class or series of common stock or preferred stock issued, including terms that could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control transaction.

The MGCL 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. If we amend our bylaws to remove or modify this provision, the control share provisions of the statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer.

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. Our charter contains a provision opting out of Section 3-803 of the MGCL, which permits a board of directors to be divided into classes pursuant by Board action and without a stockholder-approved charter amendment. This provision can be modified only with a board recommendation and stockholder approval of the charter amendment. If we elect in the future to become subject to any of the remaining provisions of Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL, such an election 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 our 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. 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 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 a 15% corporate minimum tax on certain corporations and a 1% excise tax on certain stock repurchases by certain corporations, among other changes, 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.

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 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.

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 Internal Revenue 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 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 avoid application of the 100% excise tax.

We may be subject to a limitation on our deductions for business interest expense.

In addition, the deduction for net business interest is generally limited to 30% of the borrower’s adjusted taxable income (excluding non-business income, net operating losses, business interest income, and, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2022, computed without regard to depreciation and amortization). This limitation on the deductibility of net business interest could result in additional taxable income for us and our subsidiaries that are C corporations, including our TRSs, unless we or our subsidiaries qualify as real estate companies and elect not to be subject to such limitation in exchange for using longer depreciation periods that may otherwise be available.

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; (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.

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 tax imposed on REITs engaging in “prohibited transactions” may limit our ability to engage in transactions which would be treated as sales for federal income tax purposes.

A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, unless certain safe harbor exceptions apply. Although we do not intend to hold any properties that would be characterized as held for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business, such characterization is a factual determination and no guarantee can be given that the IRS would agree with our characterization of our properties or that we will always be able to satisfy the available safe harbors.

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, including disruption in the banking industry, continued inflation, and other macroeconomic developments. 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.

In September 2023, we announced that we were resetting our dividend policy, targeting an AFFO payout ratio of approximately 70% to 75%. 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 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. Additionally, in the event that we have to declare dividends in-kind in order to satisfy the REIT annual distribution requirements, a holder of our common stock will be required to report dividend income as a result of such distributions even though we distributed no cash or only nominal amounts of cash to such stockholder.

We may make investments in asset classes or countries outside of our core investment strategy which may be perceived as complicating our strategy relative to our peers.

We may need to expand beyond our current asset class mix to grow our portfolio. As a result, we intend, to the extent that market conditions warrant, to seek to grow our business by increasing our investments in existing businesses, pursuing new investment strategies (including investment opportunities in new asset classes), developing new types of investment structures and products, and expanding into new geographic markets and businesses. Introducing new types of investment structures and products could increase the complexities involved in managing such investments, including to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and terms of the investment. Making investments in assets classes or countries outside of our core investment strategy may also be perceived as complicating our strategy relative to our peers.

Entry into new asset classes or countries may subject us to new laws and regulations with which we are not familiar, or from which we are currently exempt, and may lead to increased litigation and regulatory risk and costs.

Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate changes and foreign exchange rate changes may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The interest rate and foreign exchange rate hedge instruments we may use to manage some of our exposure to interest rate and foreign exchange rate volatility involve risk, such as the risk that counterparties may fail to honor their obligations under these arrangements. Failure to hedge effectively against such interest rate and foreign exchange rate changes may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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. Information technology, communication networks, and other computer resources are essential for us to carry out important operational activities and maintain our business records.

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, which are reviewed periodically and are intended to address ongoing and evolving cyber security risks. However, these measures do not guarantee that our financial results will not be negatively impacted by such an incident, especially in light of the fact that it is not always possible to anticipate, detect, or recognize threats to our systems. The primary risks that could directly result from the occurrence of a cyber incident include operational interruption, damage to our relationship with our tenants, expensive remediation efforts, liability exposure under federal and state law, and private data exposure. 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.

Further information relating to cybersecurity risk management is discussed in Item1C.Cybersecurity in this Report.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

We believe we maintain an information technology and cybersecurity program appropriate for a company our size, taking into account our operations and risks.

Management and Board Oversight

We are committed to cybersecurity and vigilantly protecting all our resources and information from unauthorized access. Our cybersecurity approach incorporates a layered portfolio of comprehensive employee training programs, multiple resources to manage and monitor the evolving threat landscape, effective Board oversight of cybersecurity risks and knowledgeable teams responsible for preventing and detecting cybersecurity risks.

As part of the Board’s oversight of risk management, the Board reviews our cyber-risks with management and the actions we are taking to mitigate such risks. These actions include implementing industry-recognized practices for protecting systems, third-party monitoring of certain systems and cybersecurity training for employees. Board oversight of risk is also performed as needed between meetings through the Audit Committee and communications between management and the Board. The Board receives periodic education around cybersecurity risks and best practices.

Additionally, the Audit Committee, which consists solely of independent directors, is responsible for overseeing cybersecurity risks and related initiatives. The Audit Committee reviews our enterprise risk and cybersecurity risks. It also reviews the steps management has taken to protect against threats to our information systems and security and receives updates on cybersecurity on a quarterly basis.

Our information technology team is led by our Chief Information Officer who has extensive experience working with information security systems. Our information technology team consists of individuals with expertise in assessing, preventing and addressing cybersecurity risk and is responsible for executing our cybersecurity program as well as communicating regularly with senior management, our cybersecurity governance committee, the Audit Committee and the Board. Our cybersecurity governance committee, comprised of our Chief Financial Officer, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Information Officer, Head of Internal Audit and senior members of our information technology team are responsible for developing and maintaining our cybersecurity policies and standards, monitoring ongoing compliance and program updates, and ensuring our information security is aligned with our business objectives and strategies.

Processes for Assessing, Identifying and Managing Material Risks from Cybersecurity Threats

Our cybersecurity program focuses on (1) preventing and preparing for cybersecurity incidents, (2) detecting and analyzing cybersecurity incidents and (3) containing, eradicating, recovering from and reporting cybersecurity events.

Prevention and Preparation

We employ a variety of measures to prevent threats related to privacy, information technology security and cybersecurity, which include password protection, frequent mandatory password change events, multi-factor authentication, internal phishing testing, vulnerability scanning and penetration testing.

Our information technology and internal audit teams utilize frameworks based on industry standards to identify and mitigate information security risks and oversee an active cybersecurity training program. For example, in January 2023, our information technology team held a tabletop exercise with senior management to consider different cybersecurity scenarios. Our information technology team also recently worked with various third-party consultants to update our incident response plan.

In addition, our information technology team conducts routine security assessments as well as ongoing cybersecurity training campaigns for employees to enhance awareness and increase vigilance for the various types of cybersecurity attacks to which they may be exposed. Our internal audit team evaluates and monitors our internal controls over systems access in an effort to mitigate information security risks that may result from unauthorized access to systems and data.

Third-party vendors are vetted through our service delivery program to ensure they have an established cybersecurity program. We have also engaged our managed security provider to manage a supply chain defense subscription that will help obtain clear visibility into cybersecurity risks across third party vendors by proactively identifying, prioritizing, and driving remediation for cyber risks posed by critical business partners. Our managed security provider’s risk operations center will escalate certain alerts regarding third-party vendors directly to the appropriate business partners thus providing direct collaboration with third parties, saving time and improving risk reduction while safeguarding our relationships with such third parties.

Detection and Analysis

Cybersecurity incidents may be detected through a variety of means, including but not limited to automated event-detection notifications or similar technologies which are monitored by our managed cybersecurity provider, notifications from employees, vendors or service providers, and notifications from third party information technology system providers. Once a potential cybersecurity incident is identified, including a third party cybersecurity event, the incident response team designated pursuant to our incident response plan follows the procedures set forth in the plan to investigate the potential incident, such as determining the nature of the event (e.g., ransomware or personal data breach) and assessing the severity of the event and sensitivity of any compromised data.

Containment, Eradication, Recovery, and Reporting

In the event of a cybersecurity incident, the incident response team is initially focused on containing the cybersecurity incident as quickly and efficiently as possible, consistent with the procedures in the incident response plan. Containment procedures may include shutting down systems; disconnecting systems from a network, disabling specific ports, protocols, services, functions, etc., disabling access to compromised systems; examining code in a controlled environment and making forensic backups of affected systems for possible legal action for third party forensic analysis.

Once a cybersecurity incident is contained, the focus shifts to remediation. Eradication and recovery activities depend on the nature of the cybersecurity incident. They may include returning affected systems to an operationally ready state, confirming that the affected systems are functioning normally and implementing, as necessary, additional monitoring to look for future related activity.

We have relationships with a number of third party service providers to assist with cybersecurity containment and remediation efforts, including outside legal counsel, vendors and external insurance brokers.

In the event of a cybersecurity incident, we intend to follow the steps outlined in our incident response plan, including notifying our senior management, as appropriate.

Following the conclusion of an incident, we, with the assistance of the incident response team, will generally reassess the effectiveness of the cybersecurity program and incident response plan, make adjustments as appropriate and report to our senior management and our Audit Committee on these matters.

Cybersecurity Risks

As of December 31, 2023, we are not aware of any material cybersecurity incidents that impacted the Company in the last three years. However, we routinely face risks of potential incidents, whether through cyber-attacks or cyber intrusions over the Internet, ransomware and other forms of malware, computer viruses, attachments to emails, phishing attempts, extortion or other scams. For a discussion of these risks, see Item 1A. Risk Factors — 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.

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 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 2, 2024 there were 8,163 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, 2018 to December 31, 2023, as compared with the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI US REIT Index. The graph assumes a $100 investment on December 31, 2018, together with the reinvestment of all dividends. The graph does not reflect any adjustments for the Spin-Off of NLOP that was completed on November 1, 2023 and accomplished via a pro rata dividend of one NLOP common share for every 15 shares of WPC common stock outstanding (Note 3).

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. Our dividend for the fourth quarter of 2023 of $0.860 per share reflects both our strategic exit from the office assets within our portfolio (announced on September 21, 2023) (Note 1) and a lower payout ratio.

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, 2022 for discussion of our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021. Refer to Item 1. Business for a description of our business.

Significant Developments

Strategic Office Exit

In September 2023, we announced a plan to exit the office assets within our portfolio by (i) spinning-off 59 office properties into NLOP, so that it became a separate publicly-traded REIT, and (ii) implementing the Office Sale Program, which is targeted to be completed in the first half of 2024.

NLOP Spin-Off

On November 1, 2023, we completed the Spin-Off of 59 office properties into NLOP, as described in further detail in Note 3. Following the closing of the Spin-Off, NLOP operates as a separate publicly-traded REIT, for which we serve as advisor pursuant to the NLOP Advisory Agreements executed in connection with the Spin-Off.

Office Sale Program

In addition to the Spin-Off, 87 of our office properties will be sold under the Office Sale Program, which is targeted to be completed in the first half of 2024. These properties generated ABR totaling approximately $76 million as of the date of the Office Sale Program announcement. Seventy-nine of the 87 office properties have been sold as of the date of this Report, for gross proceeds of approximately $608.1 million (Note 19).

Financial Highlights

During the year ended December 31, 2023, we completed the following (as further described in the consolidated financial statements):

Real Estate

Investments

•We acquired 16 investments totaling $1.2 billion (Note 6).

•We completed three construction projects at a cost totaling $60.7 million (Note 6).

•We funded approximately $38.2 million for a construction loan to build a retail complex in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the year ended December 31, 2023. Through December 31, 2023, we have funded $231.4 million (Note 9).

•We committed to fund four redevelopment or expansion projects totaling $84.1 million. We currently expect to complete the projects in 2024 and 2025 (Note 6).

•We entered into a purchase agreement to acquire four retail (car wash) facilities in the United States for approximately $20.3 million, which is expected to be completed in 2024.

Dispositions

•We disposed of 31 properties for total proceeds, net of selling costs, of $446.4 million, including eight properties sold under the Office Sale Program for total proceeds, net of selling costs, of $216.9 million (Note 17). Eight of the properties sold were hotel operating properties. These dispositions exclude properties contributed to NLOP in the Spin-Off (Note 3).

Financing and Capital Markets Transactions

•In April 2023, we entered into a new €500.0 million unsecured term loan maturing on April 2026, which was drawn in full at closing. In conjunction with the closing of this Unsecured Term Loan due 2026, we executed variable-to-fixed interest rate swaps that fix the total per annum interest rate at 4.34% through the end of 2024. The Unsecured Term Loan due 2026 was incorporated into the Senior Unsecured Credit Facility in December 2023 (Note 12).

•In December 2023, we amended and restated our multi-currency Senior Unsecured Credit Facility to (i) increase the capacity of our Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility from $1.8 billion to $2.0 billion and extend the maturity of this facility by four years to February 14, 2029, and (ii) refinance our £270.0 million GBP Term Loan due 2028 and our €215.0 million EUR Term Loan due 2028 by extending the maturity date of each term loan by three years to February 14, 2028, with an option to extend these term loans by up to an additional year, subject to certain customary conditions. As of December 31, 2023, the aggregate principal amount (of revolving and term loans) available under the Senior Unsecured Credit Facility was able to be increased up to an amount not to exceed the U.S. dollar equivalent of $4.35 billion, subject to the conditions to increase set forth in our credit agreement (Note 12).

•We settled in full our ATM Forwards by delivering 7,826,840 shares of common stock for net proceeds of approximately $634 million (Note 14).

•We reduced our mortgage debt outstanding by prepaying or repaying at maturity a total of $368.0 million of non-recourse mortgage loans with a weighted-average interest rate of 4.9% (Note 12).

Dividends to Stockholders

We declared cash dividends totaling $4.067 per share, comprised of four quarterly dividends per share of $1.067, $1.069, $1.071, and $0.860. Our fourth quarter dividend of $0.860 per share reflects both our strategic exit from the office assets within our portfolio (announced on September 21, 2023) and a lower payout ratio.

Consolidated Results

(in thousands, except shares)

Years Ended December 31,

Revenues from Investment Management 3,219 10,985

Net income from Real Estate attributable to W. P. Carey 704,837 591,603

Net income from Investment Management attributable to W. P. Carey 3,497 7,536

Net cash provided by financing activities 292,562 57,887

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 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to higher lease revenues (substantially as a result of property acquisition activity and rent escalations, as well as the net-leased properties we acquired in the CPA:18 Merger on August 1, 2022 (Note 4)) and higher operating property revenues (primarily from the operating properties we acquired in the CPA:18 Merger on August 1, 2022 and the 12 hotel properties that converted from net-lease to operating properties during the first quarter of 2023), partially offset by the impact of the Spin-Off (Note 3) and lower other lease-related income (Note 6).

Net Income Attributable to W. P. Carey

Net income attributable to W. P. Carey increased in 2023 as compared to 2022. Net income from Real Estate attributable to W. P. Carey increased primarily due to higher gain on sale of real estate and the impact of real estate acquisitions (including from properties acquired in the CPA:18 Merger on August 1, 2022) (Note 6, Note 17), partially offset by higher interest expense, non-cash unrealized gains recognized on certain investments in equity securities during the prior year (Note 10), higher impairment charges and allowance for credit losses (Note 10), and the impact of the Spin-Off (Note 3). Net income from Investment Management attributable to W. P. Carey decreased primarily due to the cessation of fees and distributions previously earned from CPA:18 – Global prior to the CPA:18 Merger. We also recognized an impairment charge on goodwill within our Investment Management segment during the prior year (Note 8). In addition, we recognized a gain on change in control of interests during the prior year in connection with the CPA:18 Merger (Note 4).

AFFO

AFFO increased in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to investment activity and rent escalations, partially offset by higher interest expense and the impact of the Spin-Off (Note 1, 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, 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 1,424 1,449

Weighted-average lease term (in years) 11.7 10.8

Operating Properties

Number of operating properties: 96 87

Number of self-storage operating properties 89 84

Number of hotel operating properties (a) 5 1

Number of student housing operating properties 2 2

Occupancy (self-storage operating properties) 90.3 % 91.0 %

Number of countries 26 26

Years Ended December 31,

Acquisition volume (in millions) (b) $ 1,264.2 $ 1,265.5

Construction projects completed (in millions) 60.7 148.1

Average U.S. dollar/euro exchange rate 1.0813 1.0540

Average U.S. dollar/British pound sterling exchange rate 1.2433 1.2373

__________

(a)During the first quarter of 2023, the master lease expired on certain hotel properties previously classified as net-leased properties, which converted to operating properties. As a result, during the year ended December 31, 2023, we reclassified 12 consolidated hotel properties from net leases to operating properties (Note 6). We sold eight of these hotel operating properties during the third and fourth quarters of 2023 (Note 17).

(b)Amounts for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 include $38.2 million and $89.5 million, respectively, of funding for a construction loan (Note 9). Amount for the year ended December 31, 2022 excludes properties acquired in the CPA:18 Merger (Note 4). Amount for the year ended December 31, 2022 includes $19.8 million of sale-leasebacks classified as loans receivable (Note 7).

Net-Leased Portfolio

The tables below represent information about our net-leased portfolio at December 31, 2023 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 (b) Do-it-yourself retail properties in Poland 26 24,857 1.9 % 7.4

Nord Anglia Education, Inc. K-12 private schools in the U.S. 3 22,245 1.7 % 19.7

__________

(a)Mercury Partners, LP (a related party of U-Haul Moving Partners Inc.) provided notice that it intends to exercise its option to repurchase the 78 properties it is leasing during the first quarter of 2024 (Note 7).

(b)ABR amounts are subject to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

(c)In January 2024, we sold this portfolio of properties (Note 19).

(d)ABR from these properties is denominated in U.S. dollars.

(e)Of the 23 properties leased to ABC Technologies Holdings Inc., nine are located in Canada, eight are located in the United States, and six are located in Mexico.

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 Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Other properties within East include assets in Maryland, Connecticut, West Virginia, New Hampshire, and Maine. Other properties within West include assets in Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

(c)$46.8 million (92.1%) of ABR from properties in Canada is denominated in U.S. dollars, with the balance denominated in Canadian dollars.

(d)Includes assets in Mexico, Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Norway, Mauritius, Slovakia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, Latvia, Japan, and Estonia.

(e)Includes automotive dealerships.

(f)Includes ABR from tenants with the following property types: education facility, specialty, laboratory, hotel (net lease), research and development, 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: wholesale, aerospace and defense, insurance, banking, environmental industries, oil and gas, media: advertising, printing, and publishing, consumer transportation, forest products and paper, 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 provided notice of its intention to exercise its option to repurchase the 78 properties it is leasing during the first quarter of 2024 (Note 7).

(c)Includes ABR of $32.5 million from a portfolio of 70 properties leased to State of Andalusia that was sold in January 2024 (Note 19).

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 certain investments 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 generally 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, 2023. 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 earn fees and other income from the management of NLOP and CESH. Refer to Note 18 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:

Operating property revenues from:

Lease Revenues

“Existing net-leased properties” are those that we acquired or placed into service prior to January 1, 2022 and that were not sold, held for sale, derecognized, or reclassified to operating properties or sales-type leases during the periods presented. For the periods presented, there were 947 existing net-leased properties.

For the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, 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 comprised of higher reimbursable maintenance costs at certain properties.

“Recently acquired net-leased properties” are those that we acquired or placed into service subsequent to December 31, 2021 and that were not sold or held for sale during the periods presented. Since January 1, 2022, we acquired 34 investments (comprised of 196 properties) and placed two properties into service.

“Net-leased properties acquired in the CPA:18 Merger” on August 1, 2022 (Note 4) consisted of 28 net-leased properties that were not sold, held for sale, or derecognized during the periods presented.

“Net-leased properties sold, held for sale, derecognized, or reclassified to operating properties or sales-type leases” include:

•23 net-leased properties disposed of during the year ended December 31, 2023;

•two net-leased properties classified as held for sale at December 31, 2023, both of which were sold in January 2024 (Note 6, Note 19);

•23 net-leased properties disposed of during the year ended December 31, 2022;

•a portfolio of 12 net-leased hotel properties that converted to operating properties in the first quarter of 2023 upon expiration of the master lease with the Marriott Corporation, after which we began recognizing operating property revenues and expenses from these properties (Note 6) (eight of these properties were sold during the third and fourth quarters of 2023);

•portfolios of (i) 78 net-leased self-storage properties that were reclassified to net investments in sales-type leases in the first quarter of 2023, since the tenant provided notice of its intention to exercise its option to repurchase the properties, and (ii) 70 net-leased office properties that were reclassified to net investments in sales-type leases in the fourth quarter of 2023, since we agreed to sell the portfolio to the tenant, resulting in a lease modification; following these transactions, we began recognizing earnings from these properties within Income from finance leases and loans receivable in the consolidated financial statements; and

•59 net-leased properties derecognized in connection with the Spin-Off (Note 3).

Our dispositions are more fully described in Note 17.

Income from Finance Leases and Loans Receivable

For the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, income from finance leases and loans receivable increased due to the following items (in millions):

Operating Property Revenues and Expenses

“Operating properties acquired in the CPA:18 Merger” consisted of 65 self-storage properties and two student housing properties, which contributed operating property revenues, depreciation and amortization, and operating property expenses since August 1, 2022, the date of the CPA:18 Merger December 31, 2023 (Note 4).

“Operating properties sold or held for sale” are comprised of (i) the eight hotel operating properties sold during the year ended December 31, 2023 and (ii) a parking garage attached to a net-leased property that was derecognized in connection with the Spin-Off (Note 3).

“Operating properties recently reclassified from net-leased properties or recently acquired” include (i) four net-leased hotel properties that converted to operating properties in the first quarter of 2023 (after which we began recognizing operating property revenues and expenses from these properties (Note 6)) and (ii) five self-storage operating properties acquired during the year ended December 31, 2023 (Note 6).

“Existing operating properties” are those that we acquired or placed into service prior to January 1, 2022 and that were not sold or held for sale during the periods presented. For the periods presented, we recorded operating property revenues from 11 existing operating properties, comprised of ten self-storage operating properties (which excludes nine self-storage properties accounted for under the equity method) and one hotel operating property. For our hotel operating property, revenues and expenses increased by $2.3 million and $1.5 million, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, reflecting higher occupancy.

Other Lease-Related Income

Other lease-related income is described in Note 6.

Operating Expenses

Depreciation and Amortization

For the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, depreciation and amortization expense for net-leased properties and self-storage operating properties increased primarily due to the impact of net acquisition activity (including properties acquired in the CPA:18 Merger (Note 4)), partially offset by the impact of the Spin-Off (Note 3).

General and Administrative

All general and administrative expenses are recognized within our Real Estate segment.

For the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, general and administrative expenses increased by $7.1 million, primarily due to higher compensation expense, increased employee benefits expense, increased professional fees and expenses resulting from the assets acquired in the CPA:18 Merger (Note 4), and no longer receiving reimbursements from CPA:18 – Global.

Impairment Charges — Real Estate

Our impairment charges on real estate are described in Note 10.

Property Expenses, Excluding Reimbursable Tenant Costs

For the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, property expenses, excluding reimbursable tenant costs, decreased by $6.3 million, primarily due to the release of real estate taxes accrued for a cash basis tenant during the current year. The tenant was previously not current on real estate taxes due, and repaid the outstanding amount in the second quarter of 2023. This decrease was partially offset by the recovery of property taxes in the prior year period due to a successful court ruling and higher property expenses related to certain properties acquired in the CPA:18 Merger.

Stock-based Compensation Expense

For a description of our equity plans and awards, please see Note 15. Stock-based compensation expense is fully recognized within our Real Estate segment.

For the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, stock-based compensation expense increased by $1.7 million, primarily due to higher amortization of restricted share units, partially offset by the impact of changes in the projected payout for performance share units.

Merger and Other Expenses

For the year ended December 31, 2023, merger and other expenses are primarily comprised of costs incurred in connection with the Spin-Off, which was completed in November 2023 (Note 3).

For the year ended December 31, 2022, merger and other expenses are primarily comprised of costs incurred in connection with the CPA:18 Merger (Note 4), which was completed in August 2022.

Other Income and Expenses, and Provision for Income Taxes

Gain on Sale of Real Estate, Net

Gain on sale of real estate, net, consists of gains and losses on the sale of properties that were (i) disposed of, (ii) subject to the exercise of a purchase option, or (iii) subject to a purchase agreement resulting in a lease modification during the reporting period, as more fully described in Note 6, Note 7, and Note 17.

Interest Expense

For the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, interest expense increased by $72.7 million, primarily due to (i) an increase of $35.6 million related to non-recourse mortgage loans assumed in the CPA:18 Merger on August 1, 2022 (Note 4), (ii) higher outstanding balances and interest rates on our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility, (iii) our Unsecured Term Loan due 2026 that we entered into in April 2023 (Note 12), and (iv) two senior unsecured notes issuances totaling $334.8 million (based on the exchange rate of the euro on the dates of issuance) with a weighted-average interest rate of 3.6% completed in September 2022, partially offset by the reduction of our mortgage debt outstanding by prepaying or repaying at or close to maturity a total of $483.1 million of non-recourse mortgage loans with a weighted-average interest rate of 4.8% since January 1, 2022 (Note 12).

The following table presents certain information about our outstanding debt (dollars in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,

Weighted-average interest rate 3.2 % 2.7 %

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

Earnings from Equity Method Investments in Real Estate

Our equity method investments in real estate are more fully described in Note 9. The following table presents earnings from equity method investments in real estate (in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,

Earnings from Equity Method Investments in Real Estate

Existing Equity Method Investments:

Equity Method Investments Consolidated after the CPA:18 Merger (Note 4):

__________

(a)Increase is due to funding of this construction loan since January 1, 2022, which has an interest rate of 6.0%.

(b)Decrease is primarily due to higher rent collections at these retail properties during the prior year, where certain rents were previously disputed and subsequently collected.

Other Gains and (Losses)

Other gains and (losses) primarily consists of gains and losses on (i) the mark-to-market fair value of equity securities, (ii) extinguishment of debt, and (iii) foreign currency exchange rate movements, as well as changes in the allowance for credit losses on finance receivables. The timing and amount of such gains or losses cannot always be estimated and are subject to fluctuation. Certain of our foreign currency-denominated unsecured debt instruments were designated as net investment hedges during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. Therefore, no gains and losses on foreign currency exchange rate movements were recognized on the remeasurement of such instruments during those periods (Note 11).

The following table presents other gains and (losses) within our Real Estate segment (in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,

Other Gains and (Losses)

Non-cash unrealized losses on non-hedging derivatives (3,918) (898) (3,020)

Gain on repayment of secured loan receivable (c) — 10,613 (10,613)

__________

(a)As a result of the declining financial position of one of our top ten tenants, we recognized a $28.8 million allowance for credit loss during the year ended December 31, 2023, based on our expectation of collecting lower rents going forward.

(b)Remeasurement of certain monetary assets and liabilities that are held by our subsidiaries in currencies other than their functional currency are included in other gains and (losses). This includes foreign currency-denominated intercompany loans to our foreign subsidiaries that are scheduled for settlement. Beginning in the first quarter of 2023, our intercompany loans subject to remeasurement were hedged by certain of our foreign currency-denominated unsecured debt that we de-designated as net investment hedges.

(c)We acquired a secured loan receivable with a fair value of $23.4 million in our merger with a former affiliate, Corporate Property Associates 17 – Global Incorporated, in October 2018 (“CPA:17 Merger”), for which the outstanding principal of $34.0 million was fully repaid to us in September 2022 (Note 7). Therefore, we recorded a $10.6 million gain on repayment of this secured loan receivable.

(d)This insurance receivable was acquired in the CPA:17 Merger.

Gain on Change in Control of Interests

In connection with the CPA:18 Merger, during the year ended December 31, 2022, we acquired the remaining interests in four investments in which we already had a joint interest and accounted for under the equity method. Due to the change in control of these four jointly owned investments, we recorded a gain on change in control of interests of $11.4 million reflecting the difference between our carrying values and the preliminary estimated fair values of our previously held equity interests on August 1, 2022. Subsequent to the CPA:18 Merger, we consolidated these wholly owned investments (Note 4).

Provision for Income Taxes

For the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, provision for income taxes within our Real Estate segment increased by $23.0 million, primarily due to (i) higher current taxes as a result of rent increases driven by CPI adjustments at existing international properties, (ii) deferred tax benefits recognized during the prior year period related to the release of valuation allowances on certain foreign properties, and (iii) the impact of international property acquisitions.

Investment Management

We earn revenue as the advisor to the Managed Programs and NLOP. For the periods presented, we acted as advisor to the following Managed Programs: CPA:18 – Global (through August 1, 2022) and CESH. Upon completion of the CPA:18 Merger on August 1, 2022 (Note 4), the advisory agreement with CPA:18 – Global was terminated, and we ceased earning revenue from CPA:18 – Global. We have acted as advisor to NLOP since the Spin-Off on November 1, 2023 (Note 3).

We no longer raise capital for new or existing funds. We act as the advisor to CESH and currently expect to do so through the end of its life cycle. We also act as the advisor to NLOP pursuant to the NLOP Advisory Agreements (Note 1, Note 5).

Revenues

The following table presents revenues within our Investment Management segment (in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,

Investment Management Revenues

Asset management revenue

Other advisory income and reimbursements

Reimbursable costs from affiliates

Asset Management Revenue

During the periods presented, we earned asset management revenue from (i) NLOP (since the Spin-Off on November 1, 2023 (Note 3)) based on an annual fee of $7.5 million, which will be proportionately reduced following the disposition of a portfolio property, (ii) CESH based on its gross assets under management at fair value, and (iii) CPA:18 – Global (prior to the CPA:18 Merger) based on the value of its real estate-related assets under management. For 2023, we received asset management revenue from NLOP and CESH in cash. Asset management revenues from NLOP and CESH are expected to decline as assets are sold.

Other Advisory Income and Reimbursements

Under the advisory agreement with NLOP, we earn a base administrative amount of approximately $4.0 million annually, for certain administrative services, including day-to-day management services, investor relations, accounting, tax, legal, and other administrative matters, paid in cash.

Operating Expenses

Impairment Charges — Investment Management Goodwill

Our impairment charges on Investment Management goodwill are more fully described in Note 10.

Other Income and Expenses, and (Provision for) Benefit from Income Taxes

Gain on Change in Control of Interests

In connection with the CPA:18 Merger, during the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized a gain on change in control of interests of $22.5 million within our Investment Management segment related to the difference between the carrying value and the preliminary estimated fair value of our previously held equity interest in shares of CPA:18 – Global’s common stock (Note 4).

Earnings from Equity Method Investments in the Managed Programs

The following table presents the details of our earnings from equity method investments in the Managed Programs (Note 9) (in thousands):

Years Ended December 31,

Earnings from equity method investments in the Managed Programs:

Distributions of Available Cash from CPA:18 – Global (a) $ — $ 8,746

Earnings from equity method investments in the Managed Programs (a) — 4,542

Earnings from equity method investments in the Managed Programs $ — $ 13,288

__________

(a)As a result of the completion of the CPA:18 Merger on August 1, 2022 (Note 4), we no longer recognize equity income from our investment in shares of common stock of CPA:18 – Global or receive distributions of Available Cash (as defined in CPA:18 – Global’s partnership agreement) from CPA:18 – Global.

Benefit from (Provision for) Income Taxes

For the year ended December 31, 2023 we recorded a benefit from income taxes of $0.4 million, compared to a provision for income taxes of $6.3 million recognized during the year ended December 31, 2022, within our Investment Management segment. During 2022, in connection with the CPA:18 Merger, we incurred one-time current taxes upon the recognition of taxable income associated with the accelerated vesting of shares previously issued by CPA:18 – Global to us for asset management services performed.

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, our Senior Unsecured Notes, and our Unsecured Term Loans; the timing of our 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; and the timing of distributions from equity method investments. We no longer receive certain fees and distributions from CPA:18 – Global following the completion of the CPA:18 Merger on August 1, 2022 (Note 4). Despite these fluctuations, we believe that we will generate sufficient cash from operations to meet our normal recurring short-term liquidity needs. We may also use existing cash resources, available capacity under our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility, proceeds from term loans or other bank debt, proceeds from dispositions of properties (including expected proceeds from the exercise of purchase options and the Office Sale Program (Note 1)), and the issuance of additional debt or equity securities, such as issuances of common stock through our ATM Program (Note 14), in order to meet our short-term and long-term liquidity 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 $69.9 million during 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to an increase in cash flow generated from net investment activity (including properties acquired in the CPA:18 Merger (Note 4)) and scheduled rent increases at existing properties, partially offset by higher interest expense and the impact of the Spin-Off (Note 3).

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. We also received $28.0 million from repayments of loans receivable and $10.5 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 and Unsecured Term Loans, issuances and repayments of the Senior Unsecured Notes, payments and prepayments of non-recourse mortgage loans, issuances of common equity, and payments of dividends to stockholders. In addition to these types of transactions, during the year ended December 31, 2023, we received $343.9 million in proceeds in connection with the Spin-Off (Note 3).

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:

Unsecured Term Loans subject to interest rate swaps (a) 549,109 —

Variable rate:

Non-recourse mortgages (a):

Amount subject to interest rate caps — 11,156

Percent of Total Debt

Variable rate 13 % 13 %

Weighted-Average Interest Rate at End of Year

Fixed rate 2.9 % 2.9 %

Variable rate (c) 5.1 % 3.5 %

Total debt 3.2 % 3.0 %

____________

(a)Aggregate debt balance includes unamortized discount, net, totaling $31.8 million and $35.9 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and unamortized deferred financing costs totaling $21.5 million and $26.0 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

(b)Includes non-recourse mortgages subject to variable-to-fixed interest rate swaps totaling $45.0 million and $83.0 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

(c)The impact of our interest rate swaps and caps is reflected in the weighted-average interest rates.

Cash Resources

At December 31, 2023, our cash resources consisted of the following:

•cash and cash equivalents totaling $633.9 million. Of this amount, $203.1 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 $1.6 billion (net of amounts reserved for standby letters of credit totaling $6.5 million); and

•unleveraged properties that had an aggregate asset carrying value of approximately $13.6 billion at December 31, 2023, although there can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain financing for these properties.

We may also access the capital markets through additional debt (denominated in both U.S. dollars and euros) and equity offerings, as well as term loans and other bank debt.

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, 2023, we had (i) $633.9 million of cash and cash equivalents and (ii) approximately $1.6 billion of available capacity under our Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility (net of amounts reserved for standby letters of credit totaling $6.5 million). Our Senior Unsecured Credit Facility includes (i) a $2.0 billion Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility (scheduled to mature on February 14, 2029), (ii) our Unsecured Term Loans due 2028 totaling $576.5 million outstanding (scheduled to mature on February 14, 2028), and (iii) our Unsecured Term Loan due 2026 totaling $549.1 million outstanding (scheduled to mature on April 24, 2026), as of December 31, 2023 (Note 12). As of December 31, 2023, scheduled debt principal payments total $1.3 billion during 2024 and $707.3 million during 2025 (Note 12).

During the next 12 months following December 31, 2023 and thereafter, we expect that our significant cash requirements will include:

•paying dividends to our stockholders;

•funding acquisitions of new investments (Note 6);

•funding future capital commitments (Note 6) and tenant improvement allowances;

•making scheduled principal and balloon payments on our debt obligations, including (i) $500 million of senior notes due in April 2024 and (ii) €500 million of senior notes due in July 2024 (Note 12);

•making scheduled interest payments on our debt obligations (future interest payments total $939.6 million, with $229.4 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, 2023); 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), proceeds from term loans or other bank debt, issuances of common stock through our ATM Program (Note 14), and potential issuances of additional debt or equity securities. We may also choose to prepay certain of our non-recourse mortgage loan obligations, depending on our capital needs and market conditions at that time.

Our liquidity could be adversely affected by unanticipated costs and greater-than-anticipated operating expenses. 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.