Limoneira Company (“Limoneira” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: LMNR)
announced today that it has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire
757 acres of lemon, orange and specialty citrus orchards in San Joaquin
Valley for approximately $15.1 million. The transaction is expected to
close on November 30, 2015. The orchards are being acquired pursuant to
purchase options contained in certain operating leases the Company has
had since 2012 for approximately 1,000 acres of lemon, orange, specialty
citrus and other crops, which the Company refers to as the Sheldon Ranch
leases. The lease agreements include base rent of $500 per acre and
contingent rent of 50% of the operating profit of the leased property as
defined in the lease agreements. Total rent expense for fiscal year 2015
on the acquired property is estimated to be approximately $0.9 million
as of the expected closing date of the transaction and was approximately
$1.6 million for fiscal year 2014.
About Limoneira Company
Limoneira Company, a 120-year-old international agribusiness
headquartered in Santa Paula, California, has grown to become one of the
premier integrated agribusinesses in the world. Limoneira (pronounced lē
mon΄âra) is a dedicated sustainability company with approximately 10,700
acres of rich agricultural lands, real estate properties and water
rights in California and Arizona. The Company is a leading producer of
lemons, avocados, oranges, specialty citrus and other crops that are
enjoyed throughout the world. For more about Limoneira Company, visit www.limoneira.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These
forward-looking statements are based on Limoneira’s and Cadiz’s current
expectations about future events and can be identified by terms such as
“expect,” “may,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should be,” “will be,” “is
likely to,” “strive to,” and similar expressions referring to future
periods.
The Companies believe the expectations reflected in the
forward-looking statements are reasonable but cannot guarantee future
results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Actual
results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the
forward-looking statements. Therefore, the Companies caution you
against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Factors
which may cause future outcomes to differ materially from those foreseen
in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: changes
in laws, regulations, rules, quotas, tariffs and import laws; weather
conditions that affect production, transportation, storage, import and
export of fresh product; increased pressure from crop disease, insects
and other pests; disruption of water supplies or changes in water
allocations; pricing and supply of raw materials and products; market
responses to industry volume pressures; pricing and supply of energy;
changes in interest and currency exchange rates; availability of
financing for land development activities; political changes and
economic crises; international conflict; acts of terrorism; labor
disruptions, strikes or work stoppages; loss of important intellectual
property rights; inability to pay debt obligations; inability to engage
in certain transactions due to restrictive covenants in debt
instruments; government restrictions on land use; and market and pricing
risks due to concentrated ownership of stock. Other risks and
uncertainties include those that are described in the Companies’ SEC
filings, which are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
The Companies undertake no obligation to subsequently update or
revise the forward-looking statements made in this press release, except
as required by law.
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