SITE Centers Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2019 Operating Results

SITE Centers Corp. (NYSE: SITC) today announced operating results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019.

“Fourth quarter results were well ahead of plan capping an excellent first full year of operations since our investor day highlighted by accelerated anchor openings and leasing momentum,” commented David R. Lukes, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We ended the year with a stronger portfolio and balance sheet and are excited about the prospects for 2020 and continued execution on all three drivers of our five-year business plan.”

Results for the Quarter

• Fourth quarter net income attributable to common shareholders was $9.7 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, as compared to net income of $172.5 million, or $0.93 per diluted share, in the year-ago period. The year-over-year decrease in net income was primarily attributable to higher gains on the sale of real estate in 2018.
• Fourth quarter operating funds from operations attributable to common shareholders (“Operating FFO” or “OFFO”) was $62.3 million, or $0.33 per diluted share, compared to $58.0 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, in the year-ago period. The year-over-year increase in OFFO was primarily attributable to lower general and administrative expenses as well as lower interest expense due to deleveraging efforts.

Results for the Year

• Net income attributable to common shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2019, was $61.3 million, or $0.33 per diluted share, which compares to net income of $80.9 million, or $0.43 per diluted share for the prior year.
• Generated Operating FFO of $1.27 per diluted share for the full year 2019, which compares to $1.66 per diluted share for 2018.

Significant Fourth Quarter Activity

• Announced the expected sale of SITE Centers’ 15% stake in the DDRTC Joint Venture to its partner, TIAA-CREF, based on a gross fund value of $1.14 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020.
• Acquired three shopping centers for an aggregate sales price of $85.1 million.
• Sold two shopping centers and land for an aggregate sales price of $287.6 million, totaling $76.4 million at SITE Centers’ share, including $46.6 million from the repayment of the Company’s preferred equity investment in its joint venture with Blackstone.
• Issued 13.225 million common shares resulting in net proceeds of approximately $195.0 million and redeemed all $200.0 million aggregate liquidation preference of its outstanding 6.50% Series J Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares (“Class J Preferred Shares”).

Significant Full Year Activity

• Sold ten shopping centers and land for an aggregate sales price of $550.2 million, or $211.5 million at SITE Centers’ share, including $61.4 million from the repayment of the Company’s preferred equity investment in its two joint ventures with Blackstone.
• In July 2019, amended and restated its $950 million revolving credit facility to extend the maturity date to January 2024 and reduce the overall interest rate. The Company also amended the interest rate applicable to its unsecured term loan and upsized the facility to $100 million from $50 million.
• Issued the Company’s fifth annual Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report (www.sitecenters.com/2018CSR). This report was completed in accordance with the Global Reporting Institute Standards and outlines the Company’s sustainability strategies and the progress and achievements of its comprehensive environmental, social and governance platforms.

Key Quarterly Operating Results

• Reported 5.1% same store net operating income growth on a pro rata basis for the quarter and 3.6% same store net operating income growth on a pro rata basis for the year ended December 31, 2019.
• Generated new leasing spreads of 14.5% and renewal leasing spreads of 1.4%, both on a pro rata basis, for the quarter and new leasing spreads of 13.9% and renewal leasing spreads of 4.7%, both on a pro rata basis, for the trailing twelve-month period.
• Reported a leased rate of 93.8% on a pro rata basis at December 31, 2019, compared to 92.7% at December 31, 2018.
• Annualized base rent per occupied square foot on a pro rata basis was $18.25 at December 31, 2019, compared to $17.86 at December 31, 2018.

Guidance

The Company estimates net income attributable to common shareholders for 2020 to be from $0.23 to $0.29 per diluted share and Operating FFO to be $1.10 to $1.14 per diluted share. Disposition fees, debt extinguishment and mark-to-market adjustments of equity awards are excluded from guidance.

About SITE Centers Corp.

SITE Centers is an owner and manager of open-air shopping centers that provide a highly-compelling shopping experience and merchandise mix for retail partners and consumers. The Company is a self-administered and self-managed REIT operating as a fully integrated real estate company, and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SITC. Additional information about the Company is available at https://www.sitecenters.com. To be included in the Company’s e-mail distributions for press releases and other investor news, please click here.

Conference Call and Supplemental Information

The Company will hold its quarterly conference call today at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. To participate with access to the slide presentation, please visit the Investor Relations portion of SITE's website, ir.sitecenters.com. or for audio only, dial 888-317-6003 (U.S.), 866-284-3684 (Canada) or 412-317-6061 (international) using pass code 0413839 at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call. A replay of the conference call will also be available at ir.sitecenters.com for one year after the call. A copy of the Company’s Supplemental package is available on the Company’s website.

Non-GAAP Measures

Funds from Operations (“FFO”) is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure used as a standard in the real estate industry and is a widely accepted measure of real estate investment trust (“REIT”) performance. Management believes that both FFO and Operating FFO provide additional indicators of the financial performance of a REIT. The Company also believes that FFO and Operating FFO more appropriately measure the core operations of the Company and provide benchmarks to its peer group.

In December 2018, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) issued NAREIT Funds From Operations White Paper - 2018 Restatement (“2018 FFO White Paper”). The purpose of the 2018 FFO White Paper was not to change the fundamental definition of FFO but to clarify existing guidance and to consolidate into a single document alerts and policy bulletins issued by NAREIT since the last FFO white paper was issued in 2002. The 2018 FFO White Paper was effective starting with first quarter 2019 reporting. The changes to the Company’s calculation of FFO resulting from the adoption of the 2018 FFO White Paper relate to the exclusion of gains or losses on the sale of land as well as related impairments, gains or losses from changes in control and the reserve adjustment of preferred equity interests. The Company adopted changes in its calculation in 2019 on a retrospective basis.

FFO is generally defined and calculated by the Company as net income (loss) (computed in accordance with GAAP), adjusted to exclude (i) preferred share dividends, (ii) gains and losses from disposition of real estate property and related investments, which are presented net of taxes, (iii) impairment charges on real estate property and related investments, including reserve adjustments of preferred equity interests, (iv) gains and losses from changes in control and (v) certain non-cash items. These non-cash items principally include real property depreciation and amortization of intangibles, equity income (loss) from joint ventures and equity income (loss) from non-controlling interests and adding the Company’s proportionate share of FFO from its unconsolidated joint ventures and non-controlling interests, determined on a consistent basis. The Company’s calculation of FFO is consistent with the definition of FFO provided by NAREIT. The Company calculates Operating FFO as FFO excluding certain non-operating charges, income and gains. Operating FFO is useful to investors as the Company removes non-comparable charges, income and gains to analyze the results of its operations and assess performance of the core operating real estate portfolio. Other real estate companies may calculate FFO and Operating FFO in a different manner.

In calculating the expected range for or amount of net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders to estimate projected FFO and Operating FFO for future periods, the Company does not include a projection of gains and losses from the disposition of real estate property, potential impairments and reserves of real estate property and related investments, debt extinguishment costs, mark-to-market adjustments of equity awards, hurricane-related activity, certain transaction costs or certain fee income. Other real estate companies may calculate expected FFO and Operating FFO in a different manner.

The Company also uses net operating income (“NOI”), a non-GAAP financial measure, as a supplemental performance measure. NOI is calculated as property revenues less property-related expenses. The Company believes NOI provides useful information to investors regarding the Company’s financial condition and results of operations because it reflects only those income and expense items that are incurred at the property level and, when compared across periods, reflects the impact on operations from trends in occupancy rates, rental rates, operating costs and acquisition and disposition activity on an unleveraged basis.

The Company presents NOI information herein on a same store basis or “SSNOI.” The Company defines SSNOI as property revenues less property-related expenses, which exclude straight-line rental income (including reimbursements) and expenses, lease termination income in excess of lost rent, management fee expense, fair market value of leases and expense recovery adjustments. SSNOI also excludes activity associated with development and major redevelopment and includes assets owned in comparable periods (15 months for quarter comparisons). SSNOI excludes all non-property and corporate level revenue and expenses. Other real estate companies may calculate NOI and SSNOI in a different manner. The Company believes SSNOI at its effective ownership interest provides investors with additional information regarding the operating performances of comparable assets because it excludes certain non-cash and non-comparable items as noted above.

FFO, Operating FFO, NOI and SSNOI do not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP, are not necessarily indicative of cash available to fund cash needs and should not be considered as alternatives to net income computed in accordance with GAAP, as indicators of the Company’s operating performance or as alternatives to cash flow as a measure of liquidity. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in this release and the accompanying financial supplement. Reconciliation of 2020 SSNOI projected growth target to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure is not provided because the Company is unable to provide such reconciliation without unreasonable effort.

Safe Harbor

SITE Centers Corp. considers portions of the information in this press release to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, both as amended, with respect to the Company's expectation for future periods. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including, among other factors, local conditions such as the supply of, and demand for, retail real estate space in the area; the impact of e-commerce; dependence on rental income from real property; the loss of, significant downsizing of or bankruptcy of a major tenant and the impact of any such event on rental income from other tenants and our properties; redevelopment and construction activities may not achieve a desired return on investment; our ability to buy or sell assets on commercially reasonable terms; our ability to complete acquisitions or dispositions of assets under contract; our ability to secure equity or debt financing on commercially acceptable terms or at all; impairment charges; our ability to enter into definitive agreements with regard to our financing and joint venture arrangements and our ability to satisfy conditions to the completion of these arrangements; valuation and risks relating to our joint venture and preferred equity investments; the termination of any joint venture arrangements or arrangements to manage real property; property damage, expenses related thereto and other business and economic consequences (including the potential loss of rental revenues) resulting from extreme weather conditions or natural disasters in locations where we own properties, and the ability to estimate accurately the amounts thereof; sufficiency and timing of any insurance recovery payments related to damages from extreme weather conditions or natural disasters; any change in strategy; our ability to maintain REIT status; and the finalization of the financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2019. For additional factors that could cause the results of the Company to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Company's most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200213005117/en/