Centerspace Reports Strong Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results; Improved Financial Outlook

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Centerspace (NYSE: CSR) announced today its financial and operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021. The tables below show Net Income, Funds from Operations ("FFO")¹, and Core FFO¹, all on a per share basis, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021; Same-Store Revenues, Expenses, and Net Operating Income ("NOI")¹ over comparable periods; and Same-Store Weighted-Average Occupancy for each of the three months ended June 30, 2021, March 31, 2021, and June 30, 2020.

Highlights

• Net Income was $1.48 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2021, compared to Net Loss of $(0.44) per diluted share for the same period of 2020;
• Core FFO increased 7.7% to $0.98 per diluted share for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $0.91 for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 6.6% to $1.93 per diluted share for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $1.81 for the six months ended June 30, 2020;
• Same-store revenues increased by 3.2% for the second quarter of 2021 compared to the second quarter of 2020;
• Same-store new lease over lease rates were 10.0% for the second quarter of 2021, compared to a decline of (1.2)% in the same period of the prior year. Same-store renewal lease over lease rates were 5.6% for the second quarter of 2021, compared to 3.2% for the same period the prior year;
• Increased the mid-point of the earnings per share outlook by 123% and the mid-point of Core FFO by 7%;
• Entered into Contribution Agreements with entities managed by KMS Management, Inc. ("KMS"), to acquire a portfolio of 17 communities funded through the issuance of up to $197.3 million Convertible Preferred Operating Partnerships Units and approximately $126.5 million in mortgage liabilities; and
• Continued to strengthen the balance sheet by issuing 731,000 common shares under the 2019 ATM program for net proceeds of $54.6 million.

Acquisitions and Dispositions

During the quarter, Centerspace entered into Contribution Agreements with entities managed by KMS.  Upon closing, Centerspace will acquire a portfolio of 17 communities. Centerspace will fully fund the transaction through the issuance of up to  $197.3 million, which will be paid in the form of Convertible Preferred Operating Partnership units that pay a 3.875% dividend and are convertible, at the holder's option, into common units at an exchange rate of 1.2048 common units per Convertible Preferred Operating Units representing a conversion price of $83.00 per unit. The KMS partners will have the ability to receive up to an aggregate of $16.2 million  in cash in lieu of Convertible Preferred Operating Partnership Units. The Company will acquire real property assets subject to approximately $126.5 million in liabilities, a portion of which the company intends to refinance upon consummation of the transactions. The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter.

During the quarter, Centerspace disposed of 589 apartment homes in Rochester, Minnesota for an aggregate sale price of $60.0 million.

Balance Sheet

At the end of the second quarter, Centerspace had $168.2 million of total liquidity on its balance sheet, consisting of $163.0 million available under the line of credit and cash and cash equivalents of $5.2 million.

Improved 2021 Financial Outlook

Centerspace revised its 2021 financial outlook, which includes the anticipated acquisition of KMS during the third quarter. For additional information, see S-16 of the Supplemental Financial and Operating Data for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 included at the end of this release. These ranges should be considered in their entirety. The revised outlook is:

COVID-19 Developments

The COVID-19 pandemic, including the associated economic disruptions, has continued to impact business and operations since March 2020. The company continues to prioritize the health and well-being of its residents, team members, and the communities it serves.

A discussion of the ongoing and potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows can be found in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations" presented in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 22, 2021. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting business, see the risk factors presented in Item 1A in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 22, 2021.

Upcoming Events

Centerspace is scheduled to participate in the BMO 2021 Real Estate Conference, which will be held in New York City on September 14, 2021.

Centerspace is scheduled to participate in the Bank of America 2021 Global Real Estate Conference, which will be held virtually on September 21-23, 2021. 

Earnings Call

Supplemental Information

Supplemental Operating and Financial Data for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 included herein ("Supplemental Information"), is available in the Investors section on Centerspace's website at www.centerspacehomes.com or by calling Investor Relations at 701-837-7104. Non-GAAP financial measures and other capitalized terms, as used in this earnings release, are defined and reconciled in the Supplemental Financial and Operating Data, which accompanies this earnings release.  

About Centerspace

Centerspace is an owner and operator of apartment communities committed to providing great homes by focusing on integrity and serving others. Founded in 1970, as of June 30, 2021, Centerspace owned 62 apartment communities consisting of 11,579 apartment homes located in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Centerspace was named a Top Workplace for 2021 by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. For more information, please visit www.centerspacehomes.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release and the accompanying Supplemental Operating and Financial Data are based on the company's current expectations and assumptions, and are "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 involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the results of operations, financial conditions, or plans expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Although the company believes the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be achieved. Such risks, uncertainties, and other factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to those risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in Centerspace's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" contained in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, in its subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and in other public reports. The company assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue due to subsequent events.

Contact Information

Investor Relations
Emily Miller
Phone: 701-837-7104
[email protected]

Marketing & Media
Kelly Weber
Phone: 701-837-7104
[email protected]

CENTERSPACE
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES AND RECONCILIATIONS (unaudited)

This release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures. The non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). The definitions and calculations of these non-GAAP financial measures, as calculated by us, may not be comparable to non-GAAP financial measures reported by other REITs that do not define each of the non-GAAP financial measures exactly as Centerspace does.

The company provides certain information on a same-store and non-same-store basis. Same-store apartment communities are owned or in service for substantially all of the periods being compared, and, in the case of newly-constructed properties, have achieved a target level of physical occupancy of 90%. On the first day of each calendar year, Centerspace determines the composition of its same-store pool for that year as well as adjusts the previous year, which allows us to evaluate full period-over-period operating comparisons for existing apartment communities and their contribution to net income. The company believes that measuring performance on a same-store basis is useful to investors because it enables evaluation of how a fixed pool of its communities are performing year-over-year. Centerspace uses this measure to assess whether or not the company has been successful in increasing NOI, renewing the leases on existing residents, controlling operating costs, and making prudent capital improvements.

Reconciliation of Operating Income to Net Operating Income

Net operating income, or NOI, is a non-GAAP financial measure which the company defines as total real estate revenues less property operating expenses, including real estate taxes. Centerspace believes that NOI is an important supplemental measure of operating performance for real estate because it provides a measure of operations that is unaffected by depreciation, amortization, financing, property management overhead, casualty losses, and general and administrative expenses. NOI does not represent cash generated by operating activities in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered an alternative to net income, net income available for common shareholders, or cash flow from operating activities as a measure of financial performance.

Reconciliation of Same-Store Controllable Expenses to Total Property Operating Expenses, Including Real Estate Taxes

Same-store controllable expenses exclude real estate taxes and insurance, in order to provide a measure of expenses that are within management's control, and is used for the purposes of budgeting, business planning, and performance evaluation. This is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered an alternative to total expenses or total property operating expenses.

Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Shareholders to Funds From Operations and Core Funds From Operations

Centerspace believes that FFO, which is a  non-GAAP financial measure used as a standard supplemental measure for equity real estate investment trusts, is helpful to investors in understanding its operating performance, primarily because its calculation does not assume that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time, as implied by the historical cost convention of GAAP and the recording of depreciation.

Centerspace uses the definition of FFO adopted by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Inc. ("Nareit"). Nareit defines FFO as net income or loss calculated in accordance with GAAP, excluding:

• depreciation and amortization related to real estate;
• gains and losses from the sale of certain real estate assets; and
• impairment write-downs of certain real estate assets and investments in entities when the impairment is directly attributable to decreases in the value of depreciable real estate held by the entity.

The exclusion in Nareit's definition of FFO of impairment write-downs and gains and losses from the sale of real estate assets helps to identify the operating results of the long-term assets that form the base of the company's investments, and assists management and investors in comparing those operating results between periods.

Due to the limitations of the Nareit FFO definition, Centerspace has made certain interpretations in applying this definition. The company believes that all such interpretations not specifically identified in the Nareit definition are consistent with this definition. Nareit's FFO White Paper 2018 Restatement clarified that impairment write-downs of land related to a REIT''s main business are excluded from FFO and a REIT has the option to exclude impairment write-downs of assets that are incidental to its main business.

While FFO is widely used by Centerspace as a primary performance metric, not all real estate companies use the same definition of FFO or calculate FFO in the same way. Accordingly, FFO presented here is not necessarily comparable to FFO presented by other real estate companies. FFO should not be considered as an alternative to net income or any other GAAP measurement of performance, but rather should be considered as an additional, supplemental measure. FFO also does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP, nor is it indicative of funds available to fund all cash flow needs, including the ability to service indebtedness or make distributions to shareholders.

Core Funds from Operations ("Core FFO") is FFO as adjusted for non-routine items or items not considered core to business operations. By further adjusting for items that are not considered part of core business operations, the company believes that Core FFO provides investors with additional information to compare core operating and financial performance between periods. Core FFO should not be considered as an alternative to net income, or any other GAAP measurement of performance, but rather should be considered an additional supplemental measure. Core FFO also does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP, nor is it indicative of funds available to fund the company's cash needs, including its ability to service indebtedness or make distributions to shareholders. Core FFO is a non-GAAP and non-standardized financial measure that may be calculated differently by other REITs and should not be considered a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with GAAP.