Liberty Property Trust Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

MALVERN, Pa., Feb. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Property Trust reported that funds from operations available to common shareholders (diluted) ("FFO") for the fourth quarter of 2013 was $0.63 per share, compared to $0.63 per share for the fourth quarter of 2012.

For the year ended December 31, 2013, FFO per share was $2.49, which included acquisition expenses of $10.2 million. This compares to FFO of $2.58 per share for 2012, which included acquisition expenses of $2.9 million.

Net income per common share (diluted) was $0.48 per share for the quarter ended December 31, 2013, compared to $0.32 per share (diluted) for the quarter ended December 31, 2012.  Net income for the full year 2013 was $1.60 per common share (diluted), compared with $1.17 per share (diluted) for 2012. Net income for 2013 reflects gain on sale of $0.79 per share, compared with $0.13 per share for 2012.

"The fourth quarter of 2013 was a truly transformational period for Liberty. With the acquisition of the Cabot industrial portfolio and the announced sale of 6.6 million square feet of suburban office and flex real estate, Liberty's portfolio has changed dramatically, providing a stronger platform for future growth," said Bill Hankowsky, chairman and chief executive officer. "The quarter's operational activity was strong, with a growing development pipeline, strong leasing and increased occupancy. All activity points to outstanding opportunities for a very productive year ahead."

Portfolio Performance                                                                                                          

Leasing: At December 31, 2013, Liberty's in-service portfolio of 103 million square feet was 91.6% occupied, compared to 90.6% at the end of the third quarter. During the quarter, Liberty completed lease transactions totaling 5.7 million square feet of space. Liberty leased 26.8 million square feet in 2013.

Same Store Performance: Property level operating income for same store properties increased by 1.6% on a cash basis and by 1.2% on a straight line basis for the fourth quarter of 2013 compared to the same quarter in 2012 and increased by 2.0% on a cash basis and by 1.3% on a straight line basis for the full year 2013 compared to 2012.

Real Estate Investments

Acquisitions

• Liberty acquired all of the outstanding general and limited partnership interests of Cabot Industrial Fund III Operating Partnership, L.P. The acquisition resulted in the purchase of a 100% ownership interest in 177 operating properties for $1.469 billion. These properties, which contain 23 million square feet, are 92.8% leased.
• Liberty acquired two operating properties for $39.8 million. These properties, which contain 720,000 square feet, are 100% leased and their current yield is 6.6%. The company also acquired land totaling 184 acres for $30.5 million.

Development

• Liberty brought into service one development property for a total investment of $9.2 million. The property contains 88,000 square feet of leasable space and was 81.8% occupied as of December 31, 2013. The current yield on this property is 9.2% and the projected stabilized yield is 10.5%.
• Liberty began development on four properties for a projected investment of $91.9 million. The properties consist of two fully pre-leased properties: 13225 Brockton Lane, a 227,000 square foot distribution building in Rogers, MN and 201 Rouse Boulevard, an 80,000 square foot office building in Philadelphia, PA; and two inventory properties: 8303 Fallbrook Drive, a 400,000 square foot distribution building in Houston, TX and 1850 West Rio Salado Parkway, a 154,000 square foot office building in Tempe, AZ. 
• A joint venture in which the Company holds a 25% interest began construction on 2277 Center Square Road in Logan Township, NJ, a 203,000 square foot inventory distribution facility for a projected investment of $11.8 million.

Real Estate Dispositions

Wholly Owned Dispositions

• During the fourth quarter, Liberty entered into an agreement to sell 159 acres of land and 97 operating properties totaling 6.6 million square feet of leasable space. At the time of sale the combined percentage leased for these properties was 88.2%.
  • In December, Liberty closed on the first installment of the sale, which was for 140 acres of land and 49 properties totaling 4.0 million square feet of leasable space for $367.7 million.
  • In January 2014, the remaining 19 acres of land and 48 properties totaling 2.6 million square feet were sold for $329.6 million.
• Liberty sold two additional operating properties containing 161,000 square feet and 17 acres of land, for $14.0 million. These two properties were 63.2% leased at the time of the sale.

Joint Venture Dispositions

• A joint venture in which the Company holds a 25% interest sold four operating properties which contained 171,000 square feet of leasable space for $31.5 million. These properties were 99.5% leased at the time of sale.
• A joint venture in which the company holds a 20% interest sold one operating property which contained 44,000 square feet of leasable space for $9.6 million. The property was vacant at the time of sale.

Subsequent Events

As previously announced, Liberty has reached preliminary terms to develop, in a joint venture with Comcast Corporation, the "Comcast Innovation and Technology Center," in Philadelphia. The proposed project includes a 59-story, 1.5 million square foot tower incorporating 1.3 million square feet of office space and a 200+room Four Seasons Hotel. Comcast will lease at least 957,000 square feet for a lease term of 20 years. The project is expected to represent a cost of $900 million to the joint venture, which will be 20% owned by Liberty and will be managed by Liberty.

"We are excited to be on this path with Comcast to create a truly unique vertical urban campus for innovation in Philadelphia," said Bill Hankowsky. For more information on this project, visit http://Liberty CITC Philadelphia.

About the Company

Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY) is a leader in commercial real estate, serving customers in the United States and United Kingdom, through the development, acquisition, ownership and management of superior office and industrial properties. Liberty's 100 million square foot portfolio includes 746 properties which provide office, distribution and light manufacturing facilities to 1,800 tenants. 

Additional information about the Company, including Liberty's Quarterly Supplemental Package with detailed financial information is available in the Investors section of the Company's web site at www.libertyproperty.com. If you are unable to access the web site, a copy of the supplemental package may be obtained by contacting Liberty by phone at 610-648-1704, or by e-mail to [email protected].

Liberty will host a conference call during which management will discuss fourth quarter results, on Tuesday, February 4, 2014, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.  To access the conference call, please dial 855-277-7530. The passcode needed for access is 44824981. A replay of the call will be available until March 4, 2014, by dialing 1-855-859-2056 using the same passcode as above. The call can also be accessed via the Internet on the Investors page of Liberty's web site at www.libertyproperty.com.

The statements contained in this press release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities law.  These forward-looking statements include statements relating to, among others things, future asset dispositions, expectations for our operating results, business and financial condition, the impact of the Cabot acquisition on our portfolio and business and our growth prospects, as well as statements that are generally accompanied by words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates," "should," "seeks," "intends," "proposed," "planned," "outlook" and "goal" or similar expressions. Although Liberty believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved.  As forward-looking statements, these statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expected results.  These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation, uncertainties affecting real estate business generally (such as entry into new leases, renewals of leases and dependence on tenants' business operations), risks relating to the integration of the operations of entities that we have acquired or may acquire, risks relating to financing arrangements and sales of securities, possible environmental liabilities, risks relating to leverage and debt service (including availability of financing terms acceptable to the company and sensitivity of the company's operations and financing arrangements to fluctuations in interest rates), dependence on the primary markets in which the company's properties are located, the existence of complex regulations relating to status as a REIT and the adverse consequences of the failure to qualify as a REIT, risks relating to litigation, including without limitation litigation involving entities that we have a acquired or may acquire, and the potential adverse impact of market interest rates on the market price for the company's securities, and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The company assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events.

SOURCE Liberty Property Trust