BETHESDA, Md., April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE: BFS), an equity real estate investment trust (REIT), announced its operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2011.  Total revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2011 ("2011 Quarter") decreased 4.1% to $41,820,000 compared to $43,613,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2010 ("2010 Quarter").  Operating income, which is net income available to common stockholders before income attributable to the noncontrolling interest and preferred stock dividends, decreased 33.4% to $8,406,000 for the 2011 Quarter compared to $12,612,000 for the 2010 Quarter.  Net income available to common stockholders was $3,524,000, or $0.19 per diluted share, for the 2011 Quarter compared to net income available to common stockholders of $6,768,000, or $0.37 per diluted share, for the 2010 Quarter.  From time to time, non-recurring events impact earnings and the 2011 Quarter was negatively affected by two such occurrences.  The $3,244,000 decline in net income compared to the 2010 Quarter was almost entirely due to (1) the collection in the 2010 Quarter of $1,939,000 of past due rents from a former tenant, and (2) a loss of $1,435,000 arising from the start of operations during the initial lease-up period at the newly constructed Clarendon Center when construction interest expense and depreciation and amortization exceeded the property operating income.  Also of significance during the 2011 Quarter were the offsetting affects of a $1,100,000 property income decline due to reduced occupancy in the Mixed-Use portfolio, and a comparative $1,200,000 property income increase due to lower 2011 snow removal expenses.  

Same property revenue for the total portfolio decreased 10.1% for the 2011 Quarter compared to the 2010 Quarter and same property operating income decreased 8.6%.  The same property comparisons exclude the results of operations of properties not in operation for each of the comparable reporting quarters.  Same property operating income in the shopping center portfolio decreased 6.5% for the 2011 Quarter compared to the 2010 Quarter. The primary cause of this decrease was the prior year's collection of rents and other past due charges from a former anchor tenant. Excluding this one-time revenue, same property shopping center operating income increased 1.7% compared to the prior year.  Same property operating income in the mixed-use portfolio decreased 16.3% for the 2011 Quarter compared to the 2010 Quarter, primarily due to decreased occupancy.  

As of March 31, 2011, 89.6% of the commercial portfolio (all properties except Clarendon Center's apartments) was leased compared to 91.6% at March 31, 2010.  On a same property basis, 90.2% of the commercial portfolio was leased, compared to the prior year level of 91.6%.  The Clarendon Center apartments were 92.2% leased at March 31, 2011.  The 2011 commercial leasing percentages decreased due to a net decrease of approximately 115,000 square feet of leased space, of which approximately 94,000 square feet was attributable to mixed-use properties.  

Funds from operations (FFO) available to common shareholders (after deducting preferred stock dividends) decreased 18.9% to $12,871,000 in the 2011 Quarter compared to $15,862,000 for the 2010 Quarter.  On a diluted per share basis, FFO available to common shareholders decreased 20.9% to $0.53 per share for the 2011 Quarter compared to $0.67 per share for the 2010 Quarter.  FFO, a widely accepted non-GAAP financial measure of operating performance for REITs, is defined as net income plus real estate depreciation and amortization, and excluding gains from property dispositions and extraordinary items.  FFO decreased in the 2011 Quarter compared to the 2010 Quarter primarily due to (1) the collection of rents and other past due charges from a former anchor tenant in the 2010 Quarter ($1,939,000 or $0.08 per diluted share), (2) reduced occupancy in the Mixed-Use portfolio ($1,101,000 or $0.05 per diluted share) and (3) the start of operations at Clarendon Center ($489,000 or $0.02 per diluted share ), all of which was partially offset by (4) the improvement in property operating income resulting from reduced snow removal expense, net of tenant recoveries, compared to the 2010 Quarter ($1,200,000 or $0.05 per diluted share).

In light of the current favorable long-term interest rate environment and the potential for future interest rate increases, in late March 2011, the Company replaced its Clarendon Center construction loan with long-term financing.  The new 15-year, $125 million loan requires monthly payments of principal and interest based upon a 5.31% interest rate and 25 year amortization schedule.  The loan proceeds repaid the $104 million outstanding under the construction loan, and provided net cash proceeds of approximately $20 million, which will be used primarily to fund the remaining Clarendon Center development costs.  At March 31, 2011, approximately 97% of the Company's total debt consisted of fixed-rate, amortizing non-recourse mortgage loans, none of which matures before October 2012.  

Saul Centers is a self-managed, self-administered equity REIT headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Saul Centers currently operates and manages a real estate portfolio of 55 community and neighborhood shopping center and mixed-use properties totaling approximately 9.0 million square feet of leasable area.  Over 85% of the Company's property operating income is generated from properties in the metropolitan Washington, DC/Baltimore area.  

(1) The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) developed FFO as a relative non-GAAP financial measure of performance of an equity REIT in order to recognize that income-producing real estate historically has not depreciated on the basis determined under GAAP.  FFO is defined by NAREIT as net income, computed in accordance with GAAP, plus real estate depreciation and amortization, and excluding  extraordinary items and gains or losses from property dispositions.  FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP and is not necessarily indicative of cash available to fund cash needs, which is disclosed in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the applicable periods.  There are no material legal or functional restrictions on the use of FFO.  FFO should not be considered as an alternative to net income, its most directly comparable GAAP measure, as an indicator of the Company's operating performance, or as an alternative to cash flows as a measure of liquidity.  Management considers FFO a meaningful supplemental measure of operating performance because it primarily excludes the assumption that the value of the real estate assets diminishes predictably over time (i.e. depreciation), which is contrary to what we believe occurs with our assets, and because industry analysts have accepted it as a performance measure.  FFO may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other REITs.

SOURCE Saul Centers, Inc.