INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG), a premier owner and operator of high-quality, open-air grocery-anchored neighborhood and community centers, along with vibrant mixed-use assets, reported today its operating results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023. For the quarters ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, net income attributable to common shareholders was $8.0 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $1.1 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, net income attributable to common shareholders was $47.5 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $12.6 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, respectively.
Increased NAREIT FFO per share by 4.6% on a year-over-year basis
Leased approximately 4.9 million square feet in 2023 at 14.3% comparable blended cash leasing spreads
2023 Same Property NOI increased by 4.8% on a year-over-year basis
Increased ABR per square foot to $20.70
Subsequent to year end, issued $350 million of 5.50% senior unsecured notes due March 2034
Company provides initial 2024 outlook
“The KRG team capped off a remarkably productive year with over 380,000 square feet of new leasing volume in the fourth quarter – the highest quarterly new leasing activity in our Company’s history,” said John A. Kite, Chairman and CEO. “Our dedicated team enables us to consistently deliver outstanding results and long-term value to all stakeholders. Over the course of 2024, we will continue to operate from a position of strength with a best-in-class operating platform and balance sheet.”
Full Year 2023 Highlights
Generated NAREIT FFO of the Operating Partnership of $453.3 million, or $2.03 per diluted share.
Executed 740 new and renewal leases representing approximately 4.9 million square feet at comparable cash spreads of 14.3%.
Cash leasing spreads of 22.7% on a blended basis for comparable new and non-option renewal leases.
Executed 26 new anchor leases at a blended comparable cash leasing spread of 54.3%.
New anchor leasing activity included 21 different retailers and increased our percentage of annualized base rent (ABR) from properties with a grocery component to 79%.
Same Property Net Operating Income (NOI) increased by 4.8%.
Completed one acquisition for $81.0 million and closed on $142.1 million of dispositions.
Fourth Quarter 2023 Financial and Operational Results
Generated NAREIT FFO of the Operating Partnership of $111.1 million, or $0.50 per diluted share.
Same Property NOI increased by 2.8%.
Executed 192 new and renewal leases representing approximately 1.3 million square feet.
Blended cash leasing spreads of 14.5% on 147 comparable leases, including 43.0% on 28 comparable new leases, 9.2% on 60 comparable non-option renewals and 7.6% on 59 comparable option renewals.
Cash leasing spreads of 21.2% on a blended basis for comparable new and non-option renewal leases.
Executed 10 new anchor leases at a blended comparable cash leasing spread of 37.3%.
Anchor leasing activity included Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Total Wine & More, Homesense, Sierra and PGA Superstore.
Operating retail portfolio ABR per square foot of $20.70 at December 31, 2023, a 3.4% increase year-over-year.
Retail portfolio leased percentage of 93.9% at December 31, 2023, a 50-basis point increase sequentially.
Portfolio leased-to-occupied spread at period end of 280 basis points, which represents $31 million of signed-not-open NOI.
Fourth Quarter 2023 Capital Allocation Activity
As previously disclosed, sold Eastside (Dallas, TX) for $14.4 million.
The Company currently has two active development projects with limited future capital commitments of $30.1 million.
Fourth Quarter 2023 Balance Sheet Overview
As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s net debt to Adjusted EBITDA was 5.1x.
Subsequent to quarter end, issued $350 million of senior unsecured notes due March 1, 2034 at a fixed interest rate of 5.50%. The Company expects proceeds will be used to satisfy all 2024 debt maturities.
Dividend
On February 7, 2024, the Company’s Board of Trustees declared a first quarter 2024 dividend of $0.25 per common share, which represents a 4.2% year-over-year increase. The first quarter dividend will be paid on or about April 12, 2024, to shareholders of record as of April 5, 2024.
2024 Earnings Guidance
The Company expects to generate net income attributable to common shareholders of $0.29 to $0.35 per diluted share in 2024 and NAREIT FFO of $2.00 to $2.06 per diluted share, based, in part, on the following assumptions:
2024 Same Property NOI range of 1.0% to 2.0%.
Full-year bad debt assumption of 0.75% to 1.25% of total revenues.
The following table reconciles the Company’s 2024 net income guidance range to the Company’s 2024 NAREIT FFO guidance range:
Low
High
Net income
$
0.29
$
0.35
Depreciation and amortization
1.71
1.71
NAREIT FFO
$
2.00
$
2.06
Earnings Conference Call
Kite Realty Group Trust will conduct a conference call to discuss its financial results on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast of the conference call will be available on KRG’s website at www.kiterealty.com or at the following link: KRG Fourth Quarter 2023 Webcast. The dial-in registration link is: KRG Fourth Quarter 2023 Teleconference Registration. In addition, a webcast replay link will be available on KRG’s website.
About Kite Realty Group Trust
Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered in Indianapolis, IN that is one of the largest publicly traded owners and operators of open-air shopping centers and mixed-use assets. The Company’s primarily grocery-anchored portfolio is located in high-growth Sun Belt and select strategic gateway markets. The combination of necessity-based grocery-anchored neighborhood and community centers, along with vibrant mixed-use assets makes the KRG portfolio an ideal mix for both retailers and consumers. Publicly listed since 2004, KRG has nearly 60 years of experience in developing, constructing and operating real estate. Using operational, investment, development, and redevelopment expertise, KRG continuously optimizes its portfolio to maximize value and return to shareholders. As of December 31, 2023, the Company owned interests in 180 U.S. open-air shopping centers and mixed-use assets, comprising approximately 28.1 million square feet of gross leasable space. For more information, please visit kiterealty.com.
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Safe Harbor
This release, together with other statements and information publicly disseminated by us, contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements are based on assumptions and expectations that may not be realized and are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which cannot be predicted with accuracy and some of which might not even be anticipated. Future events and actual results, performance, transactions or achievements, financial or otherwise, may differ materially from the results, performance, transactions or achievements, financial or otherwise, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
Risks, uncertainties and other factors that might cause such differences, some of which could be material, include but are not limited to: our ability to deliver continued outperformance and maintain a best-in-class balance sheet; national and local economic, business, banking, real estate and other market conditions, particularly in connection with low or negative growth in the U.S. economy as well as economic uncertainty (including a potential economic slowdown or recession, rising interest rates, inflation, unemployment, or limited growth in consumer income or spending); financing risks, including the availability of, and costs associated with, sources of liquidity; the Company’s ability to refinance, or extend the maturity dates of, the Company’s indebtedness; the level and volatility of interest rates; the financial stability of tenants; the competitive environment in which the Company operates, including potential oversupplies of and reduction in demand for rental space; acquisition, disposition, development and joint venture risks; property ownership and management risks, including the relative illiquidity of real estate investments, and expenses, vacancies or the inability to rent space on favorable terms or at all; the Company’s ability to maintain the Company’s status as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes; potential environmental and other liabilities; impairment in the value of real estate property the Company owns; the attractiveness of our properties to tenants, the actual and perceived impact of e-commerce on the value of shopping center assets and changing demographics and customer traffic patterns; business continuity disruptions and a deterioration in our tenant’s ability to operate in affected areas or delays in the supply of products or services to us or our tenants from vendors that are needed to operate efficiently, causing costs to rise sharply and inventory to fall; risks related to our current geographical concentration of the Company’s properties in the states of Texas, Florida, and North Carolina and the metropolitan statistical areas of New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.; civil unrest, acts of violence, terrorism or war, acts of God, climate change, epidemics, pandemics (including COVID-19), natural disasters and severe weather conditions, including such events that may result in underinsured or uninsured losses or other increased costs and expenses; changes in laws and government regulations including governmental orders affecting the use of the Company’s properties or the ability of its tenants to operate, and the costs of complying with such changed laws and government regulations; possible short-term or long-term changes in consumer behavior due to COVID-19 and the fear of future pandemics; our ability to satisfy environmental, social or governance standards set by various constituencies; insurance costs and coverage, especially in Florida and Texas coastal areas; risks associated with cybersecurity attacks and the loss of confidential information and other business disruptions; other factors affecting the real estate industry generally; and other risks identified in reports the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“the SEC”) or in other documents that it publicly disseminates, including, in particular, the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and in the Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This Earnings Release also includes certain forward-looking non-GAAP information. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered along with, but not as alternatives to, net income (loss) as a measure of our operating performance. Please see the following pages for the corresponding definitions and reconciliations of such non-GAAP financial measures.
Kite Realty Group Trust
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(dollars in thousands)
(unaudited)
December 31,
2023
December 31,
2022
Assets:
Investment properties, at cost
$
7,740,061
$
7,732,573
Less: accumulated depreciation
(1,381,770
)
(1,161,148
)
Net investment properties
6,358,291
6,571,425
Cash and cash equivalents
36,413
115,799
Tenant and other receivables, including accrued straight-line rent of $55,482 and $44,460, respectively
113,290
101,301
Restricted cash and escrow deposits
5,017
6,171
Deferred costs, net
304,171
409,828
Prepaid and other assets
117,834
127,044
Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries
9,062
10,414
Total assets
$
6,944,078
$
7,341,982
Liabilities and Equity:
Liabilities:
Mortgage and other indebtedness, net
$
2,829,202
$
3,010,299
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
198,079
207,792
Deferred revenue and other liabilities
272,942
298,039
Total liabilities
3,300,223
3,516,130
Commitments and contingencies
Limited Partners’ interests in the Operating Partnership
73,287
53,967
Equity:
Common shares, $0.01 par value, 490,000,000 shares authorized, 219,448,429 and 219,185,658 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively
2,194
2,192
Additional paid-in capital
4,886,592
4,897,736
Accumulated other comprehensive income
52,435
74,344
Accumulated deficit
(1,373,083
)
(1,207,757
)
Total shareholders’ equity
3,568,138
3,766,515
Noncontrolling interests
2,430
5,370
Total equity
3,570,568
3,771,885
Total liabilities and equity
$
6,944,078
$
7,341,982
Kite Realty Group Trust
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
(unaudited)
Three Months Ended
December 31,
Year Ended
December 31,
2023
2022
2023
2022
Revenue:
Rental income
$
197,257
$
199,577
$
810,146
$
782,349
Other property-related revenue
2,521
3,176
8,492
11,108
Fee income
498
1,936
4,366
8,539
Total revenue
200,276
204,689
823,004
801,996
Expenses:
Property operating
25,768
29,659
107,958
107,217
Real estate taxes
22,093
24,144
102,426
104,589
General, administrative and other
14,342
12,883
56,142
54,860
Merger and acquisition costs
—
(81
)
—
925
Depreciation and amortization
102,898
112,709
426,361
469,805
Impairment charges
—
—
477
—
Total expenses
165,101
179,314
693,364
737,396
Gain (loss) on sales of operating properties, net
133
(57
)
22,601
27,069
Operating income
35,308
25,318
152,241