Centerspace Reports Strong First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

MINNEAPOLIS, May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Centerspace (NYSE: CSR) announced today its financial and operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. The tables below show Net Income, Funds from Operations ("FFO")¹, and Core FFO¹, all on a per share basis, for the three months ended March 31, 2021; Same-Store Revenues, Expenses, and Net Operating Income ("NOI")¹ over comparable periods; and Same-Store Weighted-Average Occupancy for the three months ended March 31, 2021, December 31, 2020, and March 31, 2020.

Highlights

• In April 2021, Centerspace paid its 200th consecutive quarterly distribution since its initial dividend in 1971;
• Net Loss was $(0.49) per diluted share for the first quarter of 2021, compared to Net Loss of $(0.69) per diluted share for the same period of 2020;
• Core FFO increased 5.6% to $0.95 per diluted share for the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to $0.90 for the three months ended March 31, 2020;
• Same-store revenues increased by 0.4% for the first quarter of 2021 compared to the first quarter of 2020;
• Same-store expenses decreased by 0.9% for the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the first quarter of 2020, contributing to NOI growth of 1.4%;
• In a press release issued April 19, 2021, the company announced a 122% increase to its mid-point earnings per share outlook and a 4.2% increase to mid-point Core FFO outlook for 2021;
• Continued to grow the portfolio in the core market of Denver through the acquisition of Union Pointe, a 256-home apartment community in Longmont, Colorado;
• Issued $50.0 million of 2.7% unsecured Series C Notes due June 6, 2030. In concert with the issuance, the company amended and expanded its Note Purchase Private Shelf Agreement to increase the aggregate amount under the agreement from $150.0 million to $225.0 million; and
• Continued to strengthen the balance sheet by issuing 164,279 common shares under the 2019 ATM program for net proceeds of $11.9 million.

Acquisitions and Dispositions

During the quarter, Centerspace acquired Union Pointe, a 256-home apartment community in Longmont, Colorado for an aggregate purchase price of $76.9 million.

Subsequent to the end of the quarter, Centerspace received $2.0 million of non-refundable deposits and expects to complete the sale of select assets in Rochester, Minnesota on May 24th. The sale consists of 589 apartment homes in six communities with an aggregate sale price of $60.0 million. The proceeds from this disposition are expected to be used to pay down the line of credit and increase liquidity.

Balance Sheet

At the end of the first quarter, Centerspace had $79.3 million of total liquidity on its balance sheet, consisting of $68.5 million available under the line of credit and cash and cash equivalents of $10.8 million.

Improved 2021 Financial Outlook

Centerspace's 2021 financial outlook with midpoints of $0.30 for Earnings per Share and $3.60 for Core FFO is consistent with its release issued April 19, 2021, and up from its February expectation of $0.14 and $3.455, respectively. For additional information, see S-14 of the supplemental. 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

On May 18, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. CDT, Centerspace will be holding its 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders live via the Internet. Shareholders can participate in and/or vote at the Annual Meeting via live webcast over the Internet at www.virtualshareholdingmeeting.com/CSR2021. Shareholders must enter the 16-digit control number found in their proxy materials, either on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, the proxy card, or in the instructions that accompanied the proxy materials to enter the 2021 Annual Meeting. The company urges the shareholders to vote and submit proxies in advance of the Annual Meeting by one of the methods described in the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting webcast will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. CDT. On the day of the Annual Meeting, the company recommends that you log into its virtual meeting at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to ensure you can access the meeting.

Earnings Call

Supplemental Information

Supplemental Operating and Financial Data for the quarter ended March 31, 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 March 31, 2021, Centerspace owned 68 apartment communities consisting of 12,168 apartment homes located in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Centerspace was named a Top Workplace for 2020 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
E-mail: [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.

Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Shareholders to Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, gain/loss on sale of real estate and other investments, impairment of real estate investments, gain/loss on extinguishment of debt, and gain/loss from involuntary conversion. The company considers Adjusted EBITDA to be an appropriate supplemental performance measure because it permits investors to view income from operations without the effect of depreciation, the cost of debt, or non-operating gains and losses. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with GAAP. 

Additional assumptions:

• Same-store capital expenditures of $912 per home to $1,012 per home
• Value-add expenditures of $15.0 million to $20.0 million
• Investments of $145.0 million to $170.0 million, which includes the January 2021 acquisition of Union Pointe in Longmont, Colorado
• Dispositions of $55.0 million to $75.0 million
• Proceeds of $50.0 million to $70.0 million from equity issuance

Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) Available to Common Shareholders to FFO and Core FFO

The following table presents reconciliations of Net income (loss) available to common shareholders to FFO and Core FFO, which are non-GAAP financial measures described in greater detail under "Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Reconciliations." They should not be considered as alternatives to net income or any other GAAP measurement of performance, but rather should be considered as an additional, supplemental measure. FFO and Core FFO also do not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP, nor are they indicative of funds available to fund all cash needs, including the ability to service indebtedness or make distributions to shareholders. The outlook and projections provided below are based on current expectations and are forward-looking.

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. 

SOURCE Centerspace