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8-K - 8-K EARNINGS RELEASE - Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.pentr-2016630x8kearningsre.htm


Exhibit 99.1

Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT I, Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2016 Results

Generated Net Income of $0.6 million during Second Quarter 2016
Year-to-date Same-Center NOI Growth of 5.0%
Occupancy Increased to 96.1%, up 70 bps over Second Quarter 2015


CINCINNATI, OH, August 4, 2016 - Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT I, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), a publicly registered, non-traded real estate investment trust (“REIT”) focused on the acquisition and management of well-occupied grocery-anchored shopping centers, today announced its operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016.

“Our operating fundamentals continue to deliver steady and healthy results. We are pleased to report modified funds from operations of $51.7 million and same-center net operating income growth of 5.0% for the first six months of 2016, and an increase in portfolio occupancy to 96.1%,” said Jeff Edison, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.
Operating Results
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company generated revenue of $63.1 million and $126.1 million, respectively, compared to revenue of $59.2 million and $118.1 million, respectively, for the 2015 comparable periods. The 6.5% and 6.8% increases in revenue were driven by a $0.46 increase in minimum rent per square foot and a 0.9% increase in occupancy since June 30, 2015, as well as an increase in tenant recoveries.
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company generated net income of $0.6 million and $2.8 million, respectively, compared to a net income of $5.5 million and $10.5 million, respectively, for the 2015 comparable periods. The changes in net income for the comparable three and six month reporting periods is primarily related to $4.7 million and $9.3 million, respectively, of cash asset management fees paid to the Company’s advisor as a result of a change to the Company’s advisory fee structure effective October 1, 2015. Previously the asset management fee had been deferred via the issuance of Class B units. The fee is now paid 80% in cash and 20% in Class B units of the Company’s operating partnership. Assuming the current fee structure had been in place during the first six months of 2015, the Company would have had a decrease of $0.2 million and increase of $1.5 million in net income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively.
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company generated funds from operations (“FFO”) of $26.2 million and $53.7 million, respectively, compared to FFO of $30.3 million and $59.6 million, respectively, for the 2015 comparable periods. The change in FFO was driven by the change in payment structure of the asset management fee, partially offset by growth in income from the properties. Adjusting 2015 results for the new management fee structure, FFO would have increased $0.5 million and $3.1 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively.
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company generated modified funds from operations (“MFFO”) of $25.9 million and $51.7 million, respectively, compared to MFFO of $29.6 million and $58.8 million, respectively, for the 2015 comparable periods. The change in MFFO was primarily the result of the change in FFO. Adjusting 2015 for the new management fee structure, MFFO would have increased $0.9 million and $2.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively.

Portfolio Results
As of June 30, 2016, the Company’s portfolio consisted of 149 properties, totaling approximately 16.0 million square feet located in 28 states. Portfolio annualized base rent (“ABR”) was $190.5 million, or $12.42 per leased square foot. Portfolio ABR for non-anchor tenants was $86.2 million, or $19.46 per leased square foot.
The Company reported Same-Center Net Operating Income (“Same-Center NOI”) growth of 4.6% and 5.0% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to the same periods in 2015. Same-Center NOI represents the Net Operating Income (“NOI”) for the 133 properties that were owned and operational for the entire portion of both comparable reporting periods, except for those properties classified as redevelopment properties during either of the periods presented. This positive growth was primarily due to a $0.46 increase in minimum rent per square foot, an improvement in occupancy of 0.9%, and an increase in tenant recovery income.
During the second quarter of 2016, the Company acquired two grocery-anchored shopping centers and one strip center adjacent to a previously acquired grocery-anchored shopping center for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $93.9 million. The first shopping center acquired during the quarter, Northwoods Crossing, is a 159,562 square foot





grocery store-anchored shopping center with 100% occupancy and ABR of $1.9 million, or $12.15 per leased square foot. The center is anchored by BJ’s Wholesale Club. The second shopping center acquired, Murphy Marketplace, is a 217,832 square foot shopping center anchored by Sprouts, with an occupancy of 97.0% and ABR of $4.3 million, or $20.53 per leased square feet.
As of June 30, 2016, the Company reported leased portfolio occupancy of 96.1%, compared to leased portfolio occupancy of 95.4% as of June 30, 2015.

Capital Markets
As of June 30, 2016, the Company’s debt to enterprise value was 31.9%. Debt to enterprise value is calculated as net debt (total debt, excluding below-market debt adjustments and deferred financing costs, less cash and cash equivalents) as a percentage of enterprise value (equity value, calculated as total common shares and OP units outstanding multiplied by the estimated value per share of $10.20, plus net debt).
The Company’s debt had a weighted-average interest rate of 3.2%, and a weighted-average maturity of 3.1 years. 71.0% of the Company’s debt was fixed-rate debt.
As of June 30, 2016, $252.5 million was available to borrow under the Company’s $500 million revolving credit facility.

Distributions
For the six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company paid gross distributions of approximately $61.2 million, including $30.2 million of distributions reinvested through the dividend reinvestment plan, for net cash distributions of $31.0 million.
Operating cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2016 were $57.0 million.

Tender Offer and Share Repurchase Program
On April 25, 2016, in an effort to deter an unsolicited tender offer by a third party and to deter other potential future bidders that may try to exploit the illiquidity of shares of the Company’s common stock and acquire them from stockholders at prices substantially below their value, the Company launched a self-tender offer to purchase up to 9.3 million shares of common stock. The tender offer expired on June 7, 2016, and in connection therewith the Company repurchased 69,271 shares of common stock at a price of $6.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $416,000. The Company’s share repurchase program was temporarily suspended during the tender offer as required by SEC rules. No repurchases were made under the share repurchase program during the tender offer and for ten business days thereafter. Redemption requests that were submitted through the share repurchase program during the tender offer were not accepted for consideration. The Company’s share repurchase program was reinstated on June 22, 2016.
The cash available for repurchases on any particular date under the share repurchase program is limited to the proceeds from the Company’s dividend reinvestment plan during the preceding four fiscal quarters, less amounts already used for repurchases since the beginning of that time (the “Funding Cap”). Due to the Funding Cap, no funds were available for repurchases during the first and second quarters of 2016, except those sought upon a stockholder’s death, determination of incompetence, or qualifying disability. No funds will be available for repurchases during the third quarter of 2016, and we believe the funds available for repurchases during the fourth quarter of 2016 will be insufficient to meet all requests.

Stockholder Update Presentation
The Company will provide a stockholder update presentation on August 15, 2016, on its website at www.grocerycenterreit1.com. An additional press release with further details will follow.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures

Same-Center Net Operating Income

We present Same-Center Net Operating Income (“Same-Center NOI”) as a supplemental measure of our performance. We define Net Operating Income (“NOI”) as total operating revenues less property operating expenses, real estate taxes, and non-cash revenue items. Same-Center NOI represents the NOI for the 133 properties that were owned and operational for the entire portion of both comparable reporting periods, except for those properties we classify as redevelopment during either of the periods presented. A property is removed from the same-center pool and classified as redevelopment when it is being repositioned in the market and such repositioning is expected to have a significant impact on property operating income. While there is judgment





surrounding changes in designations, once a redevelopment property has stabilized, it is typically moved to the same-center pool the following year. Currently, we have identified five properties that we classify as redevelopment properties.

We believe that NOI and Same-Center NOI provide useful information to our investors about our financial and operating performance because each provides a performance measure of the revenues and expenses directly involved in owning and operating real estate assets and provides a perspective not immediately apparent from net income. Because Same-Center NOI excludes the change in NOI from properties acquired after December 31, 2014 and those considered redevelopment properties, it highlights operating trends such as occupancy levels, rental rates, and operating costs on properties that were operational for both comparable periods. Other REITs may use different methodologies for calculating Same-Center NOI, and accordingly, our Same-Center NOI may not be comparable to other REITs.

Same-Center NOI should not be viewed as an alternative measure of our financial performance since it does not reflect the operations of our entire portfolio, nor does it reflect the impact of general and administrative expenses, acquisition expenses, interest expense, depreciation and amortization, other income, or the level of capital expenditures and leasing costs necessary to maintain the operating performance of our properties that could materially impact our results from operations.

The table below is a reconciliation of net income to Same-Center NOI for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):
 
Three Months Ended June 30,
 
Six Months Ended June 30,
  
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
Net income
$
583

 
$
5,461

 
$
2,836

 
$
10,500

Adjusted to exclude:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense, net
7,574

 
7,543

 
15,333

 
14,337

Other expense, net
42

 
5

 
158

 
125

General and administrative expenses
8,461

 
2,509

 
16,014

 
4,871

Acquisition expenses
1,502

 
1,487

 
1,522

 
3,222

Depreciation and amortization
25,977

 
25,271

 
51,683

 
50,001

Net amortization of above- and below-market leases
(310
)
 
(176
)
 
(582
)
 
(354
)
Straight-line rental income
(814
)
 
(1,361
)
 
(1,725
)
 
(2,605
)
NOI
43,015

 
40,739

 
85,239

 
80,097

Less: NOI from centers excluded from Same-Center
(3,836
)
 
(3,298
)
 
(7,002
)
 
(5,557
)
Total Same-Center NOI
$
39,179

 
$
37,441

 
$
78,237

 
$
74,540


The table below is a comparison of the Same-Center NOI for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, to the three and six months ended June 30, 2015 (in thousands):
 
Three Months Ended June 30,
 
Six Months Ended June 30,
 
2016
 
2015
 
$ Change
 
% Change
 
2016
 
2015
 
$ Change
 
% Change
Revenues:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rental income(1)
$
41,794

 
$
40,516

 
$
1,278

 
 
 
$
83,865

 
$
81,138

 
$
2,727

 
 
Tenant recovery income
14,194

 
12,184

 
2,010

 
 
 
28,750

 
25,357

 
3,393

 
 
Other property income
229

 
317

 
(88
)
 
 
 
375

 
615

 
(240
)
 
 
Total revenues
56,217

 
53,017

 
3,200

 
6.0
%
 
112,990

 
107,110

 
5,880

 
5.5
%
Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Property operating expenses
8,750

 
7,801

 
949

 
 
 
18,027

 
17,255

 
772

 
 
Real estate taxes
8,288

 
7,775

 
513

 
 
 
16,726

 
15,315

 
1,411

 
 
Total operating expenses
17,038

 
15,576

 
1,462

 
9.4
%
 
34,753

 
32,570

 
2,183

 
6.7
%
Total Same-Center NOI
$
39,179

 
$
37,441

 
$
1,738

 
4.6
%
 
$
78,237

 
$
74,540

 
$
3,697

 
5.0
%
(1) 
Excludes straight-line rental income and the net amortization of above- and below-market leases.







Funds from Operations and Modified Funds from Operations

Funds from operations (“FFO”) is a non-GAAP performance financial measure that is widely recognized as a measure of REIT operating performance. We use FFO as defined by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) to be net income (loss), computed in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) excluding extraordinary items, as defined by GAAP, and gains (or losses) from sales of depreciable real estate property (including deemed sales and settlements of pre-existing relationships), plus depreciation and amortization on real estate assets and impairment charges, and after related adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships, joint ventures and noncontrolling interests. We believe that FFO is helpful to our investors and our management as a measure of operating performance because, when compared year to year, it reflects the impact on operations from trends in occupancy rates, rental rates, operating costs, development activities, general and administrative expenses, and interest costs, which are not immediately apparent from net income.

Since the definition of FFO was promulgated by NAREIT, GAAP has expanded to include several new accounting pronouncements, such that management and many investors and analysts have considered the presentation of FFO alone to be insufficient. Accordingly, in addition to FFO, we use modified funds from operations (“MFFO”), which excludes from FFO the following items:
acquisition fees and expenses;
straight-line rent amounts, both income and expense;
amortization of above- or below-market intangible lease assets and liabilities;
amortization of discounts and premiums on debt investments;
gains or losses from the early extinguishment of debt;
gains or losses on the extinguishment of derivatives, except where the trading of such instruments is a fundamental attribute of our operations;
gains or losses related to fair-value adjustments for derivatives not qualifying for hedge accounting;
adjustments related to the above items for joint ventures and noncontrolling interests and unconsolidated entities in the application of equity accounting.

We believe that MFFO is helpful in assisting management and investors with the assessment of the sustainability of operating performance in future periods and, in particular, after our acquisition stage is complete, because MFFO excludes acquisition expenses that affect operations only in the period in which the property is acquired. Thus, MFFO provides helpful information relevant to evaluating our operating performance in periods in which there is no acquisition activity.

Many of the adjustments in arriving at MFFO are not applicable to us. Nevertheless, as explained below, management’s
evaluation of our operating performance may also exclude items considered in the calculation of MFFO based on the
following economic considerations.
Adjustments for straight-line rents and amortization of discounts and premiums on debt investments—GAAP requires rental receipts and discounts and premiums on debt investments to be recognized using various systematic methodologies. This may result in income recognition that could be significantly different than underlying contract terms. By adjusting for these items, MFFO provides useful supplemental information on the realized economic impact of lease terms and debt investments and aligns results with management’s analysis of operating performance. The adjustment to MFFO for straight-line rents, in particular, is made to reflect rent and lease payments from a GAAP accrual basis to a cash basis.
Adjustments for amortization of above- or below-market intangible lease assets—Similar to depreciation and amortization of other real estate-related assets that are excluded from FFO, GAAP implicitly assumes that the value of intangibles diminishes ratably over the lease term and should be recognized in revenue. Since real estate values and market lease rates in the aggregate have historically risen or fallen with market conditions, and the intangible value is not adjusted to reflect these changes, management believes that by excluding these charges, MFFO provides useful supplemental information on the performance of the real estate.
Gains or losses related to fair-value adjustments for derivatives not qualifying for hedge accounting—This item relates to a fair value adjustment, which is based on the impact of current market fluctuations and underlying assessments of general market conditions and specific performance of the holding, which may not be directly attributable to current operating performance. As these gains or losses relate to underlying long-





term assets and liabilities, management believes MFFO provides useful supplemental information by focusing on the changes in core operating fundamentals rather than changes that may reflect anticipated, but unknown, gains or losses.
Adjustment for gains or losses related to early extinguishment of derivatives and debt instruments—Similar to extraordinary items excluded from FFO, these adjustments are not related to continuing operations. By excluding gains or losses related to early extinguishment of derivatives and debt instruments and write-offs of unamortized deferred financing fees, management believes that MFFO provides supplemental information related to sustainable operations that will be more comparable between other reporting periods and to other real estate operators.

Neither FFO nor MFFO should be considered as an alternative to net income or income from continuing operations under GAAP, nor as an indication of our liquidity, nor is either of these measures indicative of funds available to fund our cash needs, including our ability to fund distributions. MFFO may not be a useful measure of the impact of long-term operating performance on value if we do not continue to operate our business plan in the manner currently contemplated. Accordingly, FFO and MFFO should be reviewed in connection with other GAAP measurements. FFO and MFFO should not be viewed as more prominent measures of performance than our net income or cash flows from operations prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our FFO and MFFO as presented may not be comparable to amounts calculated by other REITs.

The following section presents our calculation of FFO and MFFO and provides additional information related to our operations. As a result of the timing of the commencement of our initial public offering and our active real estate operations, FFO and MFFO are not relevant to a discussion comparing operations for the periods presented.






FFO AND MFFO
FOR THE PERIODS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015
(Unaudited)
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
 
Three Months Ended June 30,
 
Six Months Ended June 30,
  
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
Calculation of FFO
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
Net income attributable to stockholders
$
560


$
5,370


$
2,779


$
10,341

Adjustments:







Depreciation and amortization of real estate assets
25,977


25,271


51,683


50,001

Noncontrolling interest
(387
)

(376
)

(774
)

(710
)
FFO attributable to common stockholders
$
26,150

 
$
30,265

 
$
53,688

 
$
59,632

Calculation of MFFO

 

 

 

FFO attributable to common stockholders
$
26,150

 
$
30,265

 
$
53,688

 
$
59,632

Adjustments:

 

 

 

Acquisition expenses
1,502

 
1,487

 
1,522

 
3,222

Net amortization of above- and below-market leases
(310
)
 
(176
)
 
(582
)
 
(354
)
Write-off of unamortized deferred financing expense
56

 
93

 
105

 
140

Straight-line rental income
(826
)
 
(1,361
)
 
(1,725
)
 
(2,605
)
Amortization of market debt adjustment
(673
)
 
(715
)
 
(1,346
)
 
(1,322
)
Change in fair value of derivative
(21
)
 
(70
)
 
32

 
(23
)
Noncontrolling interest
17

 
58

 
43

 
61

MFFO attributable to common stockholders
$
25,895

 
$
29,581

 
$
51,737

 
$
58,751

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings per common share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted-average common shares outstanding - basic
183,514

 
184,342

 
182,880

 
183,669

Weighted-average common shares outstanding - diluted
186,299

 
187,127

 
185,665

 
186,316

Net income per share - basic
$
0.00

 
$
0.03

 
$
0.02

 
$
0.06

Net income per share - diluted
$
0.00

 
$
0.03

 
$
0.01

 
$
0.06

FFO per share - basic and diluted
$
0.14

 
$
0.16

 
$
0.29

 
$
0.32

MFFO per share - basic and diluted
$
0.14

 
$
0.16

 
$
0.28

 
$
0.32


About Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT I, Inc.
Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT I, Inc. is a public non-traded REIT that seeks to acquire and manage well-occupied grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers having a mix of national and regional retailers selling necessity-based goods and services, in strong demographic markets throughout the United States. As of June 30, 2016, the Company owned and managed an institutional quality retail portfolio consisting of 149 grocery-anchored shopping centers totaling approximately 16.0 million square feet. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.grocerycenterREIT1.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to the Company’s expectations regarding the performance of its business, its financial results, its liquidity and capital resources, the funding available under its share repurchase and other non-historical statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “projects,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this release and in the Company’s filings with the SEC.





The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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