Getty Realty Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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July 27, 2023

There are 11 speakers on the call.

Operator

And welcome to the KETI Realty's Earnings Conference Call for the Q2 2023. This call is being recorded. After the presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. Prior to starting the call, Joshua Dicker, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the company will read a Safe Harbor statement and provide information about non GAAP financial measures. Please go ahead, Mr.

Operator

Speaker.

Speaker 1

Thank you, operator. I would like to thank you all for joining us for Getty Realty's 2nd quarter earnings conference call. Yesterday afternoon, the company released its financial and operating results for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. The Form 8 ks and earnings release are available in the Investor Relations section of our website at gettyrealty.com. Certain statements made in the course of this call are not based on historical information and may constitute forward looking statements.

Speaker 1

These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to trends, events and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward looking statements. Examples of forward looking statements include our 2023 guidance and may also include statements regarding the company's future operations, future financial performance or investment plans and opportunities. We caution you that such statements reflect our best judgment based on factors currently known to us and that actual events or results could differ materially. I refer you to the company's annual report on Form 10 ks for the year ended December 31, 2022, and our subsequent filings made with the SEC for a more detailed discussion of the risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward looking statements made today. You should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements, which reflect our view only as of Today, the company undertakes no duty to update any forward looking statements that may be made in the course of this call.

Speaker 1

Also, please refer to our earnings release For a discussion of our use of non GAAP financial measures, including our definition of adjusted funds from operations, or AFFO, And our reconciliation of those measures to net earnings. With that, let me turn the call over to Christopher Constant, our Chief Executive Officer.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Josh. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our earnings call for the Q2 of 2023. Joining us on our call today are Mark O'Lear, our Chief Operating Officer and Brian Dickman, our Chief Financial Officer. I will lead off today's call by providing commentary on our financial results and investment activities and provide perspective on the company's year to date accomplishments. As usual, Mark will then take you through our portfolio and Brian will further discuss our financial results and guidance.

Speaker 2

In the Q2, we produced healthy AFFO per share growth of 5.7%, which combined with our first half Quarter performance results in first half twenty twenty three earnings growth of a strong 6.7% over the first half of twenty twenty two. This growth was driven by our robust investment activity and thoughtful capital markets execution over the past year, which we are particularly pleased with given the uncertain economic environment in which we've been operating. Year to date, we have invested more than $163,000,000 Including $50,000,000 in the 2nd quarter $52,500,000 thus far in the 3rd quarter. We were also able to increase our committed investment pipeline, net of our aforementioned year to date activity to more than $140,000,000 under contract for the development and or acquisition of convenience stores, auto service centers, express tunnel car washes and QSRs, all of which we expect to fund over the next 9 to 12 months. In addition to driving our earnings growth, these investments reflect our continued emphasis on scaling and diversifying our portfolio.

Speaker 2

I am particularly proud of our investments this year given the choppy transaction market. The team continues to identify high quality opportunities to acquire our target asset types in top MSAs around the country, while remaining disciplined and true to our rigorous underwriting standards. With respect to diversification, we have increased The percentage of our ABR from our newer asset classes thus far in 2023 as more than 85% of our investments year to date have been directed We have also added 8 new tenants to the portfolio this year, all of which are strong operators with plans to grow their businesses. And given our increasing success in finding new investment opportunities through established relationships, we will also seek to source additional transactions with these new tenants In 2023 beyond. When we look at our pipeline, we have a strong alignment of interest with our tenants and like the incremental diversity that they bring to our portfolio.

Speaker 2

On the capital side, our year to date capital markets activity Has provided us with attractively priced permanent capital that continues to support accretive investments. We ended the quarter with approximately $120,000,000 of unsettled forward An undrawn revolver and a conservative leverage profile that provides additional flexibility and access to capital. With regard to the health of the convenience store industry, the National Association of Convenience Stores recently published their state of the industry report for 2022. Based on the NAC's annual survey data for convenience stores across every region of the United States, Last year was another record year for inside store sales with industry wide sales growing more than 9% and topping $300,000,000,000 for the first time. The NAST survey highlights increases in transaction counts for both gasoline sales and C store transactions As well as growth in gross profits for fuel, merchandise and foodservice.

Speaker 2

Foodservice, in particular, Continues to be a key driver of inside sales growth. On the expense side, community store operators were not immune to significant increases in Direct store operating costs with employee related expenses and credit card fees both rising substantially. Despite these headwinds, the key takeaways from the report It's the resilience of operators in the C store sector who have invested in branding, technology and store operations to help overcome these challenges And we'll continue to drive increased sales and profits. As we move through the balance of 2023, our team remains focused on growing earnings, while Scaling and diversifying our portfolio. We believe that in this market environment, we benefit from the targeted nature of our investment strategy And the competitive advantages resulting from our sector expertise and the direct relationships we have with operators in our space.

Speaker 2

Our disciplined approach, which emphasizes owning high quality real estate in major metro areas and partnering with growing regional and national operators, Continues to yield attractive acquisition and development funding opportunities. We will continue to carefully underwrite each opportunity's real estate characteristics, Site level operations and tenant credit, importantly, our conservatively leveraged balance sheet and demonstrated access to capital We continue to support this investment activity and create additional value for our shareholders. With that, I will turn the call over to Mark to discuss our portfolio and investment

Speaker 3

activities. Thank you, Chris. As of the end of the quarter, our leased portfolio included 10.45 net leased properties and for active redevelopment sites. Excluding the active redevelopments, occupancy was 99.6% And our weighted average lease term was 8.7 years. Our portfolio spans 39 states plus Washington, D.

Speaker 3

C, With 64% of our annualized base rent coming from the top 50 MSAs and 82% coming from the top 100 MSAs, Our rents are well covered with a trailing 12 month tenant rent coverage ratio of 2.7 times. Turning to our investment activities, we had another strong quarter, which saw Getty invest $50,000,000 across a number of different property types and Attractive MSAs. Highlights of this quarter's investment activities include the acquisition of 3 Car Wash Properties located in diverse markets across the U. S. For $15,100,000 1 drive thru quick service restaurant in Louisiana for 2,700,000 3 under construction Car Wash Properties in Southern California for $6,400,000 As part of this acquisition, we We'll provide additional funding during the construction period to complete these projects.

Speaker 3

We also advanced development funding in the amount of $25,700,000 Including accrued interest for the construction of new to industry car washes, convenience stores and auto service centers.

Speaker 2

As part

Speaker 3

of these funding transactions, we will accrue interest on our investments during the construction phase of the project and acquire these properties via sale leaseback upon The second quarter, the aggregate initial cash yield on our investment activity Approximately 7.2 percent and the weighted average lease term for acquired properties was 17.2 years. Subsequent to the quarter end, we invested an additional $52,500,000 for the acquisition or development of 12 convenience stores at Car Wash Properties in various markets across the U. S. The cumulative result of our investment activity year to date is gross investments $63,200,000 at an initial cash yield of 7.2% spread across 4 of our targeted industries. Looking ahead regarding the $140,000,000 of commitments to fund acquisitions and developments that Chris referenced, We expect to fund these transactions through the next 9 to 12 months at average initial yields consistent with our year to date activity.

Speaker 3

We continue to evaluate and underwrite a variety of potential investment opportunities across our target asset classes. Cap rates have expanded approximately 75 basis points on average over the last 18 months with variability depending on asset class and tenant profile. As the market continues to adjust to the changed economic landscape and tighter access to credit, we are pleased that we are sourcing the vast majority of our opportunities Through our broad network, which includes repeat business with several high quality tenants and leveraging our reputation and proven ability to perform to create new relationships, We believe we are well positioned to invest accretively as we move through the remainder of 2023. Moving to our redevelopment platform. During the quarter, we invested approximately $1,000,000 in projects which are in various stages in our pipeline.

Speaker 3

We completed one redevelopment project where rent commenced on a new convenience store in the Austin MSA, which is leased to QuikTrip. We invested a total of $1,200,000 in the project, which includes the acquisition of adjacent land and generated return on invested capital of 10.5%. We ended the quarter with 4 properties under active redevelopment and other in various stages of feasibility planning for potential recapture from our net lease portfolio and expect to continuously complete projects over the next few years. Turning to our asset management activities for the Q2, we exited one leased property and there were no property dispositions. With that, I will turn the call over to Brian to discuss our financial results.

Speaker 4

Thanks, Mark. Good morning, everyone. Last night, we reported AFFO per share of $0.56 for Q2 2023, representing a 5.7% increase over the $0.53 per share we recorded in Q2 2022. FFO and net income for the quarter were 0 point Our total revenues were $44,700,000 for the 2nd quarter, representing an 8.5% increase over the prior year. Base rental income, which excludes tenant reimbursements and GAAP revenue adjustments, grew 7.6% to $39,600,000 This growth continues to be driven by our acquisition activity and recurring rent escalators in our leases with additional contribution from rent commencements and completed redevelopment projects.

Speaker 4

On the expense side, G and A costs were $5,900,000 in the Q2 as compared to $5,300,000 in the Q2 of 2022. The change in G and A was primarily due to increased personnel costs, including non cash stock based compensation. Total property costs were $4,800,000 for the quarter as compared to $5,300,000 for the Q2 of 2022. Property operating expenses declined by $400,000 due to reductions in rent expense and reimbursable real estate taxes. Leasing and redevelopment expenses also declined slightly due to reductions in demolition costs for redevelopment projects.

Speaker 4

Environmental expenses, which are highly variable due to a number of estimates and non cash adjustments, were $300,000 in the quarter as compared to a credit $15,900,000 for the Q2 of 2022. As a reminder, the credit in 2022 was due to the removal of previously accrued reserves for unknown environmental liabilities at certain properties. Turning to balance sheet and our capital markets activities. We ended the quarter with $675,000,000 Total debt outstanding, consisting entirely of senior unsecured notes with a weighted average interest rate of 3.9% and a weighted average maturity of 7 years. As of June 30, net debt to EBITDA was 4.9 times and total debt to total capitalization was 28%, While total indebtedness to total asset value as calculated pursuant to our credit agreement was 35%.

Speaker 4

Taking into account unsettled forward equity of $120,000,000 net debt to EBITDA would be approximately 4 times. Our $300,000,000 revolving credit facility was completely undrawn at quarter end and our nearest debt maturity is in 2025. Moving to the ATM program. During the quarter, we settled approximately 1,000,000 shares of common stock subject to forward sale agreements for net proceeds of $31,200,000 We also entered into new forward sale agreements for approximately 218,000 shares of common stock, which will generate anticipated gross proceeds of 7.6 We currently have a total of 3,700,000 shares subject to forward sale agreements, which upon settlement are anticipated to raise gross proceeds of approximately $120,000,000 Returning to the $140,000,000 committed investment pipeline. As Chris mentioned, we anticipate funding these transactions through proceeds from our outstander forward equity agreements as well as our undrawn revolver.

Speaker 4

Pro form a for these investments in capital activity, we expect our balance sheet to remain well positioned to support continued growth. Leverage is expected to remain in line with our target range of 4.5x to 5.5x net debt to EBITDA, and we expect to maintain ample capacity under our revolving credit facility. As our investment pipeline evolves, we will continue to evaluate all capital sources to ensure that we're funding transactions in an accretive manner while maintaining our investment grade profile. With respect to our environmental liability, we ended the quarter at $22,900,000 which reduction of $238,000 since the end of 2022. Our net environmental remediation spending in the second quarter was approximately 1,200,000 for us.

Speaker 4

Lastly, we are narrowing our 2023 AFFO per share guidance to a range of $2.23 to $2.24 from our previous range of $2.22 to $2.24 As a reminder, our outlook includes transaction and capital markets activities to date, but does not otherwise assume any potential acquisitions, dispositions or capital markets activities for the remainder of the year. Specific factors which continue to impact our guidance include variability with respect to certain operating expenses and deal pursuit costs and And approximately $300,000 of anticipated demolition costs for redevelopment projects, which run through property costs

Speaker 5

on our P and L.

Speaker 4

With that, I will ask the operator to open the call for questions.

Operator

Thank you. We will now be conducting a question and answer A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question The first question comes from the line of Joshua Dennerlein with Bank of America. Please go ahead.

Speaker 6

Hi, this is Farrell Granath on behalf of Josh Dennerlein. My question is about specifically your investment pipeline. Considering what you've already announced for closing for Q3, I'm curious if you can make a comment about maybe the pacing for the rest of the year?

Speaker 4

Carol, it's a little bit hard to hear you. I think you're asking about the pipeline, what we expect to deploy the balance of the year?

Speaker 6

Yes, especially considering the pace that has already been announced for Q3.

Speaker 4

So

Speaker 3

we stated the pipeline on the go forward basis. We expect Those transactions to close over the next 9 to 12 months, some of that pacing is dependent upon in the development funding program, The timing of construction completion permits and actual closeout of those particular transactions, But that's a forward look over the next 2 to 3 to 4 quarters, I would say.

Speaker 4

Yes. Farrell, we typically guide when we put out that pipeline and And the timing for deployment, the best estimate is usually going to be some kind of straight line deployment. Those that are acquisitions We'll come out a little bit sooner. And then to Mark's point that which is development funding will be a little bit later. But I think from modeling We generally assume that will happen relatively evenly throughout that time period.

Speaker 6

Great. Thanks so much.

Operator

Thank you. Thank you. Next question comes from the line of Todd Thomas from KeyBanc Capital Markets. Please go ahead.

Speaker 7

Hi, thanks. Good morning. First question, you commented that the investment yield on acquisitions was 7.2% in the quarter. Sounds like that's what's anticipated on the committed pipeline moving forward or what's locked in there. Do you see any Upside in investment yields moving forward as you underwrite new deals or do you expect pricing to remain stable at these levels?

Speaker 7

And then at those Price levels, I guess it appears investment activity is picking up a little bit. Can you just talk about the pipeline and volume of deals that you're seeing?

Speaker 8

Yes. I would say

Speaker 3

with respect to yield, there might be a modest expansion over the balance of the year. I think The movement we referenced and we've seen over the last 12 to 18 months has moderated slightly. That said, within different asset classes, we'll continue to push pricing. So different assets are stickier than others. But I think specific to your question, the yields of that 7.2% -ish are probably A good way to think about the forward pipeline.

Speaker 7

Okay. So 7.2 is the right Yield to think about for the committed pipeline, but new deals that you might put under contract, there could be a little bit additional GAAP rate expansion moving forward.

Speaker 3

Yes, there could be some modest expansion there, but I wouldn't put it in the same pace as we have the 18 months look back in 75 points, there's it's going to be much more modest. And I think in many of our asset classes, those cap rates have somewhat stabilized.

Speaker 7

Okay. And then can you remind us or talk about how the yield that you Chief on developments, development funding and properties that you'll acquire at completion, How those yields compare to the pricing on stabilized acquisitions? What the spread looks like? And And is there a preference in terms of how you allocate capital between those two buckets?

Speaker 3

Yes. Just a couple of questions, I guess. So The blended return that we referenced includes obviously the traditional sale leaseback deals and development funding deals Specific to the range within those two type of deal structures, we'll see anywhere from roughly a quarter point premium, 25 basis point premium on development funding because of the value we offer to it, the forward commitment and some of the timing Of the deployment of those funds, there are some collars for deals that go out further than that to Protect against market fluctuations. With regard to our preference, they're both good products for us and for Our partners, our tenant partners that are developing is a great source of capital on a forward committed basis for their new to industry construction. And over a year look, I would say it's roughly balanced between both products, pretty close to evenly across Across all investments.

Speaker 7

Okay. And then I know it's A small tick down in occupancy, but occupancy across the portfolio decreased Another 10 basis points, it was the 2nd straight quarter. And I was just wondering if you could talk about that. And You have very limited role in the next 2 or 3 years. It's less than 2% of ABR through 2024, but just curious What you're seeing and whether you expect any additional occupancy loss or any move outs or anything of that nature?

Speaker 2

Todd, this is Chris. I wouldn't read too much into that. We're talking I think literally about one property from quarter to quarter. As you said, our Portfolio is largely leased, very little rollover the next 12 to 24 months. So again, We don't expect that number to move materially in the near term.

Speaker 7

Okay. All right, great. Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. Next question comes from the line of Mitch Germain with JMP Securities. Please go ahead.

Speaker 9

Good morning. Is, I think you mentioned 85% of investments kind of Others, assets rather than C Stores, is the lack of deal activity and the C Store front, is that a function of Pricing or competition or inventory, is there anything to read there?

Speaker 2

Again, I wouldn't read too much into that. It's Then our focus over the last couple of years is to be underwriting and acquiring across all the various Asset classes that we're focused on here, we certainly value size and diversity. So we're Pleased that we're able to bring in, as we said, 8 new tenants and diversify our ABR across tenants and asset classes. Mitch, if one of our existing partners or a new partner in C Stores wants to deliver capital and we're able to That work, we would certainly increase the percentage of our C store investments for the balance of the year.

Speaker 9

Got you. And then to that point, Chris, Is there like a targeted mix when you look at the different asset classes that you own?

Speaker 2

Yes. I think we're still in the scale, I would say in the scaling up phase for especially the drive thru sector, even the auto service sector. So I think If you look out, we'd certainly like to be more balanced. I'd say the majority of our underwriting has been in C Stores and car washes year to date. But as we ramp up those other two verticals for us, again, our plans internally here are to be much more balanced as we look out over the next several years.

Speaker 9

Great. Last one for me. It seems like you're getting a little bit of a longer lease term on some of the More recent investments, obviously development. Is the lease structure similar in terms of the kind of escalators you're getting?

Speaker 2

Yes. Yes. It's really we've got some base terms average either 15 or 20 years. So you're really It's deal specific and it just depends on what's closed quarter to quarter.

Speaker 9

Great quarter. Thank you.

Speaker 7

Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. Next question comes from the line of Axel Thampali with JPMorgan, please go ahead.

Speaker 10

Hi, good morning. I'm Akhil from JPMorgan. My first question, can you elaborate on the overall tenant credit and anything on the watch list at this time?

Speaker 2

Yes. We've talked about this in the past. For us, given the level of site level reporting we get, we really tend to look at Property specific sites as our watch list. So big picture is we do not have any tenants on a watch list at this point. But inside the portfolio, there's always several properties that we're talking to our tenants about, whether or not it's Candidates for redevelopment or for re leasing or potentially disposition, but the number of properties that we're looking at really hasn't moved Substantially quarter to quarter.

Speaker 2

Again, I referenced the NAC's state of the industry data. The Tenants continue to do very well in this current environment. Our car wash tenants are continuing to perform well. So we're fortunate that We own properties in these sectors. And but with that said, we're always looking at a handful of properties and talk to our tenants about the best outcome for those sites.

Speaker 10

Got it. Thank you. And one last question. With the number of the deals in the pipeline being new stores for these tenants, How long does it take for the assets to stabilize and reach the targeted rent coverage?

Speaker 3

Yes. So we typically in our underwriting model, we assume anywhere from 2 to 3 years depending on the asset class, and then we track those from grand opening on a quarterly basis. We've had some recent successes where they've stabilized earlier than 2 years. But for initial underwriting on a pro form a basis, we'll look at it Anywhere from a 2 to 3 year initial ramp up to a stabilized sales, top line sales and then typical industry growth following that.

Speaker 10

Got it. Thank you, everyone.

Speaker 3

Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. Next question comes from the line of Alex Fagan with Baird. Please go ahead.

Speaker 5

Hi, guys. Thank you for taking my question. The first is on the investment pipeline. Out of the 44 properties you have in there, What's kind of the mix between acquisitions and development?

Speaker 3

It's roughly half each As I said earlier, as the pipeline is a snapshot in time, different transactions kind of ebb and And out of the closed acquisitions and the pipeline. But as of today, the program, you'd probably look at it as about equally blended between Traditional sale leaseback and development funding.

Speaker 5

Okay. Thank you for that. And to go back to the watch list question, I know you guys don't track tenants, you have a site level reporting. But out of the 8% that don't report, how do you track those Properties and what kind of properties are there?

Speaker 4

Yes. This is Brian. And just to To clarify, it's not that we don't track our tenants, we just don't have any tenants on a watch list. So just make sure that that point is coming across. We obviously do monitor it.

Speaker 4

Yes. Look, we do the best we can with tenants where we have less visibility between the site level, between the public reporting, you're capturing well over 90% of rent. Probably the most important thing, those other 8% are paying rent timely, right? So that's obviously an indicator of how they're managing their business. And then just in general as part of our everyday asset management activities, right, we have guys that are reaching out to tenants periodically to check-in on them and their businesses.

Speaker 5

Thank you. That's all my questions.

Operator

Thank you. Next question comes from the line of Brett Reiss with Janney Montgomery Scott. Please go ahead.

Speaker 8

Good morning. Thanks for the opportunity to ask a question. In The Wall Street Journal today, there's A lead story about how the automotive companies are forming a Joint venture to invest $1,000,000,000 to build out charging stations. And I'm curious What's your view on the impact on the service station component of our portfolio may or may not be With respect to that investment by the carmakers?

Speaker 2

I think the themes that we talked about in the State of the Industry report are still what's really driving the industry forward at this point, Great. Our tenants are focused on growing their C Stores, expanding the products they offer at the C Stores, driving customer visits, Whether folks need gas or whether they need to charge their vehicle, and they're seeing expanded profits from those categories, Certainly, we follow the industry. Our tenants follow the industry. We're aware of all the trends as it relates to The growing share of EVs in the market, but thus far our tenants have been very successful at driving additional visits and driving additional profits from the store. Again, regardless of whether folks are stopping for fueling visit or not.

Speaker 2

I think that and we expect that trend to continue as we look out over the next several years.

Speaker 8

All right. Thank you.

Operator

Thank you. There are no further questions at this time. I would like to turn the floor back over to Christopher Constant for closing comments.

Speaker 2

Great. Thank you, operator. And thank you everyone for listening in on our call this morning. We look forward to getting back on in October when we report

Operator

Thank you. This concludes today's teleconference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.

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