EX-99.1 2 tm2426530d1_ex99-1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST ANNOUNCES THIRD QUARTER 2024 RESULTS

 

– Net Income Per Fully Diluted Share of $0.08 –

– Core FFO Per Fully Diluted Share of $0.26 –

– Signed 304,000 Rentable Square Feet of Leases –

– Closed on $143 Million of Previously Announced $195 Million Retail Acquisition in Williamsburg, Brooklyn –

– Announces Agreement to Acquire Additional Retail Asset on North 6th Street Williamsburg, Brooklyn–

– Over $0.9 Billion of Liquidity, No Floating Rate Debt Exposure –

– 2024 FFO Guidance Raised –

 

New York, New York, October 21, 2024 – Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) is a NYC-focused REIT that owns and operates a portfolio of modernized, amenitized, and well-located office, retail, and multifamily assets. ESRT’s flagship Empire State Building, the “World's Most Famous Building,” features its iconic Observatory that was declared the #1 Attraction in the World – and the #1 Attraction in the U.S. for the third consecutive year– in Tripadvisor’s 2024 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things to Do. The Company is the recognized leader in energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. Today the Company reported its operational and financial results for the third quarter 2024. All per share amounts are on a fully diluted basis, where applicable.

 

Third Quarter and Recent Highlights

 

·Net Income of $0.08 per share.
·Core Funds From Operations (“Core FFO”) of $0.26 per share, compared to $0.25 per share in the third quarter 2023. Third quarter 2024 Core FFO included $0.02 per share of lease termination fee income.
·Same-Store Property Cash Net Operating Income (“NOI”) increased 5.2% year-over-year, excluding the $0.02 per share of lease termination fees, primarily driven by higher revenues from cash rent commencement inclusive of a net increase of approximately $1.7 million from non-recurring revenue items in the comparable periods, which was partially offset by increases in operating expenses. When adjusted for the non-recurring items, SS Cash NOI increased by approximately 2.6%.
·Manhattan office portfolio leased rate increased by 30bps sequentially and 170bps year-over-year to 93.6%. The total commercial portfolio is 93.0% leased as of September 30, 2024. Manhattan office occupancy increased by 40bps sequentially and 140bps year-over-year to 89.2%. The total commercial portfolio is 88.8% occupied as of September 30, 2024.

 

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·Signed approximately 304,000 rentable square feet of new, renewal and expansion leases. In our Manhattan office portfolio, blended leasing spreads were +2.6%. This is the 13th consecutive quarter of positive leasing spreads.
·Empire State Building Observatory generated $29.7 million of NOI, a 5.6% increase year-over-year.
·Closed on $143 million of the previously announced $195 million acquisition of prime retail assets on North 6th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The balance is expected to close in the 4th quarter of 2024.
·Entered into an agreement to acquire an additional retail asset located on North 6th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for approximately $30 million.
·Achieved the highest possible GRESB 5 Star Rating for the fifth consecutive year with a score of 93. ESRT’s overall score ranked first among all listed companies in the Americas for the second year in a row and first in the most competitive peer group within the U.S.

 

Property Operations

 

As of September 30, 2024, the Company’s property portfolio contained 7.8 million rentable square feet of office space, 0.7 million rentable square feet of retail space and 732 residential units, which were occupied and leased as shown below.

 

   September 30,
20241
   June 30,
20241
   September 30,
2023
 
Percent occupied:               
Total commercial portfolio   88.8%   88.5%   87.0%
Total office   88.6%   88.2%   86.7%
Manhattan office   89.2%   88.8%   87.8%
Total retail   91.1%   92.3%   90.4%
                
Percent leased (includes signed leases not commenced):
Total commercial portfolio   93.0%   92.6%   90.5%
Total office   92.9%   92.5%   90.5%
Manhattan office   93.6%   93.3%   91.9%
Total retail   94.0%   93.5%   91.5%
Total multifamily portfolio   96.8%   97.9%   97.1%

 

1 Occupancy and leased percentages for June 30 and September 30, 2024 exclude First Stamford Place.

 

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Leasing

 

The tables that follow summarize leasing activity for the three months ended September 30, 2024. During this period, the Company signed 31 leases that totaled 304,210 square feet. Within the Manhattan office portfolio, the Company signed 25 office leases that totaled 289,329 square feet.

 

Total Portfolio

 

Total Portfolio  Total Leases
Executed
   Total square
footage
executed
   Average cash
rent psf –
leases
executed
   Previously
escalated cash
rents psf
   % of new cash
rent over/ under
previously
escalated rents
 
Office   26    291,418    70.11    68.34    2.6%
Retail   5    12,792    203.88    332.35    (38.7)%
Total Overall   31    304,210    75.74    79.44    (4.7)%

 

Manhattan Office Portfolio

 

Manhattan
Office Portfolio
  Total Leases
Executed
   Total square
footage
executed
   Average cash
rent psf –
leases
executed
   Previously
escalated cash
rents psf
   % of new cash
rent over / under
previously
escalated rents
 
New Office   12    130,688    66.07    63.21    4.5%
Renewal Office   13    158,641    73.11    72.24    1.2%
Total Office   25    289,329    69.93    68.16    2.6%

 

Leasing Activity Highlights

 

·An 11-year 26,782 square foot expansion lease with Hecker Fink LLP at the Empire State Building.
·An 11-year 24,503 square foot new lease with Dynadmic Corporation at 1350 Broadway.
·An 11-year 24,209 square foot new lease with Bloomsbury Publishing at 1359 Broadway.

 

Observatory Results

 

In the third quarter, Observatory revenue was $39.4 million, and expenses were $9.7 million. Observatory NOI was $29.7 million, a 5.6% increase year-over-year. Year-to-date, Observatory NOI was $71.0 million, a 5.7% increase year-over-year.

 

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Balance Sheet

 

The Company had $0.9 billion of total liquidity as of September 30, 2024, which was comprised of $422 million of cash, plus $500 million available under its revolving credit facility. At September 30, 2024, the Company had total debt outstanding of approximately $2.3 billion, no floating rate debt exposure, and a weighted average interest rate of 4.27%. At September 30, 2024, the Company’s ratio of net debt to adjusted EBITDA was 5.2x.

 

Portfolio Transaction Activity

 

In the third quarter, the Company closed on $143 million of the previously announced $195 million all-cash acquisition of prime retail assets on North 6th Street in Williamsburg Brooklyn, with the balance expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024. In aggregate, the assets comprise approximately 81,000 square feet of retail space that is 90% leased with a weighted average lease term of 7.4 years. Current tenants include Hermes, Nike, Santander Work Café, The North Face, Everlane, Warby Parker, DS Durga, Buck Mason, Chanel, Byredo, and Google. As previously noted, this transaction is consistent with the Company’s strategy to recycle capital and balance sheet capacity from non-core suburban assets into strong NYC assets.

 

In the third quarter, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire an additional retail asset on North 6th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for approximately $30 million. Due to confidentiality requirements, more details on this transaction will be disclosed upon closing expected to occur in mid-2025.

 

Share Repurchase

 

The stock repurchase program began in March 2020, and through October 18, 2024 approximately $293.7 million has been repurchased at a weighted average price of $8.18 per share. There were no share repurchases during the third quarter.

 

Dividend

 

On September 30, 2024, the Company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.035 per share or unit, as applicable, for the third quarter of 2024 to holders of the Company’s Class A common stock (NYSE: ESRT) and Class B common stock and to holders of the Series ES, Series 250 and Series 60 partnership units (NYSE Arca: ESBA, FISK and OGCP, respectively) and Series PR partnership units of Empire State Realty OP, L.P., the Company’s operating partnership (the “Operating Partnership”).

 

On September 30, 2024, the Company paid a quarterly preferred dividend of $0.15 per unit for the third quarter of 2024 to holders of the Operating Partnership’s Series 2014 private perpetual preferred units and a preferred dividend of $0.175 per unit for the third quarter of 2024 to holders of the Operating Partnership’s Series 2019 private perpetual preferred units.

 

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2024 Earnings Outlook

 

The Company provides 2024 guidance and key assumptions, as summarized in the table below. The Company’s guidance does not include the impact of any significant future lease termination fee income or any unannounced acquisition, disposition or other capital markets activity.

 

 

Key Assumptions 2024 Updated
Guidance
(Oct 2024)
2024 Prior
Guidance
 (July 2024)
Comments
Earnings      
Core FFO Per Fully Diluted Share $0.92 to $0.94 $0.90 to $0.94 • 2024 includes $0.04 from multifamily assets
Commercial Property Drivers      
Commercial Occupancy at year-end 88% to 89% 87% to 89%  
SS Property Cash NOI
(excluding lease termination fees)
3% to 4% 0% to 3% • Assumes positive revenue growth
• Assumes ~8% y/y increase in operating expenses and real estate taxes inclusive of planned additional R&M work, partially offset by higher tenant expense reimbursements
Observatory Drivers      
Observatory NOI $96M to $100M $94M to $102M • Reflects average quarterly expenses of ~$9M

 

   Low   High 
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Common Stockholders and the Operating Partnership  $0.27   $0.29 
Add:          
Impairment Charge   0.00    0.00 
Real Estate Depreciation & Amortization   0.67    0.67 
Less:          
Preferred Unit Distributions   0.02    0.02 
Gain on Disposal of Real Estate, net   0.04    0.04 
FFO Attributable to Common Stockholders and the Operating Partnership  $0.88   $0.90 
Add:          
Amortization of Below Market Ground Lease   0.03    0.03 
Interest Expense Associated with Property in Receivership   0.01    0.01 
Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt   0.00    0.00 
Core FFO Attributable to Common Stockholders and the Operating Partnership  $0.92   $0.94 

 

The estimates set forth above may be subject to fluctuations as a result of several factors, including continued impacts of changes in the use of office space and remote work on our business and our market, our ability to complete planned capital improvements in line with budget, costs of integration of completed acquisitions, costs associated with future acquisitions or other transactions, straight-line rent adjustments and the amortization of above and below-market leases. There can be no assurance that the Company’s actual results will not differ materially from the estimates set forth above.

 

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Investor Presentation Update

 

The Company has posted on the “Investors” section of ESRT’s website the latest investor presentation, which contains additional information on its businesses, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Webcast and Conference Call Details

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. will host a webcast and conference call, open to the general public, on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 12:00 pm Eastern time.

 

The webcast will be accessible on the “Investors” section of ESRT’s website. To listen to the live webcast, go to the site at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time in order to register and download and install any necessary audio software. The conference call can also be accessed by dialing 1-877-407-3982 for domestic callers or 1-201-493-6780 for international callers.

 

Starting shortly after the call until October 29, 2024, a replay of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website, and a dial-in replay will be available by dialing 1-844-512-2921 for domestic callers or 1-412-317-6671 for international callers. The passcode for this dial-in replay is 13741463.

 

The Supplemental Report and Investor Presentation are additional components of the quarterly earnings announcement and are now available on the “Investors” section of ESRT’s website.

 

The Company uses, and intends to continue to use, the “Investors” page of its website, which can be found at www.esrtreit.com, as a means to disclose material nonpublic information and to comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD, including, without limitation, through the posting of investor presentations that may include material nonpublic information. Accordingly, investors should monitor the “Investors” page, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document.

 

About Empire State Realty Trust

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) is a NYC-focused REIT that owns and operates a portfolio of modernized, amenitized, and well-located office, retail, and multifamily assets. ESRT’s flagship Empire State Building, the “World's Most Famous Building,” features its iconic Observatory that was declared the #1 Attraction in the World – and the #1 Attraction in the U.S. for the third consecutive year – in Tripadvisor’s 2024 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things to Do. The Company is the recognized leader in energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. As of September 30, 2024, ESRT’s portfolio is comprised of approximately 7.8 million rentable square feet of office space, 0.7 million rentable square feet of retail space and 732 residential units. More information about Empire State Realty Trust can be found at esrtreit.com and by following ESRT on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn.

 

 

 

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Forward-Looking Statements

 

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We intend these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are including this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “aims," "anticipates," "approximately," "believes," "contemplates," "continues," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "hope," "intends," "may," "plans," "seeks," "should," "thinks," "will," "would" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases. For the avoidance of doubt, any projection, guidance, or similar estimation about the future or future results, performance or achievements is a forward-looking statement.

 

Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond our control, and you should not rely on them as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements depend on assumptions, data or methods which may be incorrect or imprecise, and we may not be able to realize them. We do not guarantee that the transactions and events described will happen as described (or that they will happen at all).

 

Many important factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, and future events to differ materially from those set forth, implied, anticipated, expected, projected, assumed or contemplated in our forward-looking statements, including, among other things: (i) economic, market, political and social impact of, and uncertainty relating to, any catastrophic events, including pandemics, epidemics or other outbreaks of disease, climate-related risks such as natural disasters and extreme weather events, terrorism and other armed hostilities, as well as cybersecurity threats and technology disruptions; (ii) a failure of conditions or performance regarding any event or transaction described herein; (iii) resolution of legal proceedings involving the Company; (iv) reduced demand for office, multifamily or retail space, including as a result of the changes in the use of office space and remote work; (v) changes in our business strategy; (vi) a decline in Observatory visitors due to changes in domestic or international tourism, including due to health crises, geopolitical events, currency exchange rates, and/or competition from other observatories; (vii) defaults on, early terminations of, or non-renewal of, leases by tenants; (viii) increases in the Company’s borrowing costs as a result of changes in interest rates and other factors; (ix) declining real estate valuations and impairment charges; (x) termination of our ground leases; (xi) limitations on our ability to pay down, refinance, restructure or extend our indebtedness or borrow additional funds; (xii) decreased rental rates or increased vacancy rates; (xiii) difficulties in executing capital projects or development projects successfully or on the anticipated timeline or budget; (xiv) difficulties in identifying and completing acquisitions; (xv) impact of changes in governmental regulations, tax laws and rates and similar matters; (xvi) our failure to qualify as a REIT; (xvii) incurrence of taxable capital gain on disposition of an asset due to failure of compliance with a 1031 exchange program; (xviii) our disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting, including any material weakness; and (xix) failure to achieve sustainability metrics and goals, including as a result of tenant collaboration, and impact of governmental regulation on our sustainability efforts. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could impact the company's future results, performance, or transactions, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and of our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024 and any additional factors that may be contained in any filing we make with the SEC.

 

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While forward-looking statements reflect the Company's good faith beliefs, they do not guarantee future performance. Any forward-looking statement contained in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it was made, and we assume no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, data or methods, future events, or other changes after the date of this press release, except as required by applicable law. Prospective investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are based only on information currently available to the Company (or to third parties making the forward-looking statements).

 

Contact: Investors and Media

Empire State Realty Trust Investor Relations

(212) 850-2678

[email protected]

 

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Empire Start Realty Trust, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(unaudited and amounts in thousands, except per share data)

 

   Three Months Ended September 30, 
   2024   2023 
Revenues          
Rental revenue  $153,117   $151,458 
Observatory revenue   39,382    37,562 
Lease termination fees   4,771     
Third-party management and other fees   271    268 
Other revenue and fees   2,058    2,238 
Total revenues   199,599    191,526 
Operating expenses          
Property operating expenses   45,954    42,817 
Ground rent expenses   2,331    2,331 
General and administrative expenses   18,372    16,012 
Observatory expenses   9,715    9,471 
Real estate taxes   31,982    32,014 
Depreciation and amortization   45,899    46,624 
Total operating expenses   154,253    149,269 
Total operating income   45,346    42,257 
Other income (expense):          
Interest income   6,960    4,462 
Interest expense   (27,408)   (25,382)
Interest expense associated with property in receivership   (1,922)    
Gain on disposition of properties   1,262     
Income before income taxes   24,238    21,337 
Income tax expense   (1,442)   (1,409)
Net income   22,796    19,928 
Net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests:          
Non-controlling interest in the Operating Partnership   (8,205)   (7,207)
Non-controlling interests in other partnerships       (111)
Preferred unit distributions   (1,050)   (1,050)
Net income attributable to common stockholders  $13,541   $11,560 
Total weighted average shares          
Basic   164,880    161,851 
Diluted   269,613    266,073 
Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders          
Basic  $0.08   $0.07 
Diluted  $0.08   $0.07 

 

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Empire Start Realty Trust, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(unaudited and amounts in thousands, except per share data)

 

   Nine Months Ended September 30, 
   2024   2023 
Revenues          
Rental revenue  $459,469   $446,152 
Observatory revenue   98,102    93,149 
Lease termination fees   4,771     
Third-party management and other fees   912    1,076 
Other revenue and fees   7,067    6,313 
Total revenues   570,321    546,690 
Operating expenses          
Property operating expenses   132,530    124,380 
Ground rent expenses   6,994    6,994 
General and administrative expenses   52,364    47,795 
Observatory expenses   27,104    25,983 
Real estate taxes   96,106    95,292 
Depreciation and amortization   139,453    140,312 
Total operating expenses   454,551    440,756 
Total operating income   115,770    105,934 
Other income (expense):          
Interest income   16,230    10,396 
Interest expense   (77,859)   (76,091)
Interest expense associated with property in receivership   (2,550)    
Loss on early extinguishment of debt   (553)    
Gain on disposition of properties   12,065    29,261 
Income before income taxes   63,103    69,500 
Income tax expense   (1,537)   (923)
Net income   61,566    68,577 
Net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interests:          
Non-controlling interest in the Operating Partnership   (22,138)   (25,424)
Non-controlling interests in other partnerships   (4)   (69)
Preferred unit distributions   (3,151)   (3,151)
Net income attributable to common stockholders  $36,273   $39,933 
Total weighted average shares          
Basic   164,453    160,799 
Diluted   268,608    265,269 
Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders          
Basic  $0.22   $0.25 
Diluted  $0.22   $0.25 

 

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Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Reconciliation of Net Income to Funds From Operations (“FFO”),

Modified Funds From Operations (“Modified FFO”) and Core Funds From Operations (“Core FFO”)

(unaudited and amounts in thousands, except per share data)

 

   Three Months Ended September 30, 
   2024   2023 
Net income  $22,796   $19,928 
Non-controlling interests in other partnerships       (111)
Preferred unit distributions   (1,050)   (1,050)
Real estate depreciation and amortization   44,871    45,174 
Gain on disposition of properties   (1,262)    
FFO attributable to common stockholders and Operating Partnership units   65,355    63,941 
           
Amortization of below-market ground leases   1,958    1,957 
Modified FFO attributable to common stockholders and Operating Partnership units   67,313    65,898 
           
Interest expense associated with property in receivership   1,922     
Core FFO attributable to common stockholders and Operating Partnership units  $69,235   $65,898 
           
Total weighted average shares and Operating Partnership units          
Basic   264,787    262,756 
Diluted   269,613    266,073 
           
FFO per share          
Basic  $0.25   $0.24 
Diluted  $0.24   $0.24 
           
Modified FFO per share          
Basic  $0.25   $0.25 
Diluted  $0.25   $0.25 
           
Core FFO per share          
Basic  $0.26   $0.25 
Diluted  $0.26   $0.25 

 

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Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Reconciliation of Net Income to Funds From Operations (“FFO”),

Modified Funds From Operations (“Modified FFO”) and Core Funds From Operations (“Core FFO”)

(unaudited and amounts in thousands, except per share data)

 

   Nine Months Ended September 30, 
   2024   2023 
Net income  $61,566   $68,577 
Non-controlling interests in other partnerships   (4)   (69)
Preferred unit distributions   (3,151)   (3,151)
Real estate depreciation and amortization   136,126    136,085 
Gain on disposition of properties   (12,065)   (29,261)
FFO attributable to common stockholders and Operating Partnership units   182,472    172,181 
           
Amortization of below-market ground leases   5,874    5,873 
Modified FFO attributable to common stockholders and Operating Partnership units   188,346    178,054 
           
Interest expense associated with property in receivership   2,550     
Loss on early extinguishment of debt   553     
Core FFO attributable to common stockholders and Operating Partnership units  $191,449   $178,054 
           
Total weighted average shares and Operating Partnership units          
Basic   264,675    263,379 
Diluted   268,608    265,269 
           
FFO per share          
Basic  $0.69   $0.65 
Diluted  $0.68   $0.65 
           
Modified FFO per share          
Basic  $0.71   $0.68 
Diluted  $0.70   $0.67 
           
Core FFO per share          
Basic  $0.72   $0.68 
Diluted  $0.71   $0.67 

 

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Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(unaudited and amounts in thousands)

 

   September 30, 2024   December 31, 2023 
Assets          
Commercial real estate properties, at cost  $3,667,687   $3,655,192 
Less: accumulated depreciation   (1,241,454)   (1,250,062)
Commercial real estate properties, net   2,426,233    2,405,130 
Contract asset2   168,687     
Cash and cash equivalents   421,896    346,620 
Restricted cash   48,023    60,336 
Tenant and other receivables   34,068    39,836 
Deferred rent receivables   244,448    255,628 
Prepaid expenses and other assets   81,758    98,167 
Deferred costs, net   176,720    172,457 
Acquired below market ground leases, net   315,368    321,241 
Right of use assets   28,257    28,439 
Goodwill   491,479    491,479 
Total assets  $4,436,937   $4,219,333 
           
Liabilities and equity          
Mortgage notes payable, net  $692,989   $877,388 
Senior unsecured notes, net   1,196,911    973,872 
Unsecured term loan facility, net   268,655    389,286 
Unsecured revolving credit facility   120,000     
Debt associated with property in receivership   177,667     
Accrued interest associated with property in receivership   3,511     
Accounts payable and accrued expenses   81,443    99,756 
Acquired below market leases, net   14,702    13,750 
Ground lease liabilities   28,257    28,439 
Deferred revenue and other liabilities   70,766    70,298 
Tenants’ security deposits   24,715    35,499 
Total liabilities   2,679,616    2,488,288 
Total equity   1,757,321    1,731,045 
Total liabilities and equity  $4,436,937   $4,219,333 

 

2 This contract asset represents the amount of obligation we expect to be released upon the final resolution of the foreclosure process on First Stamford Place.

 

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