Public Storage Reports Results for the First Quarter Ended March 31, 2019

GLENDALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) announced today operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

Operating Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2019

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, net income allocable to our common shareholders was $301.7 million or $1.73 per diluted common share, compared to $287.8 million or $1.65 per diluted common share in 2018 representing an increase of $13.9 million or $0.08 per diluted common share. The increase is due primarily to (i) a $7.4 million increase in self-storage net operating income (described below), (ii) a $19.6 million increase due to the impact of foreign currency exchange gains and losses associated with our euro denominated debt and (iii) a reduction in general and administrative expense attributable primarily to $7.8 million in incremental share-based compensation expense in the three months ended March 31, 2018 for the planned retirement of our former CEO and CFO. These increases were offset partially by (iv) our $10.9 million equity share of gains on sale of real estate recorded by PS Business Parks, Inc. in 2018 and (v) an $8.5 million allocation to our preferred shareholders associated with our preferred share redemption activities.

The $7.4 million increase in self-storage net operating income is a result of a $2.3 million increase in our Same Store Facilities (as defined below) and a $5.1 million increase in our Non Same Store Facilities (as defined below). Revenues for the Same Store Facilities increased 1.5% or $8.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to 2018, due primarily to higher realized annual rent per occupied square foot. Cost of operations for the Same Store Facilities increased by 3.9% or $6.3 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to 2018, due primarily to increased property taxes and higher marketing expenses. The increase in net operating income of $5.1 million for the Non Same Store Facilities is due primarily to the impact of facilities acquired in 2018 and 2019, and the fill up of recently developed and expanded facilities.

Funds from Operations

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, funds from operations (“FFO”) was $2.52 per diluted common share, as compared to $2.37 in 2018, representing an increase of 6.3%. FFO is a non-GAAP measure defined by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts and generally represents net income before depreciation and amortization expense, gains and losses and impairment charges with respect to real estate assets. A reconciliation of GAAP diluted net income per share to FFO per share, and additional descriptive information regarding this non-GAAP measure, is attached.

We also present “Core FFO per share,” a non-GAAP measure that represents FFO per share excluding the impact of (i) foreign currency exchange gains and losses, (ii) EITF D-42 charges related to the redemption of preferred securities, (iii) accelerations of accruals due to the retirement of our former CEO and CFO and (iv) certain other non-cash and/or nonrecurring income or expense items. We review Core FFO per share to evaluate our ongoing operating performance, and we believe it is used by investors and REIT analysts in a similar manner. However, Core FFO per share is not a substitute for net income per share. Because other REITs may not compute Core FFO per share in the same manner as we do, may not use the same terminology or may not present such a measure, Core FFO per share may not be comparable among REITs.

The following table reconciles from FFO per share to Core FFO per share (unaudited):

Property Operations – Same Store Facilities

The Same Store Facilities represent those facilities that have been owned and operated on a stabilized level of occupancy, revenues and cost of operations since January 1, 2017. We review the operations of our Same Store Facilities, which excludes facilities whose operating trends are significantly affected by factors such as casualty events, as well as recently developed, expanded, or acquired facilities, to more effectively evaluate the ongoing performance of our self-storage portfolio in 2017, 2018 and 2019. We believe the Same Store information is used by investors and REIT analysts in a similar manner. The Same Store pool increased from 2,046 facilities at December 31, 2018 to 2,165 facilities at March 31, 2019. The following table summarizes the historical operating results of these 2,165 facilities (139.8 million net rentable square feet) that represent approximately 85% of the aggregate net rentable square feet of our U.S. consolidated self-storage portfolio at March 31, 2019.

The following table summarizes selected quarterly financial data with respect to the Same Store Facilities (unaudited):

Property Operations – Non Same Store Facilities

In addition to the 2,165 same-store facilities, we have 279 facilities that were not stabilized with respect to occupancies, revenues or cost of operations since January 1, 2017 or that we did not own as of January 1, 2017, including 71 facilities that were acquired from third parties, 74 newly developed facilities, 62 facilities that have been expanded or are targeted for expansion, and 72 facilities that are unstabilized due to the impact of casualties and other factors (collectively, the “Non Same Store Facilities”). Operating data, metrics, and further commentary with respect to these facilities, including detail by vintage, is included in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under “Self-Storage Operations” in our March 31, 2019 Form 10-Q.

Investing and Capital Activities

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we acquired 12 self-storage facilities (nine in Virginia and one each in Florida, Georgia and Kentucky) with 0.8 million net rentable square feet for $81.3 million. Subsequent to March 31, 2019, we acquired or were under contract to acquire ten self-storage facilities (four in Florida, two in Virginia and one each in Arizona, Colorado, Michigan and Texas) with 0.7 million net rentable square feet for $116.4 million.

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we opened four newly developed facilities and various expansion projects (1.6 million net rentable square feet – 1.3 million in Texas and 0.1 million each in California, Colorado and Florida) costing $133.5 million. At March 31, 2019, we had various facilities in development (1.2 million net rentable square feet) estimated to cost $194 million and various expansion projects (2.7 million net rentable square feet) estimated to cost $318 million. Our aggregate 3.9 million net rentable square foot pipeline of development and expansion facilities includes 1.0 million in Florida, 0.8 million in Minnesota, 0.4 million in Washington, 0.3 million each in Colorado and North Carolina and 1.1 million in other states. The remaining $299 million of development costs for these projects is expected to be incurred primarily in the next 18 months.

On February 22, 2019, we called our 6.375% Series Y Preferred Shares for redemption. The shares were redeemed on March 28, 2019 for $285 million.

On March 11, 2019, we issued our 5.60% Series H Preferred Shares for gross proceeds of $285 million.

On April 12, 2019, we completed a public offering of $500 million in aggregate principal amount of senior notes bearing interest at an annual rate of 3.385% maturing on May 1, 2029.

On April 19, 2019, we amended our $500 million revolving line of credit. This amendment (i) extends the maturity date from March 31, 2020 to April 19, 2024, (ii) decreases the current effective borrowing spread over LIBOR from 0.850% to 0.70%, and (iii) decreases the current effective facility fee from 0.080% to 0.070%. All other terms remain substantially the same.

Distributions Declared

On April 24, 2019, our Board of Trustees declared a regular common quarterly dividend of $2.00 per common share. The Board also declared dividends with respect to our various series of preferred shares. All the dividends are payable on June 27, 2019 to shareholders of record as of June 12, 2019.

First Quarter Conference Call

A conference call is scheduled for May 2, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) to discuss the first quarter earnings results. The domestic dial-in number is (866) 406-5408, and the international dial-in number is (973) 582-2770 (conference ID number for either domestic or international is 1168559). A simultaneous audio webcast may be accessed by using the link at www.publicstorage.com under “Company Info, Investor Relations, News and Events, Event Calendar.” A replay of the conference call may be accessed through May 16, 2019 by calling (800) 585-8367 (domestic), (404) 537-3406 (international) or by using the link at www.publicstorage.com under “Company Info, Investor Relations, News and Events, Event Calendar.” All forms of replay utilize conference ID number 1168559.

About Public Storage

Public Storage, a member of the S&P 500 and FT Global 500, is a REIT that primarily acquires, develops, owns and operates self-storage facilities. At March 31, 2019, we had: (i) interests in 2,444 self-storage facilities located in 38 states with approximately 164 million net rentable square feet in the United States, (ii) an approximate 35% common equity interest in Shurgard Self Storage SA (Euronext Brussels:SHUR) which owned 231 self-storage facilities located in seven Western European nations with approximately 13 million net rentable square feet operated under the “Shurgard” brand and (iii) an approximate 42% common equity interest in PS Business Parks, Inc. (NYSE:PSB) which owned and operated approximately 28 million rentable square feet of commercial space at March 31, 2019. Our headquarters are located in Glendale, California.

Additional information about Public Storage is available on our website, www.publicstorage.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements which may be identified by the use of the words “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “should,” “estimates” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause our actual results and performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Factors and risks that may impact future results and performance include, but are not limited to, those described in Part 1, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 27, 2019 and in our other filings with the SEC and the following: general risks associated with the ownership and operation of real estate, including changes in demand, risk related to development of self-storage facilities, potential liability for environmental contamination, natural disasters and adverse changes in laws and regulations governing property tax, real estate and zoning; risks associated with downturns in the national and local economies in the markets in which we operate, including risks related to current economic conditions and the economic health of our customers; the impact of competition from new and existing self-storage and commercial facilities and other storage alternatives; difficulties in our ability to successfully evaluate, finance, integrate into our existing operations and manage acquired and developed properties; risks associated with international operations including, but not limited to, unfavorable foreign currency rate fluctuations, changes in tax laws, and local and global economic uncertainty that could adversely affect our earnings and cash flows; risks related to our participation in joint ventures; the impact of the regulatory environment as well as national, state and local laws and regulations including, without limitation, those governing environmental, taxes, our tenant reinsurance business and labor, and risks related to the impact of new laws and regulations; risks of increased tax expense associated either with a possible failure by us to qualify as a REIT, or with challenges to the determination of taxable income for our taxable REIT subsidiaries; risks due to a potential November 2020 statewide ballot initiate (or other equivalent actions) that could remove the protections of Proposition 13 with respect to our real estate and result in substantial increases in our assessed values and property tax bills in California; changes in federal or state tax laws related to the taxation of REITs and other corporations; security breaches or a failure of our networks, systems or technology could adversely impact our business, customer and employee relationships; risks associated with the self-insurance of certain business risks, including property and casualty insurance, employee health insurance and workers compensation liabilities; difficulties in raising capital at a reasonable cost; delays in the development process; ongoing litigation and other legal and regulatory actions which may divert management’s time and attention, require us to pay damages and expenses or restrict the operation of our business; and economic uncertainty due to the impact of war or terrorism. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. All of our forward-looking statements, including those in this press release, are qualified in their entirety by this statement. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, new estimates, or other factors, events or circumstances after the date of this press release, except where expressly required by law. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not rely on any forward-looking statements in this press release, or which management may make orally or in writing from time to time, as predictions of future events nor guarantees of future performance.

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Ryan Burke
(818) 244-8080, Ext. 1141

Source: Public Storage