Vornado Announces First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

NEW YORK, May 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO) reported today:

Quarter Ended March 31, 2023 Financial Results

NET INCOME attributable to common shareholders for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 was $5,168,000, or $0.03 per diluted share, compared to $26,478,000, or $0.14 per diluted share, for the prior year’s quarter. Adjusting for the items that impact period-to-period comparability listed in the table below, net income attributable to common shareholders, as adjusted (non-GAAP) for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 was $2,373,000, or $0.01 per diluted share, and $31,682,000, or $0.16 per diluted share for the prior year’s quarter.

FUNDS FROM OPERATIONS (“FFO”) attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions (non-GAAP) for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 was $119,083,000, or $0.61 per diluted share, compared to $154,908,000, or $0.80 per diluted share, for the prior year’s quarter. Adjusting for the items that impact period-to-period comparability listed in the table on the following page, FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions, as adjusted (non-GAAP) for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 was $116,288,000, or $0.60 per diluted share, and $152,313,000, or $0.79 per diluted share for the prior year’s quarter.

The following table reconciles net income attributable to common shareholders to net income attributable to common shareholders, as adjusted (non-GAAP):

The following table reconciles FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions (non-GAAP) to FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions, as adjusted (non-GAAP):

FFO, as Adjusted Bridge – Q1 2023 vs. Q1 2022

The following table bridges our FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions, as adjusted (non-GAAP) for the three months ended March 31, 2022 to FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions, as adjusted (non-GAAP) for the three months ended March 31, 2023:

See page 9 for a reconciliation of net income attributable to common shareholders to FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions (non-GAAP) for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. Reconciliations of FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions to FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions, as adjusted are provided above.

Dividends/Share Repurchase Program:

On April 26, 2023, Vornado announced that it will postpone dividends on its common shares until the end of 2023, at which time, upon finalization of its 2023 taxable income, including the impact of asset sales, it will pay the 2023 dividend in either (i) cash, or (ii) a combination of cash and securities, as determined by its Board of Trustees.

Vornado also announced that its Board of Trustees has authorized the repurchase of up to $200,000,000 of its outstanding common shares under a newly established share repurchase program. Cash retained from dividends or from asset sales will be used to reduce debt and/or fund share repurchases.

350 Park Avenue:

On January 24, 2023, we and the Rudin family (“Rudin”) completed agreements with Citadel Enterprise Americas LLC (“Citadel”) and with an affiliate of Kenneth C. Griffin, Citadel’s Founder and CEO (“KG”), for a series of transactions relating to 350 Park Avenue and 40 East 52nd Street.

Pursuant to the agreements, Citadel master leases 350 Park Avenue, a 585,000 square foot Manhattan office building, on an “as is” basis for ten years, with an initial annual net rent of $36,000,000. Per the terms of the lease, no tenant allowance or free rent was provided. Citadel will also master lease Rudin’s adjacent property at 40 East 52nd Street (390,000 square feet).

In addition, we have entered into a joint venture with Rudin (“Vornado/Rudin”) to purchase 39 East 51st Street for $40,000,000 and, upon formation of the KG joint venture described below, will combine that property with 350 Park Avenue and 40 East 52nd Street to create a premier development site (collectively, the “Site”). The purchase is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023.

From October 2024 to June 2030, KG will have the option to either:

• acquire a 60% interest in a joint venture with Vornado/Rudin that would value the Site at $1.2 billion ($900,000,000 to Vornado and $300,000,000 to Rudin) and build a new 1,700,000 square foot office tower (the “Project”) pursuant to East Midtown Subdistrict zoning with Vornado/Rudin as developer. KG would own 60% of the joint venture and Vornado/Rudin would own 40% (with Vornado owning 36% and Rudin owning 4% of the joint venture along with a $250,000,000 preferred equity interest in the Vornado/Rudin joint venture).
  • at the joint venture formation, Citadel or its affiliates will execute a pre-negotiated 15-year anchor lease with renewal options for approximately 850,000 square feet (with expansion and contraction rights) at the Project for its primary office in New York City;
  • the rent for Citadel’s space will be determined by a formula based on a percentage return (that adjusts based on the actual cost of capital) on the total Project cost;
  • the master leases will terminate at the scheduled commencement of demolition;
• or, exercise an option to purchase the Site for $1.4 billion ($1.085 billion to Vornado and $315,000,000 to Rudin), in which case Vornado/Rudin would not participate in the new development.

Further, Vornado/Rudin will have the option from October 2024 to September 2030 to put the Site to KG for $1.2 billion ($900,000,000 to Vornado and $300,000,000 to Rudin). For ten years following any put option closing, unless the put option is exercised in response to KG’s request to form the joint venture or KG makes a $200,000,000 termination payment, Vornado/Rudin will have the right to invest in a joint venture with KG on the terms described above if KG proceeds with development of the Site.

Dispositions:

Alexander’s, Inc. (“Alexander’s”)

On March 8, 2023, Alexander’s entered into an agreement to sell the Rego Park III land parcel, located in Queens, New York, for $71,060,000, inclusive of consideration for Brownfield tax benefits and reimbursement of costs for plans, specifications and improvements to date. Alexander’s anticipates the closing of the sale in the second quarter of 2023 and will recognize a financial statement gain of approximately $54,000,000. Upon completion of the sale, we will recognize our approximate $16,000,000 share of the net gain.

Financings:

150 West 34th Street Loan Participation

On January 9, 2023, our $105,000,000 participation in the $205,000,000 mortgage loan on 150 West 34th Street was repaid, which reduced “other assets” and “mortgages payable, net” on our consolidated balance sheets by $105,000,000. The remaining $100,000,000 mortgage loan balance bears interest at SOFR plus 1.86%, subject to an interest rate cap arrangement with a SOFR strike rate of 4.10%, and matures in May 2024.

Financings – continued:

Interest Rate Hedging Activities

We entered into the following interest rate swap agreements during the three months ended March 31, 2023. For further detail on our interest rate swap and cap arrangements see page 28 of our Supplemental Operating and Financial Data package for the quarter ended March 31, 2023.

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(1) The unsecured term loan, which matures in December 2027, is subject to various interest rate swap arrangements through August 2027, see below for details:

Leasing Activity For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023:

The leasing activity and related statistics below are based on leases signed during the period and are not intended to coincide with the commencement of rental revenue in accordance with GAAP. Second generation relet space represents square footage that has not been vacant for more than nine months and tenant improvements and leasing commissions are based on our share of square feet leased during the period.

• 777,000 square feet of New York Office space (771,000 square feet at share) at an initial rent of $101.02 per square foot and a weighted average lease term of 9.5 years. The changes in the GAAP and cash mark-to-market rent on the 677,000 square feet of second generation space were positive 8.5% and positive 1.7%, respectively. Tenant improvements and leasing commissions were $2.48 per square foot per annum, or 2.5% of initial rent.
• 25,000 square feet of New York Retail space (20,000 square feet at share) at an initial rent of $373.07 per square foot and a weighted average lease term of 6.8 years. The changes in the GAAP and cash mark-to-market rent on the 7,000 square feet of second generation space were positive 2.9% and positive 2.4%, respectively. Tenant improvements and leasing commissions were $26.54 per square foot per annum, or 7.1% of initial rent.
• 79,000 square feet at THE MART (all at share) at an initial rent of $56.44 per square foot and a weighted average lease term of 6.8 years. The changes in the GAAP and cash mark-to-market rent on the 51,000 square feet of second generation space were negative 1.5% and negative 7.9%, respectively. Tenant improvements and leasing commissions were $8.04 per square foot per annum, or 14.2% of initial rent.
• 4,000 square feet at 555 California Street (3,000 square feet at share) at an initial rent of $156.96 per square foot and a weighted average lease term of 7.0 years. The 4,000 square feet was first generation space. Tenant improvements and leasing commissions were $39.07 per square foot per annum, or 24.9% of initial rent.

Same Store Net Operating Income (“NOI”) At Share:

Below is the percentage increase (decrease) in same store NOI at share and same store NOI at share – cash basis of our New York segment, THE MART and 555 California Street.

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(1) See pages 11 through 14 for same store NOI at share and same store NOI at share – cash basis reconciliations.

NOI At Share:

The elements of our New York and Other NOI at share for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 and December 31, 2022 are summarized below.

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See notes below.

NOI At Share – Cash Basis:

The elements of our New York and Other NOI at share – cash basis for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 and December 31, 2022 are summarized below.

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(1) Includes Building Maintenance Services NOI of $6,289, $5,782 and $8,305, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 and December 31, 2022.

PENN District – Active Development/Redevelopment Summary as of March 31, 2023

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(1) Excluding debt and equity carry.
(2) Property is ground leased through 2098, as fully extended. Fair market value resets occur in 2023, 2048 and 2073. The 13.2% projected return is before the ground rent reset in June 2023, which may be material.
(3) Projected to be achieved as pre-redevelopment leases roll, which have an approximate average remaining term of 3.4 years.

There can be no assurance that the above projects will be completed, completed on schedule or within budget. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in leasing the properties on the expected schedule or at the assumed rental rates.

Conference Call and Audio Webcast

As previously announced, the Company will host a quarterly earnings conference call and an audio webcast on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). The conference call can be accessed by dialing 833-816-1409 (domestic) or 412-317-0502 (international) and asking the operator to join the Vornado Realty Trust conference call. A live webcast of the conference call will be available on Vornado’s website at www.vno.com in the Investor Relations section and an online playback of the webcast will be available on the website following the conference call.

Contact

Thomas J. Sanelli
(212) 894-7000

Supplemental Data

Further details regarding results of operations, properties and tenants can be accessed at the Company’s website www.vno.com. Vornado Realty Trust is a fully – integrated equity real estate investment trust.

Certain statements contained herein may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They represent our intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Our future results, financial condition and business may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. You can find many of these statements by looking for words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “would,” “may” or other similar expressions in this press release. We also note the following forward-looking statements: in the case of our development and redevelopment projects, the estimated completion date, estimated project cost, projected incremental cash yield, stabilization date and cost to complete; estimates of future capital expenditures, dividends to common and preferred shareholders and operating partnership distributions, including the form of any 2023 dividend payments, and the amount and form of potential share repurchases and/or asset sales. For a discussion of factors that could materially affect the outcome of our forward-looking statements and our future results and financial condition, see “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. Currently, some of the factors are the increase in interest rates and inflation and the continuing effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, operating performance and the effect that these factors have had and may continue to have on our tenants, the global, national, regional and local economies and financial markets and the real estate market in general.

VORNADO REALTY TRUST
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

VORNADO REALTY TRUST
OPERATING RESULTS

FFO is computed in accordance with the definition adopted by the Board of Governors of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”). NAREIT defines FFO as GAAP net income or loss adjusted to exclude net gains from sales of certain real estate assets, real estate impairment losses, depreciation and amortization expense from real estate assets and other specified items, including the pro rata share of such adjustments of unconsolidated subsidiaries. FFO and FFO per diluted share are non-GAAP financial measures used by management, investors and analysts to facilitate meaningful comparisons of operating performance between periods and among our peers because it excludes the effect of real estate depreciation and amortization and net gains on sales, which are based on historical costs and implicitly assume that the value of real estate diminishes predictably over time, rather than fluctuating based on existing market conditions. The Company also uses FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions, as adjusted for certain items that impact the comparability of period to period FFO, as one of several criteria to determine performance-based compensation for senior management. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities and is not necessarily indicative of cash available to fund cash requirements and should not be considered as an alternative to net income as a performance measure or cash flow as a liquidity measure. FFO may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies. In addition to FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions, we also disclose FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions, as adjusted. Although this non-GAAP measure clearly differs from NAREIT’s definition of FFO, we believe it provides a meaningful presentation of operating performance. Reconciliations of net income attributable to common shareholders to FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions are provided on the following page. Reconciliations of FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions to FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions, as adjusted are provided on page 2 of this press release.

VORNADO REALTY TRUST
NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS

The following table reconciles net income attributable to common shareholders to FFO attributable to common shareholders plus assumed conversions:

VORNADO REALTY TRUST
NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS – CONTINUED

Below is a reconciliation of net income (loss) to NOI at share and NOI at share – cash basis for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 and December 31, 2022.

NOI at share represents total revenues less operating expenses including our share of partially owned entities. NOI at share – cash basis represents NOI at share adjusted to exclude straight-line rental income and expense, amortization of acquired below and above market leases, net and other non-cash adjustments. We consider NOI at share – cash basis to be the primary non-GAAP financial measure for making decisions and assessing the unlevered performance of our segments as it relates to the total return on assets as opposed to the levered return on equity. As properties are bought and sold based on NOI at share – cash basis, we utilize this measure to make investment decisions as well as to compare the performance of our assets to that of our peers. NOI at share and NOI at share – cash basis should not be considered alternatives to net income or cash flow from operations and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies.

VORNADO REALTY TRUST
NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS – CONTINUED

Same store NOI at share represents NOI at share from operations which are in service in both the current and prior year reporting periods. Same store NOI at share – cash basis is same store NOI at share adjusted to exclude straight-line rental income and expense, amortization of acquired below and above market leases, net and other non-cash adjustments. We present these non-GAAP measures to (i) facilitate meaningful comparisons of the operational performance of our properties and segments, (ii) make decisions on whether to buy, sell or refinance properties, and (iii) compare the performance of our properties and segments to those of our peers. Same store NOI at share and same store NOI at share – cash basis should not be considered alternatives to net income or cash flow from operations and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies.

Below are reconciliations of NOI at share to same store NOI at share for our New York segment, THE MART, 555 California Street and other investments for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to March 31, 2022.

VORNADO REALTY TRUST
NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS – CONTINUED

Below are reconciliations of NOI at share – cash basis to same store NOI at share – cash basis for our New York segment, THE MART, 555 California Street and other investments for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to March 31, 2022.

VORNADO REALTY TRUST
NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS – CONTINUED

Below are reconciliations of NOI at share to same store NOI at share for our New York segment, THE MART, 555 California Street and other investments for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to December 31, 2022.

VORNADO REALTY TRUST
NON-GAAP RECONCILIATIONS – CONTINUED

Below are reconciliations of NOI at share – cash basis to same store NOI at share – cash basis for our New York segment, THE MART, 555 California Street and other investments for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to December 31, 2022.