Reports second quarter RevPAR growth of 6.7% (excluding Park Central) and third quarter dividend increase of 40% to $0.28
BETHESDA, Md.–Jul. 17, 2013– LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) today announced results for the quarter ended June 30, 2013. The Company’s results include the following:
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See tables later in press release, which list adjustments that reconcile net income to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”), adjusted EBITDA, funds from operations (“FFO”), FFO per share/unit, adjusted FFO, adjusted FFO per share/unit and hotel EBITDA. EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, FFO, FFO per share/unit, adjusted FFO, adjusted FFO per share/unit and hotel EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. See further discussion of these non-GAAP measures and reconciliations to net income later in this press release.
Second Quarter Highlights
Results excluding Park Central Hotel (see Park Central and WestHouse Update below)
Entire Portfolio Results
Common Dividend
“We are very excited to announce these strong results and to announce an increase in the common dividend,” said Michael D. Barnello, President and Chief Executive Officer of LaSalle Hotel Properties. “Our portfolio’s RevPAR, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted FFO were all at the high end of our expectations. The combination of strong results year-to-date and our solid outlook for the remainder of the year have contributed to the Company’s decision to increase the midpoints of our full year adjusted EBITDA and adjusted FFO outlook and the Board’s decision to substantially increase the dividend to an annualized rate of $1.12 per share in the third quarter.”
- RevPAR excluding Park Central Hotel: Room revenue per available room (“RevPAR”) for the quarter ended June 30, 2013 increased 6.7 percent to $191.00, as a result of a 4.9 percent increase in occupancy to 86.6 percent and a 1.8 percent increase in average daily rate (“ADR”) to $220.52.
- Hotel EBITDA Margin excluding Park Central Hotel: The Company’s hotel EBITDA margin for the second quarter was 37.4 percent, a 99 basis point improvement compared to the comparable prior year period.
- RevPAR: RevPAR for the quarter ended June 30, 2013 increased 0.9 percent to $185.35, as a result of a 1.3 percent increase in ADR to $221.88 partially offset by a 0.4 percent decrease in occupancy to 83.5 percent.
- Hotel EBITDA Margin: The Company’s hotel EBITDA margin for the second quarter was 36.8 percent, a 17 basis point decrease compared to the comparable prior year period.
- Adjusted EBITDA: The Company’s adjusted EBITDA was $93.1 million, an increase of 9.1 percent over the second quarter of 2012. During the second quarter of 2013, the Company’s financial results were impacted by $6.7 million of EBITDA displacement from the Park Central and WestHouse renovation project.
- Adjusted FFO: The Company generated second quarter adjusted FFO of $70.3 million, or $0.73 per diluted share/unit, compared to $61.8 million or $0.72 per diluted share/unit for the comparable prior year period.
- Capital Markets: The Company completed the following capital markets activities during the second quarter of 2013:
- On April 5, 2013, the Company redeemed 4,000,000 shares, or $100.0 million of the 6,348,888 outstanding 7.25% Series G Preferred Shares.
- On June 3, 2013, the Company retired the $59.8 million mortgage secured by Hotel Solamar. The mortgage carried an interest rate of 5.49 percent and the Company funded the mortgage payoff with proceeds from its senior unsecured credit facility, which has a current interest rate of 1.95 percent.
- During the quarter, the Company sold 721,706 common shares through its ATM program at an average net price of $27.29 per share for net proceeds of $19.7 million.
- Capital Investments: The Company invested $39.9 million of capital in its hotels, most of which pertained to the continuation of the Park Central Hotel and Westhouse renovation in New York City.
- Dividends: On June 14, 2013, the Company declared a second quarter 2013 dividend of $0.20 per common share of beneficial interest.
- The Company’s Board of Trustees has declared that it has increased the quarterly common dividend in the third quarter 2013 by 40 percent to $0.28 per share, an annualized rate of $1.12 per share.
Year-to-date Highlights
Excluding the Park Central Hotel, for the six months ended June 30, 2013, RevPAR increased 6.1 percent to $162.98, with occupancy growth of 4.2 percent to 79.4 percent and ADR improvement of 1.9 percent to $205.38. The Company’s hotel EBITDA margin excluding the Park Central Hotel was 31.4 percent, an increase of 81 basis points compared to the comparable prior year period. The Company invested $56.1 million of capital in the entire portfolio including the Park Central Hotel during the six months ended June 30, 2013.
Park Central and WestHouse Update
As previously disclosed, the Company is renovating its Park Central Hotel in New York City. The project consists of the full renovation and splitting of the original 934-room Park Central Hotel into two distinct hotels: the newly renovated 761-room Park Central Hotel and the upgraded 172-room premium WestHouse.
The Park Central Hotel portion of the renovation is substantially complete, as all 761 of the Park Central Hotel rooms have been newly renovated. The lobby of the Park Central Hotel will be open in a few days, as the front of the lobby will be complete, while the rear portion of the space will be completed between August and September. The Company remains on schedule to complete the WestHouse renovation between September and November. EBITDA displacement on the entire project during the second quarter was $6.7 million. The Company’s expectation for full year EBITDA displacement related to the entire project is $9.0 to $12.0 million. The renovation remains on track for a project cost within the range of $60.0 to $70.0 million.
Balance Sheet
As of June 30, 2013, the Company had total outstanding debt of $1.2 billion, including $180.0 million outstanding on its senior unsecured credit facility. Total net debt to trailing 12 month Corporate EBITDA (as defined in the Company’s senior unsecured credit facility) was 4.1 times as of June 30, 2013 and its fixed charge coverage ratio was 3.2 times. For the second quarter, the Company’s weighted average interest rate was 4.2 percent. As of June 30, 2013, the Company had $15.1 million of cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet and capacity of $593.0 million available on its credit facilities.
2013 Third Quarter Outlook
The Company expects third quarter RevPAR, excluding the Park Central Hotel, to increase 2.5 percent to 4.5 percent. The Company expects its portfolio, including the Park Central Hotel, to generate adjusted EBITDA of $85.0 million to $88.0 million and adjusted FFO per share/unit of $0.64 to $0.68.
2013 Outlook
The Company is updating its 2013 outlook. The revised outlook excludes any future acquisitions or equity issuances for the remainder of 2013. The Company’s revised financial expectations for 2013 are as follows:
Earnings Call
The Company will conduct its quarterly conference call on Thursday, July 18, 2013 at 10:00 AM EDT. To participate in the conference call, please dial (888) 219-1420. Additionally, a live webcast of the conference call will be available through the Company’s website. To access, log on to http://www.lasallehotels.com. A replay of the conference call will be archived and available online through the Investor Relations section of http://www.lasallehotels.com.
LaSalle Hotel Properties is a leading multi-operator real estate investment trust. The Company owns 40 hotels and a mezzanine loan secured by two hotels in Santa Monica, CA. The properties are upscale, full-service hotels, totaling more than 10,600 guest rooms in 13 markets in 9 states and the District of Columbia. The Company focuses on owning, redeveloping and repositioning upscale, full-service hotels located in urban, resort and convention markets. LaSalle Hotel Properties seeks to grow through strategic relationships with premier lodging companies, including Westin Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Outrigger Lodging Services, Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Benchmark Hospitality, White Lodging Services Corporation, Thompson Hotels, Davidson Hotel Company, Denihan Hospitality Group, the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, LLC, Accor, Destination Hotels & Resorts, HEI Hotels & Resorts, JRK Hotel Group, Inc., Viceroy Hotel Group, Highgate Hotels and Access Hotels & Resorts.
This press release, together with other statements and information publicly disseminated by the Company, contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company intends such 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 includes this statement for purposes of complying with these safe harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe the Company’s future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use of the words “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, among others, statements about the renovation of the Park Central Hotel and Westhouse, outlook for RevPAR, adjusted FFO, adjusted EBITDA and derivations thereof and the Company’s outlook for capital investments. You should not rely on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond the Company’s control and which could materially affect actual results, performances or achievements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, (i) the Company’s dependence on third-party managers of its hotels, including its inability to implement strategic business decisions directly, (ii) risks associated with the hotel industry, including competition, increases in wages, energy costs and other operating costs, actual or threatened terrorist attacks, downturns in general and local economic conditions and cancellation of or delays in the completion of anticipated demand generators, (iii) the availability and terms of financing and capital and the general volatility of securities markets, (iv) risks associated with the real estate industry, including environmental contamination and costs of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and similar laws, (v) interest rate increases, (vi) the possible failure of the Company to qualify as a REIT and the risk of changes in laws affecting REITs, (vii) the possibility of uninsured losses, (viii) risks associated with redevelopment and repositioning projects, including delays and cost overruns and (ix) the risk factors discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as updated in its Quarterly Reports. Accordingly, there is no assurance that the Company’s expectations will be realized. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, the Company disclaims any obligation or undertaking to publicly release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein (or elsewhere) to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
For additional information or to receive press releases via e-mail, please visit our website at www.lasallehotels.com.
With respect to Hotel EBITDA, the Company believes that excluding the effect of corporate-level expenses, non-cash items, and the portion of these items related to unconsolidated entities provides a more complete understanding of the operating results over which individual hotels and operators have direct control. We believe property-level results provide investors with supplemental information on the ongoing operational performance of our hotels and effectiveness of the third-party management companies operating our business on a property-level basis.
With respect to Hotel EBITDA, the Company believes that excluding the effect of corporate-level expenses, non-cash items, and the portion of these items related to unconsolidated entities provides a more complete understanding of the operating results over which individual hotels and operators have direct control. We believe property-level results provide investors with supplemental information on the ongoing operational performance of our hotels and effectiveness of the third-party management companies operating our business on a property-level basis.
Hotel EBITDA includes all properties owned as of June 30, 2013 for the Company’s period of ownership in 2013 and the comparable period in 2012.
Note:
This schedule includes operating data for the three and six months ended June 30, 2013 for all properties owned by the Company as of June 30, 2013. Palomar DC, L’Auberge and Liberty are shown in 2012 for their comparative period of ownership in 2013. Hotel EBITDA margin is calculated by dividing hotel EBITDA for the period by the total hotel revenues for the period.
This schedule includes operating data for all properties owned as of June 30, 2013 for the Company’s period of ownership in 2013 and the comparable period in 2012.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
FFO, EBITDA and Hotel EBITDA
The Company considers the non-GAAP measures of FFO (including FFO per share/unit), EBITDA and hotel EBITDA to be key supplemental measures of the Company’s performance and should be considered along with, but not as alternatives to, net income or loss as a measure of the Company’s operating performance. Historical cost accounting for real estate assets implicitly assumes that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time. Since real estate values instead have historically risen or fallen with market conditions, most real estate industry investors consider FFO, EBITDA and hotel EBITDA to be helpful in evaluating a real estate company’s operations.
The White Paper on FFO approved by NAREIT in April 2002, as revised in 2011, defines FFO as net income or loss (computed in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains or losses from sales of properties, impairment write-downs and items classified by GAAP as extraordinary, plus real estate-related depreciation and amortization (excluding amortization of deferred finance costs) and after comparable adjustments for the Company’s portion of these items related to unconsolidated entities and joint ventures. The Company computes FFO consistent with standards established by NAREIT, which may not be comparable to FFO reported by other REITs that do not define the term in accordance with the current NAREIT definition or that interpret the current NAREIT definition differently than the Company.
With respect to FFO, the Company believes that excluding the effect of extraordinary items, real estate-related depreciation and amortization, and the portion of these items related to unconsolidated entities, all of which are based on historical cost accounting and which may be of limited significance in evaluating current performance, can facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between REITs, even though FFO does not represent an amount that accrues directly to common shareholders. However, FFO may not be helpful when comparing the Company to non-REITs.
With respect to EBITDA, the Company believes that excluding the effect of non-operating expenses and non-cash charges, and the portion of these items related to unconsolidated entities, all of which are also based on historical cost accounting and may be of limited significance in evaluating current performance, can help eliminate the accounting effects of depreciation and amortization, and financing decisions and facilitate comparisons of core operating profitability between periods and between REITs, even though EBITDA also does not represent an amount that accrues directly to common shareholders.
With respect to hotel EBITDA, the Company believes that excluding the effect of corporate-level expenses, non-cash items, and the portion of these items related to unconsolidated entities, provides a more complete understanding of the operating results over which individual hotels and operators have direct control. We believe property-level results provide investors with supplemental information on the ongoing operational performance of our hotels and effectiveness of the third-party management companies operating our business on a property-level basis.
FFO, EBITDA and hotel EBITDA do not represent cash generated from operating activities as determined by GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to net income or loss, cash flows from operations or any other operating performance measure prescribed by GAAP. FFO, EBITDA and hotel EBITDA are not measures of the Company’s liquidity, nor are FFO, EBITDA and hotel EBITDA indicative of funds available to fund the Company’s cash needs, including its ability to make cash distributions. These measurements do not reflect cash expenditures for long-term assets and other items that have been and will be incurred. FFO, EBITDA and hotel EBITDA may include funds that may not be available for management’s discretionary use due to functional requirements to conserve funds for capital expenditures, property acquisitions, and other commitments and uncertainties. To compensate for this, management considers the impact of these excluded items to the extent they are material to operating decisions or the evaluation of the Company’s operating performance.
Adjusted FFO and Adjusted EBITDA
The Company presents adjusted FFO (including adjusted FFO per share/unit) and adjusted EBITDA, which adjusts for certain additional items including gains on sale of property and impairment losses (to the extent included in EBITDA), acquisition transaction costs, costs associated with the departure of executive officers, costs associated with the recognition of issuance costs related to the calling of preferred shares and certain other items. The Company excludes these items as it believes it allows for meaningful comparisons with other REITs and between periods and is more indicative of the ongoing performance of its assets. As with FFO, EBITDA, and hotel EBITDA, the Company’s calculation of adjusted FFO and adjusted EBITDA may be different from similar adjusted measures calculated by other REITs.
