W. P. Carey Announces First Quarter Financial Results
W. P. Carey Q1 Financials
New York, NY – May 8, 2008 – Investment firm W. P. Carey & Co. LLC (NYSE: WPC) today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008.
QUARTERLY RESULTS
- Total revenues net of reimbursed expenses for the first quarter of 2008 were $47 million, compared to $41.2 million for the first quarter of 2007. Reimbursed expenses are excluded from total revenues because they have no impact on net income.
- Net income for the first quarter of 2008 increased to $17.1 million, as compared to $10.8 million for the same period in 2007.
- Diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the first quarter of 2008 increased to $0.43, as compared to $0.27 for the same period in 2007.
- Funds from operations (FFO) for the first quarter of 2008, as per the attached table, increased to $0.54 per diluted share, or $21.5 million, as compared to $0.47 per diluted share, or $18.6 million, for the comparable period in 2007.
- Cash flows from operating activities for the three months increased to $10.8 million from $(0.3) million in 2007.
- The Board of Directors raised the quarterly cash distribution to $0.482 per share for the first quarter, which was paid on April 15, 2008 to shareholders of record as of March 31, 2008.
SUPPLEMENTAL PERFORMANCE METRICS
- Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) from our investment management segment totaled $0.37 per diluted share, or $14.7 million this quarter, an increase over EBITDA of $0.29 per diluted share, or $11.6 million, in the first quarter of 2007.
- FFO from our real estate ownership segment in the first quarter of 2008 increased to $0.40 per diluted share, or $16.1 million, from $0.37 per diluted share, or $14.7 million in the first quarter of 2007.
- For the three months ended March 31, 2008, adjusted cash flow from operations totaled $38.7 million, as compared to $37.4 million for the previous period.
- Further information concerning these non-GAAP supplemental performance metrics is presented in the accompanying tables.
INVESTMENT AND FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY
- In the first quarter of 2008, we structured investments totaling approximately $57 million on behalf of our CPA® REITs – all domestic – compared to $167 million for the first quarter of 2007. During April 2008, we closed an additional $31 million in transactions in Finland and Germany.
- Our newest offering, CPA®:17 – Global, began fundraising this year. Through May 7, 2008, we have raised more than $110 million on CPA®:17 – Global’s behalf.
GROWTH IN ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
- W. P. Carey is the advisor to the CPA® REITs, which had assets valued at approximately $8.6 billion as of March 31, 2008 – a 14.2% increase as compared to March 31, 2007.
- Since 2001, the Company's assets under management on behalf of the CPA® REITs have more than tripled.
- As of March 31, 2008, the occupancy rate of our 17 million square foot owned portfolio was approximately 96%. In addition, for the 88 million square feet owned by the CPA® REITs, the occupancy rate was more than 99%.
CAREY WATERMARK
- In March 2008, we formed Carey Watermark Investors Incorporated in March 2008 for the purpose of acquiring interests in lodging and lodging related properties. We currently expect to launch this $1 billion offering later this year.
“We are pleased with the results that we have generated for the first quarter of 2008,” said Gordon F. DuGan, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Revenues increased in both our owned real estate and investment advisory segments and contributed to a strong quarter; although we should note that some of the increase was due to full recognition of our structuring and asset management revenue in Q1 2008 which was not the case in Q1 2007. While investment volume tends to be unpredictable quarter-to-quarter, we are currently experiencing a period of lower investment origination relative to last year that may reflect, in part, a period of pricing adjustment in the sale-leaseback market. We believe that the adjustment that we are experiencing is short-term in nature and that there should be a large number of attractive investment opportunities during the remainder of 2008. We are continuing to raise CPA®:17 – Global with those opportunities in mind. Overall, we believe we are well-positioned for today’s environment with a strong balance sheet and an opportunistic investment approach.”
CONFERENCE CALL & WEBCAST
Please call at least 10 minutes prior to call to register
Time: Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 11:00 AM (ET)
Call-in Number: 1-877-407-0782
(International) +1-201-689-8567
Webcast: www.wpcarey.com/earnings
Podcast: www.wpcarey.com/podcast
Available after 2:00 PM (ET)
Replay Number: 1-877-660-6853
(International) +1-201-612-7415
Replay Access Codes: Account # 286 and Conference ID # 280515. Please note that both access codes are required for playback. Replay available until May 23, 2008 at midnight ET.
W. P. Carey & Co. LLC
W. P. Carey & Co. LLC provides long-term sale-leaseback and build-to-suit transactions for companies worldwide and manages a global investment portfolio worth more than $10 billion. Publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (WPC), W. P. Carey and its CPA® series of income-generating, non-traded REITs help companies and private equity firms release capital tied up in real estate assets. Now in our 35th year, the W. P. Carey Group’s real estate holdings are highly diversified, comprised of more than 850 commercial and industrial assets spanning 28 industries and 14 countries. www.wpcarey.com
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This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Federal securities laws. A number of factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievement to differ materially from those anticipated. Among those risks, trends and uncertainties are the general economic climate; the supply of and demand for office and industrial properties; interest rate levels; the availability of financing; and other risks associated with the acquisition and ownership of properties, including risks that the tenants will not pay rent, or that costs may be greater than anticipated. For further information on factors that could impact the Company, reference is made to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.