Published on 22 Jan 2024 on Zacks via Yahoo Finance
Realty Income (O) Expands With Spirit Realty Capital Merger
Realty Income O has completed its all-stock merger transaction with Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. The transaction is immediately accretive on a leverage-neutral basis and adds to Realty Income's size, scale and diversification, enabling it to expand its scope for future growth.Per the merger agreement terms, at the closing of the merger, Spirit common stockholders were entitled to receive 0.762 shares of Realty Income common stock for each Spirit common stock they held.According to Realty Income’s October press release regarding the acquisition, the transaction is likely to deliver more than 2.5% accretion to Realty Income's annualized adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share. The REIT also noted that at closing, Realty Income and Spirit shareholders will own around 87% and 13% of the combined company, respectively.Further, from the combined portfolio, Realty Income will benefit in terms of reduced rent concentration for nine of its current top 10 industries and 18 of its current top 20 clients. The combined portfolio's annualized contractual rent will increase from $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion.Realty Income has been focused on external growth through the exploration of accretive acquisition opportunities and developments. The solid property acquisitions volume at decent investment spreads has aided the company’s performance so far.In November 2023, Realty Income entered into a JV with Digital Realty DLR to facilitate the development of two build-to-suit data centers in Northern Virginia. The move marked the retail REIT’s maiden foray into the data center sector and further diversified its portfolio. It invested approximately $200 million, securing an 80% equity interest in the venture, while Digital Realty maintains a 20% interest.Moreover, during the nine months ended Sep 30, 2023, Realty Income invested $6.8 billion in 1,187 properties and properties under development or expansion at an initial weighted average cash lease yield of 6.9%. This included properties in the United States and Europe. In 2022, Realty Income invested $8.9 billion in 1,301 properties and properties under development or expansion.Going forward, Realty Income’s accretive buyouts, backed by a healthy balance sheet, bode well for long-term growth. The company’s portfolio comprises a significant portion of top industries selling essential goods and services. It enjoys a well-diversified tenant base and derives the majority of its annualized contractual rents from tenants with a service, non-discretionary and/or a low-price-point component to their business, assuring stable revenue generation. Higher macroeconomic uncertainty and high interest rates add to the company’s concerns.Shares of this currently Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have risen 13.6% over the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 19.7%.
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