Item 1A. Risk Factors
Summary Risk Factors
You should carefully consider the matters discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for factors you should consider before investing in our common stock:
• Single-tenant leases involve significant risks of tenant default and tenant vacancies, which could materially and adversely affect us.
• We have limited opportunities to increase rents under our long-term leases with tenants, which could impede our growth and materially and adversely affect us.
• Our growth depends upon future acquisitions of properties, and we may be unable to identify or complete suitable acquisitions of properties, which may impede our growth, and our future acquisitions may not yield the returns we seek.
• An increase in market interest rates could increase our interest costs on existing and future debt and could adversely affect our stock price, and a decrease in market interest rates could lead to additional competition for the acquisition of real estate, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
• Our portfolio is concentrated in certain states, and any adverse developments and economic downturns in these geographic markets could materially and adversely affect us.
• Our portfolio is concentrated in certain property types and any adverse developments relating to one or more of these property types could materially and adversely affect us.
• We may be unable to renew leases, re-lease properties as leases expire, or lease vacant spaces on favorable terms or at all, which, in each case, could materially and adversely affect us.
• We could face potential material adverse effects from the bankruptcies or insolvencies of our tenants.
• We may engage in development or expansion projects, including speculative development projects, which would subject us to additional risks that could negatively impact our operations.
• Global and U.S. financial markets and economic conditions, such as inflation, may materially and adversely affect us and the ability of our tenants to make rental payments to us pursuant to our leases.
• As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately $2.5 billion principal balance of indebtedness outstanding, which may expose us to the risk of default under our debt obligations.
• Our Revolving Credit Facility and term loan agreements contain various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate our repayment obligations, thereby materially and adversely affecting us.
• We are a holding company with no direct operations and rely on funds received from the OP to pay liabilities.
• Failure to qualify as a REIT would materially and adversely affect us and the value of our common stock.
• The market price and trading volume of shares of our common stock may be volatile and could be substantially affected by various factors.
• We may not be able to make distributions to our stockholders at the times or in the amounts we expect, or at all.
Risk Factors
The following are some of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those presented in our forward-looking statements. You should consider carefully the risks described below and the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face but do represent those risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business.
Risks Related to Our Business and Properties
Single-tenant leases involve significant risks of tenant default and tenant vacancies, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Our portfolio consists primarily of single-tenant net leased properties and we are dependent on our tenants for substantially all of our revenue. As a result, our success depends on the financial stability of our tenants. The ability of our tenants to meet their obligations to us, including their obligations to pay rent, maintain certain insurance coverage, pay real estate
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taxes, and maintain the properties in a manner so as not to jeopardize their operations depends on the performance of their business and industry, as well as general market and economic conditions, which are outside of our control. There can be no assurance that our tenants will make their payments and not default on their obligations to us. At any given time, any tenant may experience a downturn in its business that may weaken its operating results or the overall financial condition of individual properties or its business as whole. As a result, a tenant may fail to make rental payments when due, decline to extend a lease upon its expiration, fail to maintain the property or otherwise pay its required expenses, including real estate taxes, under the terms of a lease, become insolvent, or declare bankruptcy. An actual or anticipated tenant default, bankruptcy, or vacancy, or speculation in the press or investment community about an actual or anticipated tenant , , or vacancy may also affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the market price or trading volume of shares of our common stock. The financial of, or in payment by, a single tenant under its lease is likely to cause a significant or complete reduction in our rental revenue from that property and a reduction in the value of the property. We may also experience or a significant in re-leasing or selling such property. The occurrence of one or more tenant could materially and affect us.
This risk is magnified in situations where we lease multiple properties to a single tenant under a master lease. As of December 31, 2025, master leases contributed to approximately 64.9% of our ABR associated with multi-site tenants (379 of 658 multi-site tenant properties), and approximately 38.6% of our overall ABR (379 of our 771 properties)]. Although the master lease structure may be beneficial to us because it restricts the ability of tenants to remove individual underperforming assets, there is no guarantee that a tenant will not default in its obligations to us or decline to renew its master lease upon expiration. A tenant failure or default under a master lease could reduce or eliminate rental revenue from multiple properties and reduce the value of such properties. The default of a tenant that leases multiple properties from us or its decision not to renew its master lease upon expiration could materially and adversely affect us.
We have limited opportunities to increase rents under our long-term leases with tenants, which could impede our growth and materially and adversely affect us.
We typically lease our properties pursuant to long-term net leases with initial terms of 10 years or more that often have renewal options. As of December 31, 2025, the ABR weighted average remaining term of our leases was approximately 9.6 years, excluding renewal options. Substantially all of our leases provide for periodic rent escalations, but these built-in increases may be less than what we otherwise could achieve in the market. Most of our leases contain rent escalators that increase rent at a fixed amount on fixed dates, which may be less than prevailing market rates over the lease duration. For those leases that contain rent escalators based on CPI changes, our rent increases during periods of low inflation or deflation may be less than what we otherwise could achieve in the market. Conversely, during times when inflation is greater than the increases in rent provided by our leases, rent increases will not keep up with the rate of inflation and may fail to keep pace with rising costs. As a result, the long-term nature of our leases could impede our growth and materially and adversely affect us. In addition, properties leased pursuant to long-term leases at below market rental rates or with below market rent escalations may be less to potential buyers, which could affect our ability to sell such properties at an acceptable price or at all.
Our growth depends upon future acquisitions of properties, and we may be unable to identify or complete suitable acquisitions of properties, which may impede our growth, and our future acquisitions may not yield the returns we seek.
Our business model depends significantly on acquiring new properties. From 2015 to 2025, we acquired an average of $580.0 million of new properties per year, with a low of $100.0 million and a high of $1.0 billion. Our ability to continue to grow requires us to identify and complete acquisitions that meet our investment criteria and depends on general market and economic conditions. Changes in the volume of real estate transactions, the availability of acquisition financing, capitalization rates, interest rates, competition, or other factors may negatively impact our acquisition opportunities in 2026 and beyond. If we are unable to achieve growth through acquisitions, it could materially and adversely affect us.
We may not be able to obtain acquisition financing or obtain other capital from third-party sources on favorable terms or at all, which could materially and adversely affect our growth prospects and our business.
In order to qualify as a REIT, we are required under the Code, among other things, to distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain. In addition, we will be subject to income tax at the corporate rate to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and including any net capital gain. Because of these distribution requirements, we may not be able to fund future capital needs, including any necessary acquisition financing, or repay debt obligations from operating cash flow. Consequently, we expect to rely, in part, on third-party sources to fund our capital needs. We may not be able to obtain the financing on favorable terms or at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital from the equity and/or debt markets depends, in part, on:
• general market conditions;
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• the market’s perception of our growth potential;
• our current debt levels;
• our current and expected future earnings;
• the performance of our portfolio;
• our cash flow and cash distributions;
• external valuations by credit ratings agencies and analysts; and
• the market price per share of our common stock.
If we cannot obtain capital from third-party sources, we may not be able to acquire properties when actionable or strategic opportunities exist, meet the capital and operating needs of our existing properties, or satisfy our debt service obligations, which could materially and adversely affect us.
An increase in market interest rates could increase our interest costs on existing and future debt and could adversely affect our stock price, and a decrease in market interest rates could lead to additional competition for the acquisition of real estate, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
If interest rates increase, so could our interest costs for any new debt and our existing variable-rate debt obligations. Absent a simultaneous increase in acquisition yields, this increased cost could make the financing of any acquisition more expensive and lower our current and future period earnings. Rising interest rates could limit our ability to refinance existing debt when it matures or cause us to pay higher interest rates upon refinancing. See “Risks Related to Debt Financing” for additional information. In addition, an increase in interest rates could decrease the access current and prospective tenants have to credit, thereby decreasing the amount they are willing to pay to lease our assets and consequently limiting our ability, if necessary, to reposition our portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other conditions. Furthermore, the distribution yield on our common stock will influence the price of such common stock. Thus, an increase in market interest rates may lead prospective purchasers of our common stock to expect a higher distribution yield, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. See “Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock” for more information. In addition, decreases in interest rates may lead to additional competition for the acquisition of real estate due to a reduction in desirable alternative income-producing investments. Increased competition for the acquisition of real estate may lead to a decrease in the yields on real estate we have targeted for acquisition. In such circumstances, if we are not to offset the decrease in yields by obtaining lower interest costs on our borrowings, our results of operations will be affected.
As we continue to acquire properties pursuant to our investment strategy, our portfolio may become less diversified, which could materially and adversely affect us.
In pursuing our investment strategy, we may acquire properties that cause our portfolio to become less diversified. If our portfolio becomes less diverse, our business may become subject to greater risk, including tenant bankruptcies, adverse industry trends, and economic downturns in a particular geographic area. As a result, if any such risks of a less diversified portfolio are realized, we could be materially and adversely affected.
We face significant competition for acquiring properties from both publicly traded REITs and private investors that have greater resources than we do, which could materially and adversely affect us.
We face significant competition from other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, including publicly traded and privately held REITs, private and institutional real estate investors, sovereign wealth funds, banks, insurance companies, investment banking firms, lenders, specialty finance companies, and other entities. Some of our competitors are larger and may have considerably greater financial, technical, leasing, underwriting, marketing, and other resources than we do. Some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that may not be available to us. In addition, other competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments and may not be subject to the same operating constraints, including maintaining REIT status. This competition may result in fewer acquisitions, higher prices, lower yields, less desirable property types, and acceptance of greater risk. As a result, we cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to successfully execute our investment strategy. Any failure to grow pursuant to our investment strategy as a result of the significant competition we face could materially and adversely affect us.
Our portfolio is concentrated in certain states, and any adverse developments and economic downturns in these geographic markets could materially and adversely affect us.
As of December 31, 2025, approximately 35.4% of our ABR came from properties in our top five states: Texas (10.2%), Michigan (8.6%), Florida (5.9%), Illinois (5.4%), and California (5.3%). These geographic concentrations could adversely affect our operating performance if conditions become less favorable in any of the states or markets within which we have
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a concentration of properties. We can provide no assurance that any of our markets will grow, will not experience adverse developments, or that underlying real estate fundamentals will be favorable to owners and operators of industrial, retail, and other properties. A downturn in the economy in the states or regions in which we have a concentration of properties, or markets within such states or regions, or a slowdown in the demand for our tenants’ businesses caused by adverse economic, regulatory, or other conditions, could adversely affect our tenants operating businesses in those states and impair their ability to pay rent to us, which, in turn could materially and adversely affect us.
Our portfolio is concentrated in certain property types and any adverse developments relating to these property types could materially and adversely affect us.
As of December 31, 2025, approximately 61.9% of our ABR came from industrial properties and 30.1% from retail properties. Any adverse developments in these property types could materially and adversely affect us. For example, the demand for industrial space in the United States is generally related to the level of economic output and consumer demand. Accordingly, reduced economic output and/or consumer demand may lead to lower occupancy rates or decreased demand for our industrial properties. In addition, the market for retail properties has been, and could continue to be, adversely affected by weakness in the national, regional, and local economies, the adverse financial condition of some large brands and companies, adverse changes in consumer spending and consumer preferences for retailing, and the excess amount of retail space in a number of markets. Accordingly, decreases in the demand for industrial or retail properties may have a greater adverse effect on us than if we had fewer investments in these industries. It also may be difficult and expensive to re-tenant a property designed for a particular property type with a new tenant that operates in an industry requiring a different property type. As a result, any developments in our concentrated property types could materially and affect us.
If one or more of our top 10 tenants, which together represented approximately 21.1% of our ABR as of December 31, 2025, suffers a downturn in their business, it could materially and adversely affect us.
As of December 31, 2025, our top 10 tenants together represented 21.1% of our ABR. Our largest tenant is Roskam Baking Company, which leases seven properties that in the aggregate represent approximately 3.9% of our ABR. Our top 10 tenants may experience a material business downturn weakening their financial position resulting in their failure to make timely rent payments and/or default under their leases. As a result, our revenue and cash flow could be materially and adversely affected.
We may be unable to sell a property at the time we desire on favorable terms or at all, which could limit our ability to access capital through dispositions and could adversely affect our cash flow, financial condition, and results of operations.
Real estate investments generally cannot be sold quickly. Our ability to dispose of properties on advantageous terms depends on factors beyond our control, including competition from other sellers, increases in market capitalization rates and the availability of attractive financing for potential buyers of our properties, and we cannot predict the various market conditions affecting real estate investments that will exist at any particular time in the future. As a result of the uncertainty of market conditions, we cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to sell properties at a profit, or at all. In addition, and subject to certain safe harbor provisions, the Code generally imposes a 100% tax on gain recognized by REITs upon the sale or disposition of property other than a foreclosure property, if the property is held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, rather than for investment, which may cause us to forego or defer sales of properties that otherwise would be attractive from a pre-tax perspective or require us to conduct such sales through our taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”), which would be subject to U.S. federal and state income taxation. Accordingly, our ability to access capital through dispositions of properties may be limited, which could limit our ability to fund future capital needs.
We may be unable to renew leases, re-lease properties as leases expire, or lease vacant spaces on favorable terms or at all, which, in each case, could materially and adversely affect us.
Our results of operations depend on our ability to continue to successfully lease our properties, including renewing expiring leases, re-leasing properties as leases expire, leasing vacant space, optimizing our tenant mix, or leasing properties on more economically favorable terms. As of December 31, 2025, 22 leases representing approximately 3.3% of our ABR will expire during 2026. Current tenants may decline, or may not have the financial resources available, to renew current leases and we cannot assure you that leases that are renewed will have terms that are as economically favorable to us as the expiring lease terms. If tenants do not renew the leases as they expire, we cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to find new tenants or that our properties will be re-leased at rental rates equal to or above the current average rental rates or that substantial rent abatements, leasing commissions, tenant improvement allowances, early termination rights, or below-market renewal options will not be required to attract new tenants. We may experience significant costs in connection with re-leasing a significant number of our properties, which could materially and affect us. As of
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December 31, 2025, one of our properties, representing approximately 0.2% of our portfolio, were unoccupied. We may experience difficulties in leasing these vacant spaces on favorable terms or at all. Any failure to renew leases, re-lease properties as leases expire, or lease vacant space could materially and adversely affect us.
Property vacancies could result in significant capital expenditures and illiquidity, particularly for specialty properties that are suitable for only one use.
The loss of a tenant, either through lease expiration or tenant bankruptcy or insolvency, may require us to spend significant amounts of capital to renovate the property before it is suitable for a new tenant and cause us to incur significant costs. In particular, our specialty properties are designed for a particular type of tenant or tenant use. If tenants of specialty properties do not renew or default on their leases, we may not be able to re-lease properties without substantial capital improvements, which may require significant cost and time to complete. Alternatively, we may not be able to re-lease or sell the property without such improvements or may be required to reduce the rent or selling price significantly. Supply chain disruptions and price fluctuations in the construction and building industry could result in increased costs and significant delays for building renovation and maintenance projects. This potential illiquidity may limit our ability to quickly adjust our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions, including tenant demand. Such occurrences could materially and affect us.
Our underwriting and risk management procedures that we use to evaluate a tenant’s credit risk may be faulty, deficient, or otherwise fail to accurately reflect the risk of our investment, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Our underwriting and risk management procedures that we use to evaluate a tenant’s credit risk may not be sufficient to identify tenant problems in a timely manner or at all. To evaluate tenant credit risk, we utilize a tenant’s public credit rating if available and credit-assessment tools to help us determine a tenant’s implied credit rating when a public rating is not available. Tenant credit ratings, public or implied, however, are only one component of how we assess the risk of tenant insolvency. We also use our own internal estimate of the likelihood of an insolvency or default, based on the regularly monitored performance of our properties, our assessment of each tenant’s financial health, including profitability, liquidity, indebtedness, and leverage profile, and our assessment of the health and performance of the tenant’s particular industry. Our methods may not adequately assess the risk of an investment and, if our assessment of credit quality proves to be inaccurate, we may be subject to defaults and investors may view our cash flows as less stable.
We also rely on information from our tenants to evaluate credit risk and conduct ongoing risk management. As of December 31, 2025, approximately 81.6% of our ABR is received from tenants that are required to provide us with specified financial information on a periodic basis. An additional 14.2% of our ABR is received from tenants who are not required to provide us with specified financial information under the terms of our lease, but whose financial statements are available publicly, either through SEC filings or otherwise. A tenant’s failure to provide appropriate information may interfere with our ability to accurately evaluate a potential tenant’s credit risk or determine an existing tenant’s default risk, the occurrence of either could materially and adversely affect us.
We may experience a higher number of tenant defaults because we lease most of our properties to tenants who do not have an investment grade credit rating.
We depend on the ability of our tenants to meet their obligations to pay rent to us due under our lease for substantially all of our revenue. As of December 31, 2025, only approximately 20.2% of our ABR came from tenants who had an investment grade credit rating. A substantial majority of our properties are leased to unrated tenants. Our investments in properties leased to unrated tenants may have a greater risk of default than investments in properties leased exclusively to investment grade tenants. The ability of an unrated tenant to meet its rent and other obligations under its lease with us may be subject to greater risk than our tenants that have an investment grade rating. If one or more of our unrated tenants defaults, it could have a material adverse effect on us.
We could face potential material adverse effects from the bankruptcies or insolvencies of our tenants.
If a tenant, or the guarantor of a lease of a tenant, commences, or has commenced against it, any legal or equitable proceeding under any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership, or other debtor’s relief statute or law (collectively, a “bankruptcy proceeding”), we may be unable to collect all sums due to us under that tenant’s lease or be forced to “take back” a property as a result of a default or a rejection of a lease by a tenant in a bankruptcy proceeding. In addition, an actual or anticipated tenant bankruptcy or speculation in the press or investment community about an actual or anticipated tenant bankruptcy may also negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the market price or trading volume of shares of our common stock. If a tenant becomes bankrupt or , federal law may prohibit us from such tenant based solely upon such or . In addition, a or tenant may be authorized to and its lease or leases with us. Any such tenant for future rent would be subject to statutory that would likely result in our receipt of rental revenues that are substantially less than the
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contractually specified rent we are owed under the lease or leases. Any or all of the lease obligations of our tenants, or any guarantor of our tenants, could be subject to a bankruptcy proceeding which may bar our efforts to collect pre-bankruptcy debts from these entities or their properties, unless we are able to obtain an enabling order from the bankruptcy court. If our lease is rejected by a tenant in bankruptcy, we may only have a general unsecured claim against the tenant and may not be entitled to any further payments under the lease. We may also be unable to re-lease a terminated or rejected space or to re-lease it on comparable or more favorable terms. A bankruptcy proceeding could hinder or our efforts to collect past due balances and ultimately collection of these sums, resulting in a decrease or cessation of rental payments, which could materially and affect us.
Our properties may be subject to impairment charges.
We routinely evaluate our real estate investments for impairment indicators. The judgment regarding the existence of impairment indicators is based on factors such as market conditions and tenant performance. For example, the early termination of, or default under, a lease by a tenant may lead to an impairment charge. Since our investment focus is on properties net leased to a single tenant, the financial failure of, or other default by, a single tenant under its lease(s) may result in a significant impairment loss. If we determine that an impairment has occurred, we would be required to make a downward adjustment to the net carrying value of the property, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which the impairment charge is recorded. Management has recorded charges related to certain properties in each of the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023, and may record future based on actual results and changes in circumstances. See “ Accounting Policies – Long-Lived Asset ” in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for a discussion of real estate charges.
We may engage in development or expansion projects, including speculative development projects, which would subject us to additional risks that could negatively impact our operations.
We may engage in development or expansion projects, which are subject to a number of risks, including construction delays, supply chain disruptions and inflation, price fluctuation of materials, and cost overruns that may increase anticipated project costs. Such development or expansion projects could also require us, our tenants, or any development partners to raise additional capital or obtain zoning, occupancy, or other required governmental permits and authorizations. A decision by any governmental agency not to issue a required permit or substantial delays in the permitting process could cause the incurrence of penalties, delay us from receiving rental payments, result in us receiving reduced rental payments, or prevent us from pursuing the development or expansion project altogether. We also rely on third-party construction managers and/or engineers to monitor certain construction activities. If we engage or partner with a developer, we rely on the developer to monitor construction activities and our interests may not be aligned. Additional risks related to development or expansion projects include, but are not limited to:
• unsuccessful development opportunities could cause us to incur direct expenses;
• construction costs of a project may exceed original estimates making the project less profitable than originally estimated or unprofitable;
• time or cost required to complete the construction of a project or to lease up the completed project may be greater than originally anticipated, thereby adversely affecting our cash flow and liquidity;
• legal action to compel performance of contractors, developers, or partners may cause delays and our costs may not be reimbursed;
• we may not be able to find tenants to lease the space built on a speculative basis or in a redeveloped or renovated building, which will impact our cash flow and ability to finance or sell such properties;
• possible gaps in warranty obligations of our developers and contractors and the obligations to a tenant;
• occupancy rates and rents of a completed project may not be sufficient to make the project profitable; and
• favorable financing sources to fund development activities may not be available.
The inability to successfully complete development or expansion projects or to complete them on a timely basis could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We may enter into new transaction structures, including real estate lending opportunities, the provision of transitional capital, and joint ventures, which would subject us to additional risks that could negatively impact our operations.
We may explore and enter into new transaction structures, including real estate lending opportunities, the provision of transitional capital, and joint ventures, that may or may not be closely related to our current business. These new transaction structures may have new, different, or increased risks than what we are currently exposed to in our business and
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we may not be able to manage these risks successfully. Additionally, when investing in such new transaction structures, we will be exposed to the risk that those structures, or the income generated thereby, will affect our ability to meet the requirements to maintain our REIT status and to avoid entity-level taxes, or will subject us to additional regulatory requirements or limitations. If we are not able to successfully manage the risks associated with such new transaction structures, it could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Our business may be adversely affected by changes in U.S. trade policy, including the imposition of tariffs and resulting effects.
Changes in U.S. trade policy, including the imposition of tariffs on certain foreign goods or an increase in existing tariffs, renegotiating or terminating certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements, and the imposition of additional trade restrictions, may have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations resulting from potential negative effects on the operations of our tenants and/or our ability to successfully execute on build-to-suit development projects and expansion opportunities. While these developments should not directly affect the Company because of the nature of our operations, they could negatively impact the operations of our tenants to the extent they import or export goods in connection with the operation of their respective businesses, which could in turn negatively impact the ability of our tenants to fulfill their contractual obligations pursuant to our leases, including the payment of rent. Further, if, as a result of existing or future tariffs, current or future tenants or development partners are forced to increase prices of their goods or services, incur additional expenses for inputs or construction materials, modify business operations, or business , it may lead to the , , or of our existing and future build-to-suit development projects and expansion , which may affect our results of operations.
Security breaches, technology disruptions, and new technologies could compromise our information systems and expose us to liability, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Information security risks, including risks associated with security breaches through cyber-attacks or cyber-intrusions, malware, computer viruses, attachments to e-mails, persons inside our organization or persons with access to systems inside our organization, and other significant disruptions of our IT networks and related systems, have increased in recent years due to the increased technological sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyber-attacks, including by computer hackers, foreign governments, and cyber terrorists. Our business involves the storage and transmission of sensitive and confidential information and intellectual property, including tenants’ information, private information about our stockholders and our employees, and financial and strategic information about us. In addition to our internal information systems, we also rely on third-party service providers that may have access to such information in connection with providing necessary information technology, security, and other business services to us. If we fail to assess and identify cybersecurity risks associated with our operations, we may become increasingly vulnerable to such risks. Additionally, the measures we have implemented to prevent security breaches and cyber incidents may not be effective. The theft, , , , or release of sensitive or confidential information or intellectual property, or with or of our IT networks and related systems or the technology systems of third parties on which we rely, could result in business , publicity, brand , of privacy laws, of tenants, liability, and competitive . The costs related to cyber-attacks or other security or may not be fully insured or indemnified by other means. Laws and regulations governing data privacy are constantly evolving and often contain detailed requirements regarding collecting and processing personal information, restrict the use and storage of such information, and govern the effectiveness of consumer consent. Any of the above risks could materially and affect us.
New technologies also continue to develop, including tools that harness generative artificial intelligence and other machine learning techniques (collectively, “AI”). AI is developing at a rapid pace and becoming more accessible. As a result, the use of such new technologies by the Company and/or the Company’s third-party service providers can present additional known and unknown risks, including, among others, the risk that confidential information may be stolen, misappropriated, or disclosed and the risk that the Company and/or its third-party service providers may rely on incorrect, unclear, or biased outputs generated by such evolving technologies, any of which could have an adverse impact on the Company and its business.
Changes in accounting standards may materially and adversely affect us.
From time to time the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), and the SEC, which create and interpret accounting standards, may change the financial accounting and reporting standards or their interpretation and application of these standards that will govern the preparation of our financial statements. These changes could materially and adversely affect our reported financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in restated prior period financial statements. In addition, any changes may undermine our ability to prepare timely and accurate financial statements, which could result in a lack of investor confidence and could materially and adversely affect us. Similarly, these changes could materially and adversely affect our
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tenants’ reported financial condition or results of operations and affect their preferences regarding leasing real estate as well as their ability to provide accurate or complete financial information to us.
Certain provisions of our leases or loan agreements may be unenforceable, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Our rights and obligations with respect to the leases at our properties, mortgage loans, or other loans are governed by written agreements. A court could determine that one or more provisions of such agreements are unenforceable, such as a particular remedy, a master lease covenant, a loan prepayment provision, or a provision governing our security interest in the underlying collateral of a borrower or lessee. We could be adversely impacted if this were to happen with respect to an asset or group of assets.
We may become subject to litigation, which could materially and adversely affect us.
In the future we may become subject to litigation, including, but not limited to, claims relating to our operations, past and future securities offerings, corporate transactions, and otherwise in the ordinary course of business. Some of these claims may result in significant defense costs and potentially significant judgments against us, some of which are not, or cannot be, insured against. We generally intend to vigorously defend ourselves. However, we cannot be certain of the ultimate outcome of any claims that may arise in the future. Resolution of these types of matters against us may result in our having to pay significant fines, judgments, or settlements, which, if uninsured, or if the fines, judgments, and settlements exceed insured levels, could adversely impact our earnings and cash flows, thereby materially and adversely affecting us. Certain or the resolution of certain may affect the availability or cost of some of our insurance coverage, which could materially and impact us, us to increased risks that would be , and materially and impact our ability to attract directors and officers.
A failure to maintain effective internal controls could materially and adversely affect us.
Effective internal controls over financial reporting, disclosures, and operations are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and public disclosures, effectively prevent fraud, and operate successfully. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports and public disclosures or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. Our internal controls over financial reporting and operations may not prevent or detect financial misstatements or loss of assets because of inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, management override of controls, or fraud. Effective internal controls can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement accuracy, public disclosures, and safeguarding of assets. Any failure of these internal controls, including any failure to implement required new or controls as a result of changes to our business or otherwise, or if we experience in their implementation, could result in decreased investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and public disclosures, civil , or by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, and we could to meet our reporting obligations, which could materially and affect us.
A limited number of our leases may require us to pay property-related expenses that are not the obligations of our tenants, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Under the terms of substantially all of our leases, our tenants are responsible for the payment or reimbursement of property expenses such as real estate taxes, insurance, maintenance, repairs, and capital costs in addition to satisfying their rent obligations. Under the provisions of a limited number of our existing leases and leases that we may enter into in the future, however, we may be required to pay some or all of the expenses of the property, such as the costs of environmental liabilities, roof and structural repairs, real estate taxes, insurance, certain non-structural repairs, and maintenance. If our properties incur significant expenses that must be paid by us under the terms of our leases, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected and the amount of cash available to meet expenses and to make distributions to our stockholders and unitholders may be reduced.
As a property owner, we may be subject to environmental liabilities, which could be substantial.
There may be known or unknown environmental liabilities associated with properties we previously owned, currently own, or may acquire in the future. Laws and regulations governing environmental contamination change and we have been, and in the future may be, subject to liability by virtue of these changes. Under various federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to the environment, as a current or former owner or operator of real property, we may be liable for costs and damages resulting from environmental matters, including the presence or discharge of hazardous or toxic substances, waste, asbestos-containing building materials, or petroleum products at, on, in, under or migrating from such property, including costs to investigate or clean up such contamination and liability for personal injury, property damage, or harm to natural resources. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of such contamination. These costs and damages could be substantial. Certain uses of some properties may have a heightened risk of environmental liability because of the hazardous materials used in
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performing services on those properties, such as industrial properties or businesses using petroleum products, paint, machine solvents, and other hazardous materials. We typically undertake customary environmental diligence prior to our acquisition of any property, including obtaining Phase I environmental site assessments. The Phase I environmental site assessments are limited in scope and therefore may not reveal all environmental conditions affecting a property. Therefore, there could be undiscovered environmental liabilities on the properties we own.
The known or potential presence of hazardous substances on a property may adversely affect our ability to sell, lease, or improve the property, or to borrow using the property as collateral, and we may incur substantial remediation costs or third-party liability claims In addition, environmental laws may create liens on contaminated properties in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs to address such contamination. Moreover, if contamination is discovered on our properties, environmental laws may impose restrictions on the manner in which they may be used or which businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures.
Although we may obtain insurance for environmental liability for certain properties that are deemed to warrant coverage, our insurance may be insufficient to address any particular environmental situation and we may be unable to continue to obtain insurance for environmental matters, at a reasonable cost or at all, in the future. If our environmental liability insurance is inadequate, we may become subject to material losses for environmental liabilities. Our ability to receive the benefits of any environmental liability insurance policy will depend on the financial stability of our insurance company and the position it takes with respect to our insurance policies.
Although our leases generally require our tenants to operate in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws, ordinances, and regulations, and to indemnify us against any environmental liabilities arising from the tenants’ activities on the property, we could nevertheless be subject to liability, as a current or previous owner of real estate, including strict liability, by virtue of our ownership interest and may be required to remove or remediate hazardous or toxic substances on, under, or in a property. Further, there can be no assurance that our tenants, or the guarantor of a lease, could or would satisfy their indemnification obligations under their leases.
Our ability to effectively monitor and respond to the rapid and ongoing developments and often conflicting expectations regarding our corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts may impose unexpected costs or result in reputational or other harm that could have a material adverse effect on our business.
There are rapid and ongoing developments and often conflicting expectations relating to corporate responsibility and sustainability matters as governmental entities, investors, employees, and other stakeholders have begun to focus increasingly on such practices. If we are unable to adequately recognize and effectively respond to such developments and conflicting governmental, societal, investor, and consumer expectations relating to our corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts, we may miss corporate opportunities, become subject to additional scrutiny, incur unexpected and significant costs, or experience damage to our reputation. If any of these events were to occur, there may be a material adverse effect on our business.
We may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions, which could result in stockholder dilution and limit our ability to sell such assets.
In the future, we may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions in exchange for OP Units, which may result in stockholder dilution. This acquisition structure may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the amount of tax depreciation we could deduct over the tax life of the acquired properties, and may require that we agree to protect the contributors’ ability to defer recognition of taxable gain through restrictions on our ability to dispose of the acquired properties and/or the allocation of debt to the contributors to maintain their tax bases. As of December 31, 2025, we were party to tax protection agreements covering two properties. Based on values as of December 31, 2025, taxable sales of the applicable properties would trigger liability under the agreements of approximately $10.4 million. In addition, in connection with the Company’s internalization, we entered into a tax protection agreement with Amy L. Tait, the Company’s founder, and certain members of her family, which has a potential liability of up to $10.0 million based on values as of December 31, 2025. These restrictions could limit our ability to sell certain assets or the OP (or our interest in the OP) at a time or on terms that would be favorable absent such restrictions.
The departure of any of our key personnel with long-standing business relationships could materially and adversely affect us.
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of certain key personnel including, but not limited to, members of our executive management team. Many of our executive personnel, particularly our senior management team, have extensive experience and strong reputations in the real estate industry and have been instrumental in setting our strategic direction, operating our business, identifying, recruiting, and training key personnel, and arranging necessary financing. The departure of any member of our executive management team, or our inability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, could adversely affect our business, diminish our investment opportunities, and weaken our
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relationships with lenders, business partners, existing and prospective tenants, and industry personnel, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Risks Related to Investments in Real Estate
Our operating results are affected by economic and regulatory changes that impact the commercial real estate market in general.
The Company is an industrial-focused, diversified net lease REIT that focuses on investing in income-producing, single-tenant net leased commercial properties, primarily in the United States. The Company leases industrial, retail, and other commercial properties under long-term lease agreements. Accordingly, our performance is subject to risks generally attributable to the ownership of commercial real property, including:
• changes in supply and demand for single-tenant space in the industrial, retail, and other sectors;
• increased competition for real property investments targeted by our investment strategy;
• changes in consumer trends and preferences that affect the demand for products and services offered by our tenants;
• inability to lease or sell properties upon expiration or termination of existing leases and renewal of leases at lower rental rates;
• the subjectivity of real estate valuations and changes in such valuations over time;
• the potential risk of functional obsolescence of properties over time;
• competition from other properties; and
• changes in regulation that affect us or the commercial real estate market in general.
The factors described above are out of our control, and we are unable to predict future changes in such factors. Any negative changes in these factors may cause the value of our real estate to decline, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Global and U.S. financial markets and economic conditions, such as inflation, may materially and adversely affect us and the ability of our tenants to make rental payments to us pursuant to our leases.
A significant portion of our portfolio is leased to tenants operating businesses that directly or indirectly rely on discretionary consumer spending. The success of most of these businesses depends on the willingness of consumers to use discretionary income to purchase their products or services. Our results of operations are sensitive to changes in the overall economic conditions that impact our tenants’ financial condition and leasing practices and a downturn in the economy could cause consumers to reduce their discretionary spending, which could result in tenant bankruptcies or otherwise have an adverse impact on our tenants’ ability to successfully manage their businesses and pay us amounts due under our lease agreements, thereby materially and adversely affecting us. Accordingly, adverse economic conditions such as the imposition of tariffs and their resulting effects, high unemployment levels, fluctuations in interest rates, a decrease in available financing, high inflation, labor and workforce shortages, supply chain issues, tax rates, and fuel and energy costs may have an impact on the results of operations and financial conditions of our tenants. During periods of economic or , rising interest rates and demand for real estate may result in a general in rents or an increased of under existing leases. A of demand for rental space could affect our ability to maintain our current tenants and new tenants, which may affect our growth and results of operations. Accordingly, a in economic conditions could materially and affect us.
Increased inflation could lead to interest rate increases that could have a negative impact on variable rate debt we currently have or that we may incur in the future, including increases to interest rates on our borrowings set to reprice in the future. During times when inflation is greater than the increases in rent provided by many of our leases, rent increases will not keep up with the rate of inflation. Increased costs may have an adverse impact on our tenants if increases in their operating expenses exceed increases in revenue, which may adversely affect the tenants’ ability to pay rent owed to us, which in turn could materially and adversely affect us. In addition, some of our properties are leased to tenants that may have limited financial and other resources and, therefore, they may be more likely to be adversely affected by a downturn in their respective businesses or in the regional or national economy. Inflation may also have an adverse effect on consumer spending, which could impact our tenants’ revenues and their ability to pay rent owed to us, which in turn could materially and affect us.
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Our real estate investments are illiquid.
Because real estate investments are relatively illiquid, our ability to adjust our portfolio promptly in response to economic, financial, investment, or other conditions may be limited. We may be unable to realize our investment objective by sale, other disposition, or refinancing at attractive prices within any given period of time, or we may otherwise be unable to complete any exit strategy. Further, certain significant expenditures generally do not change in response to economic or other conditions, such as (i) debt service, (ii) real estate taxes, and (iii) operating and maintenance costs. The inability to dispose of a property at an acceptable price or at all, as well as the combination of variable revenue and relatively fixed expenditures may result, under certain market conditions, in reduced earnings and could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.
We face risks associated with climate change, which could materially and adversely impact us.
As a result of climate change, our properties in certain markets could experience increases in storm intensity, flooding, drought, wildfires, rising sea levels, and extreme temperatures. The potential physical impacts of climate change on our properties are uncertain and would be particular to the geographic circumstances in areas in which we own property. Over time, these conditions could result in volatile or decreased demand for certain of our properties or, in extreme cases, the inability of our tenants to operate the properties at all. Climate change may also have indirect effects on our business by increasing the cost of insurance (or making insurance unavailable), increasing the cost of energy at our properties, or requiring us to spend funds to repair and protect our properties against such risks. Compliance with new federal and state-level laws or regulations related to climate change, including climate change disclosures, compliance with “green” building codes or other laws or regulations relating to reduction of carbon footprints and/or greenhouse gas emissions, may require us to make significant cash expenditures both at the property and corporate level. Furthermore, our tenants’ increased costs associated with compliance with such laws or regulations could negatively impact our tenants’ operating results and ability to pay rent. Any of these occurrences could materially and impact us.
Natural disasters, pandemics or epidemics, terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or war, or other catastrophic events could materially and adversely impact us.
Natural disasters ( e.g. , hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, or other types of natural disasters), pandemics or epidemics, terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or war, or other catastrophic events could cause damage to our properties, materially interrupt our business operations (or those of our tenants), cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease, or result in increased volatility in the U.S. and worldwide financial markets and economy. We own properties in regions that have historically been impacted by natural disasters and it is probable such regions will continue to be impacted by such events. If a disaster occurs, we could suffer a complete loss of capital invested in, and any profits expected from, the affected properties. Any of these occurrences could materially and adversely affect us.
Insurance on our properties may not adequately cover all losses and uninsured losses could materially and adversely affect us.
Our tenants are generally required to maintain comprehensive insurance coverage for the properties they lease from us pursuant to our net leases. Pursuant to such leases, our tenants are required to name us (and any of our lenders that have a mortgage on the property leased by the tenant) as additional insureds on their liability policies and loss payee (or mortgagee, in the case of our lenders) on their property policies. Additionally, most tenants are required to maintain casualty coverage and most carry limits at 100% of replacement cost. Depending on the location of the property, losses of a catastrophic nature, such as those caused by earthquakes and floods, may be covered by insurance policies that are held by our tenant with limitations such as large deductibles, co-payments, or sub-limits that a tenant may not be able to meet. In addition, losses of a catastrophic nature, such as those caused by wind/hail, hurricanes, terrorism, or acts of war, may be uninsurable or not economically insurable. In the event there is damage to our properties that is not covered by insurance and such properties are subject to recourse indebtedness, we will continue to be liable for the indebtedness, even if these properties are . In addition, if to a property occur or a exceeds policy limits and we do not have adequate cash to fund repairs, we may be to sell the property at a or to borrow capital to fund the repairs.
Furthermore, in the event we experience a substantial or comprehensive loss of one of our properties, we may not be able to rebuild such property to its existing specifications without significant capital expenditures which may exceed any amounts received pursuant to insurance policies. The loss of our capital investment in or anticipated future returns from our properties due to material uninsured losses could materially and adversely affect us.
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Our costs of compliance with laws and regulations may require us or our tenants to make unanticipated expenditures that could reduce the investment return of our stockholders.
All real property and the operations conducted on real property are subject to numerous federal, state, and local laws and regulations. We cannot predict what laws or regulations will be enacted in the future, how future laws or regulations will be administered or interpreted, or how future laws or regulations will affect us or our properties. For example, we may be required to make substantial capital expenditures to comply with applicable fire and safety regulations, building codes, environmental regulations, and other land use regulations, and may be required to obtain approvals from various authorities with respect to our properties, including prior to acquiring a property or when undertaking improvements of any of our existing properties. Additionally, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), all public accommodations must meet federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Compliance with ADA requirements could require property-level expenditures and non-compliance could result in imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants, or both.
In most instances, our tenants are obligated to comply with these types of laws and regulations pursuant to our leases and cover costs associated with compliance. However, if required changes involve greater expenditures than anticipated or if the changes must be made on a more accelerated basis than anticipated, the ability of our tenants to cover such costs could be adversely affected and we may be required to expend our own funds. Accordingly, compliance with new laws or regulations, or stricter interpretation of existing laws, may require us or our tenants to incur significant expenditures, impose significant liability, restrict or prohibit business activities, and could cause a material adverse effect on us.
Risks Related to Debt Financing
As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately $2.5 billion principal balance of indebtedness outstanding, which may expose us to the risk of default under our debt obligations.
As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately $2.5 billion principal balance of indebtedness outstanding. We have incurred, and plan to incur in the future, financing through borrowings under term loans, senior notes, our Revolving Credit Facility, and mortgage loans secured by some or all of our properties. In some cases, the mortgage loans we incur are guaranteed by us, the OP, or both. We may also borrow funds if necessary to satisfy the requirement that we distribute to stockholders as dividends at least 90% of our annual REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain), or otherwise as is necessary or advisable to assure that we maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Payments of principal and interest on borrowings may leave us with insufficient cash resources to meet our cash needs or make the distributions to our common stockholders currently contemplated or necessary to qualify as a REIT. Our level of debt and the limitations imposed on us by our debt agreements could have significant adverse consequences, including the following:
• our cash flow may be insufficient to meet our required principal and interest payments;
• cash interest expense and financial covenants relating to our indebtedness, including a covenant in our Revolving Credit Facility that restricts us from paying distributions if an event of default exists, other than distributions required to maintain our REIT status, may limit or eliminate our ability to make distributions to our common stockholders;
• we may be forced to dispose of properties, possibly on unfavorable terms or in violation of certain covenants to which we may be subject;
• we may default on our obligations and the lenders or mortgagees may foreclose on our properties or our interests in the entities that own the properties that secure their loans and receive an assignment of rents and leases;
• we may be restricted from accessing some of our excess cash flow after debt service if certain of our tenants fail to meet certain financial performance metric thresholds; and
• our default under any loan with cross default provisions could result in a default on other indebtedness.
The occurrence of any of these events could materially and adversely affect us. To the extent new indebtedness is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face would increase. As a result, we are and will be subject to risks associated with debt financing, including the risk that our cash flow could be insufficient to make required payments on our debt or to pay dividends on our common stock. Furthermore, foreclosures could create taxable income without accompanying cash proceeds, which could hinder our ability to meet the REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Code.
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Disruptions in the financial markets and deteriorating economic conditions could adversely affect our ability to obtain debt financing on commercially reasonable terms, refinance existing indebtedness on acceptable terms or at all, and adversely impact our ability to implement our investment strategy and achieve our investment objectives.
We use external financing to refinance indebtedness as it matures and to partially fund our acquisitions. Credit markets may experience significant price volatility, displacement, and liquidity disruptions, including the bankruptcy, insolvency, or restructuring of certain financial institutions. Our access to financing depends on, among other things, conditions in the financial markets. The United States and global financial markets have experienced periods of significant volatility and disruption in the past, and are expected to continue to do so in the future. Recent disruptions in the capital markets have resulted in constrained equity and debt capital available for investment in the real estate market and increases in capitalization rates. Future events or sustained negative conditions may also reduce the availability of financing, make financing terms less attractive, as well as negatively impact the value of our investments in properties. If sufficient sources of external financing are not available to us on cost terms, we could be to limit our planned business activities or take other actions to fund our business activities and repayment of debt such as selling assets or reducing or maintaining our cash distributions. As a result, we may be to fully refinance maturing indebtedness with new indebtedness, which could materially and affect us. Uncertainty in the credit markets could also impact our ability to make acquisitions, make it more or for us to sell properties, or affect the price we receive for properties that we do sell, as prospective buyers may experience increased costs of debt financing or in obtaining debt financing.
Failure to hedge effectively against interest rate changes may materially and adversely affect us.
To reduce our exposure to variable-rate debt, we enter into interest rate swap agreements to fix the rate of interest as a hedge against interest rate fluctuations on floating-rate debt. These arrangements involve risks and may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest rate changes. In addition, the counterparties to any hedging arrangements we enter into may not honor their obligations. Failure to hedge effectively against changes in interest rates relating to the interest expense of our future floating-rate borrowings may materially and adversely affect us.
A significant portion of our indebtedness is at variable rates which are based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) and the inability or any inefficiency in market participants ability to hedge SOFR-based transactions or the illiquidity or relative illiquidity in the market for SOFR-based instruments may increase the costs associated with SOFR-based debt instruments or our ability to hedge our exposure to floating interest rates.
Additionally, a portion of our indebtedness is at variable rates which are based on the Canadian Overnight Repo Rate Average (“CORRA”), as a result of the transition from the Canadian Dollar Offered Rate, or CDOR, which ceased publication on June 28, 2024. CORRA has a limited history as a reference rate, and changes in this rate have, on occasion, been more volatile than changes in other benchmark or market rates. The liquidity of the CORRA loan markets could result in higher borrowing costs for us. There could be unanticipated difficulties, disruptions or methodological or other changes with the calculation and publication of these rates, which in turn could trigger another benchmark transition or otherwise cause a reliance on an alternate base rate. This could also result in increased borrowing costs for us and thereby adversely affect our financial condition and earnings.
Our Revolving Credit Facility and term loan agreements contain various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate our repayment obligations, thereby materially and adversely affecting us.
We are subject to various financial and operational covenants and financial reporting requirements pursuant to the agreements we have entered into governing our Revolving Credit Facility, term loans, and senior notes. These covenants require us to, among other things, maintain certain financial ratios, including leverage, fixed charge coverage, and debt service coverage, among others. As of December 31, 2025, we believe we were in compliance with all of our loan covenants. Our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors and could be impacted by current or future economic conditions, and thus there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with these covenants. Failure to comply with these covenants would result in a default which, if we were unable to cure or obtain a waiver from the lenders, could accelerate our repayment obligations and thereby have a material and adverse impact on us.
Further, these covenants, as well as any additional covenants to which we may be subject in the future because of additional borrowings, could cause us to forego investment opportunities, reduce or eliminate distributions to our common stockholders, or obtain financing that is more expensive than financing we could obtain if we were not subject to the covenants. Additionally, these restrictions may adversely affect our operating and financial flexibility and may limit our ability to respond to changes in our business or competitive environment, all of which may materially and adversely affect us.
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Failure to maintain our current credit ratings could materially and adversely affect our cost of capital, liquidity, and access to capital markets.
The spread we pay over applicable reference rates for our unsecured credit facilities is determined based on our current credit ratings of ‘Baa2’ and ‘BBB’ from Moody’s and S&P, respectively. The ratings are based on a number of factors, including an assessment of our financial strength, portfolio size and diversification, credit and operating metrics, and sustainability of cash flow and earnings. If we are unable to maintain our current credit ratings it could adversely affect our cost of capital, liquidity, and access to capital markets. Factors that could negatively impact our credit ratings include, but are not limited to: a significant increase in our leverage on a sustained basis, a significant increase in the proportion of secured debt levels, a significant decline in our unencumbered asset base, and a significant decline in our portfolio diversification.
We may incur mortgage debt on a particular property, which may subject us to certain risks, and the occurrence of any such risk could materially and adversely affect us.
We may incur mortgage debt on a particular property, especially if we believe the property’s projected cash flow is sufficient to service the mortgage debt. In addition, incurring mortgage debt may increase the risk of loss since defaults on indebtedness secured by a property may result in foreclosure actions initiated by lenders and our loss of the property securing the loan that is in default. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our properties would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure but would not receive any of the proceeds. We may give full or partial guarantees to lenders to the OP or its affiliates. If we give a guaranty on behalf of the OP, we will be responsible to the lender for satisfaction of the debt if it is not paid by the OP. If any mortgages contain cross-collateralization or cross- provisions, there is a risk that more than one of our real properties may be affected by a . If any of our properties are upon due to a , we could be materially and affected.
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure
Our Charter contains provisions, including ownership and transfer restrictions, that may delay, discourage, or prevent a takeover or change of control transaction that could otherwise result in a premium price to our stockholders.
Our Charter contains various provisions that are intended to facilitate our qualification as a REIT. For example, our Charter restricts the direct or indirect ownership by one person or entity to no more than 9.8% of the value of our then outstanding shares of capital stock and no more than 9.8% of the value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of our then outstanding common stock unless exempted by our Board of Directors. This restriction may discourage a change of control of us and may deter individuals or entities from making tender offers for shares of our common stock on terms that might be financially attractive to stockholders or which may cause a change in our management. In addition to deterring potential change of control transactions that may be favorable to our stockholders, these provisions may also decrease our stockholders’ ability to sell their shares of our common stock. As a result, these charter provisions may negatively impact the market price of our common stock.
We may issue preferred stock or separate classes or series of common stock, which could adversely affect the holders of our common stock.
Our Charter authorizes us to issue up to 520,000,000 shares of stock, and our Board of Directors, without any action by our stockholders, may amend our Charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares or the number of shares of any class or series of stock that we have authority to issue. Holders of shares of our common stock do not have preemptive rights to acquire any shares issued by us in the future.
In addition, our Board of Directors may classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and establish the preferences, rights, and powers of any such stock. As a result, our Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of preferred stock or separate classes or series of common stock with terms and conditions that could have priority, with respect to distributions and amounts payable upon our liquidation, over the rights of our common stock. The issuance of shares of such preferred or separate classes or series of common stock could dilute the value of an investment in shares of our common stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock or a separate class or series of common stock could provide the holders thereof with specified dividend payments and payments upon liquidation prior or senior to those of the common stock, and could also have the effect of delaying, discouraging, or preventing a change in control of us, including an extraordinary transaction (such as a merger, tender offer, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets) that might provide a premium price for holders of our common stock.
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Termination of the employment agreements with certain members of our executive management team could be costly.
The employment agreements with certain members of our executive management team provide that if their employment with us terminates under certain circumstances, we may be required to pay them significant amounts of severance compensation, thereby making it costly to terminate their employment.
Our Board of Directors may change our investment and financing policies without stockholder approval, which could materially and adversely alter the nature of an investment in us.
The methods of implementing our investment policies and strategy may vary as new real estate development trends emerge, new investment techniques are developed, and market conditions evolve. Our investment and financing policies are exclusively determined by our Board of Directors and senior management team. Accordingly, our stockholders do not control these policies. Further, our organizational documents do not limit the amount or percentage of indebtedness, funded or otherwise, that we may incur. Although we are not required to maintain a particular leverage ratio, we generally intend to maintain on a sustained basis a level of Net Debt that is generally less than 6.0x our Annualized Adjusted EBITDAre. However, from time to time, our ratio of Net Debt to our Annualized Adjusted EBITDAre may exceed 6.0x. Our Board of Directors may alter or eliminate our current policy on borrowing at any time without stockholder approval. If this policy changed, we could become more highly leveraged, which could result in an increase in our debt service costs and obligations. Higher leverage also increases the risk of default on our obligations. In addition, a change in our investment policies, including the manner in which we allocate our resources across our portfolio or the types of assets in which we seek to invest, may increase our exposure to interest rate risk, real estate market fluctuations, and liquidity risk. Changes to our policies with regard to the foregoing could materially and adversely affect us.
Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to take action against our directors and officers are limited.
Maryland law provides that a director of a Maryland corporation will not have any liability in that capacity if he or she performs his or her duties in accordance with the applicable standard of conduct. Our Charter limits the liability of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders for money damages to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law. Therefore, our directors and officers are subject to monetary liability resulting only from:
• actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property, or services; or
• active and deliberate dishonesty by the director or officer that was established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action adjudicated.
As a result, we and our stockholders have rights against our directors and officers that are more limited than might otherwise exist. Accordingly, in the event that actions taken by any of our directors or officers impede the performance of our Company, your and our ability to recover damages from such director or officer will be limited. Our Charter and Second Amended and Restated Bylaws also require us to indemnify and advance expenses to our directors and our officers for losses they may incur by reason of their service in those capacities subject to any limitations under Maryland law or in our Charter. Moreover, we have entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers. As a result, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against these persons than might otherwise exist under common law, which could reduce our stockholders’ and our recovery against such persons. In addition, we may be obligated to fund the defense costs incurred by these persons in some cases, which would reduce the cash available for distributions.
We are a holding company with no direct operations and rely on funds received from the OP to pay liabilities.
We are a holding company and conduct substantially all of our operations through the OP. We do not have, apart from an interest in the OP, any independent operations. As a result, we rely on distributions from the OP to pay any distributions we might declare on shares of our common stock. We will also rely on distributions from the OP to meet any of our obligations, including any tax liability on taxable income allocated to us from the OP. In addition, because we are a holding company, your claims as stockholders are structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities and obligations (whether or not for borrowed money) of the OP and its subsidiaries. Therefore, in the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation, or reorganization, our assets and those of the OP and its subsidiaries will be able to satisfy the claims of our stockholders only after all of our and the OP and its subsidiaries’ liabilities and obligations have been paid in full.
Our UPREIT structure may result in potential conflicts of interest between the interests of our stockholders and members in the OP, which may materially and adversely impede business decisions that could benefit our stockholders.
Conflicts of interest could arise in the future as a result of the relationships between us and our affiliates, on the one hand, and the OP or any future member thereof, on the other. Our directors and officers have duties to our Company under applicable Maryland law in connection with the management of our Company. At the same time, we, as the managing member of the OP, will have fiduciary duties and obligations to the OP and its members under New York law and the OP
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Agreement in connection with the management of the OP. Our fiduciary duties and obligations, as the managing member of the OP, and its members may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and officers to our Company.
While we intend to avoid situations involving conflicts of interest, there may be situations in which the interests of the OP may conflict with our interests. Our activities specifically authorized by or described in the OP Agreement may be performed by us and will not, in any case or in the aggregate, be deemed a breach of the OP Agreement or any duty owed by us to the OP or any member. In exercising our authority under the OP Agreement, we may, but are under no obligation to, take into account the tax consequences of any action we take. Other than liabilities associated with tax protection agreements that we have entered into, we and the OP have no liability to a non-managing member under any circumstances as a result of an income tax liability incurred by such non-managing member as a result of an action (or inaction) by us pursuant to our authority under the OP Agreement.
The OP Agreement provides that the managing member will not be liable to the OP, its members, or any other person bound by the OP Agreement for monetary damages for losses sustained, liabilities incurred, or benefits not derived by the OP or any member, except for liability for the member’s gross negligence or willful misconduct. Moreover, the OP Agreement provides that the OP is required to indemnify the managing member, its affiliates, and certain related persons, and any manager, officer, stockholder, director, member, employee, representative, or agent of the managing member or its affiliates from and against any and all claims that relate to the operations of the OP, except if (i) the act was committed in bad faith, (ii) the act was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action involved, or (iii) it personally gained in fact a financial income or other advantage to which it was not entitled under law.
U.S. Federal Income Tax Risks
Failure to qualify as a REIT would materially and adversely affect us and the value of our common stock.
We elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code and the applicable U.S. Treasury regulations, which contain the requirements for qualifying as a REIT, which we refer to in this Form 10-K as the “REIT Requirements,” beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 2008. We believe that we have been organized and operated in a manner to qualify for taxation as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with such year, and we intend to continue operating in such a manner. However, we cannot assure you that we have qualified as a REIT, or that we will remain qualified as such in the future. If we lose our REIT status, we will face significant tax consequences that would substantially reduce our cash available for distribution to our stockholders for each of the years involved because:
• we would not be allowed a deduction for distributions to stockholders in computing our taxable income, we would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the corporate rate, and we could be subject to increased state and local income taxes;
• unless we are entitled to relief under applicable statutory provisions of the Code, we (and our successor) could not elect to be taxed as a REIT for four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost; and
• for the five years following re-election of REIT status, upon a taxable disposition of an asset owned as of such re-election, we would be subject to corporate level tax with respect to any built-in gain inherent in such asset at the time of re-election.
Any such corporate tax liability could be substantial and would reduce our cash available for, among other things, our operations and distributions to stockholders. In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will not be required to make distributions to our stockholders. If this occurs, we may need to borrow funds or liquidate some of our properties in order to pay any applicable taxes. As a result of all these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT also could impair our ability to execute our investment strategy and raise capital, and could materially and adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.
Even if we remain qualified as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to other tax liabilities that reduce our cash flow and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
Even if we qualify as a REIT, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and assets, including taxes on any undistributed income, tax on income from some activities conducted as a result of a foreclosure, and state or local transfer taxes. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax if the actual amount that we distribute to our stockholders in a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under the Code. Finally, we could, in certain circumstances, be required to pay an excise or penalty tax or interest charge (which could be significant in amount) in order to utilize one or more relief provisions under the Code to maintain our qualification as a REIT and to avoid the imposition of an entity-level tax. Any of these taxes or interest charges would decrease cash available for distribution to our stockholders. In addition, in order to meet the REIT Requirements, or to avert the imposition of a 100%
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tax that applies to certain gains derived by a REIT from dealer property or inventory, we have held, and may continue to hold, some of our assets through a TRS that is subject to U.S. federal, state and local corporate taxes. Any of these taxes would decrease cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
To satisfy the REIT distribution requirements, we may be forced to take certain actions to raise funds if we have insufficient cash flow which could materially and adversely affect us and the trading price of our common stock.
To qualify as a REIT, we generally must distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our REIT taxable income each year, computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain, and we will be subject to corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income each year, computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and including our net capital gain. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which distributions paid by us in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. In order to satisfy these distribution requirements to maintain our REIT status and avoid the payment of income and excise taxes, we may need to take certain actions to raise funds if we have insufficient cash flow, such as borrowing funds, raising additional equity capital, selling a portion of our assets or finding another alternative to make distributions to our stockholders. We may be forced to take those actions even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not for those actions. This situation could arise from, among other things, differences in timing between the actual receipt of cash and recognition of income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or the effect of non-deductible capital expenditures or other non-deductible expenses, the creation of reserves, or required debt or amortization payments. Such actions could increase our costs and reduce the value of our common stock. These sources, however, may not be available on terms or at all. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends on a number of factors, including the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current debt levels, the market price of our common stock, and our current and potential future earnings. We cannot you that we will have access to such capital on terms at the times, or at all, which may cause us to our investment activities and/or to of assets at inopportune times, and could materially and affect us and the trading price of our common stock.
Further, we may be required to make distributions to stockholders at times when it would be more advantageous to reinvest cash in our business. Compliance with the REIT distribution requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits.
The IRS may treat sale-leaseback transactions as loans, which could jeopardize our REIT status or require us to make an unexpected distribution.
We may purchase properties and lease them back to the sellers of such properties. The IRS may take the position that certain of these sale-leaseback transactions that we treat as leases are not “true leases” but are, instead, financing arrangements or loans for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If a sale-leaseback transaction were so re-characterized, we might fail to satisfy the REIT asset tests, the income tests, or distribution requirements and consequently lose our REIT status effective with the year of re-characterization unless we elect to make an additional distribution to maintain our REIT status. The primary risk relates to the disallowance of deductions for depreciation and cost recovery relating to such property, which could affect the calculation of our REIT taxable income and could cause us to fail the REIT distribution requirement that requires a REIT to distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and any net capital gain. In this circumstance, we may elect to distribute an additional dividend of the increased taxable income so as not to fail the REIT distribution test. This distribution would be paid to all stockholders at the time of declaration rather than the stockholders that held our shares in the taxable year affected by the re-characterization.
The prohibited transactions tax may limit our ability to engage in sale transactions.
A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% penalty tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. Although we do not intend to hold any properties that would be characterized as held for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our business, unless a sale or disposition qualifies under certain statutory safe harbors, such characterization is a factual determination and no guarantee can be given that the IRS would agree with our characterization of our properties or that we will always be able to make use of the available safe harbors.
Complying with the REIT Requirements may limit our ability to hedge effectively and may cause us to incur tax liabilities.
The REIT provisions of the Code substantially limit our ability to hedge our assets and liabilities. Any income from a hedging transaction that we enter into to manage the risk of interest rate changes with respect to borrowings made or to be made to acquire or carry real estate assets, or from certain terminations of such hedging positions, does not constitute
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“gross income” for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests that apply to REITs, provided that certain identification requirements are met. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions or fail to properly identify such transaction as a hedge, the income is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. As a result of these rules, we may be required to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques or implement those hedges through a TRS. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities because any TRS in which we own an interest may be subject to tax on gains or expose us to greater risks associated with changes in interest rates than we would otherwise want to bear. In addition, losses in any TRS in which we own an interest will generally not provide any tax benefit, except that such losses may be carried forward and may be deducted against 80% of future taxable income in the TRS.
Complying with the REIT Requirements may force us to liquidate or forgo otherwise attractive investments.
To qualify as a REIT, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the nature and diversification of our assets, the sources of our income, and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. In connection with the Company’s internalization, we were treated as having acquired substantial amounts of goodwill that may not qualify for the 75% asset test. Compliance with these limitations, particularly given the goodwill that we acquired in the Company’s internalization, may hinder our ability to make, and, in certain cases, maintain ownership of certain attractive investments that might not qualify for the 75% asset test. If we fail to comply with the REIT asset test requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification and suffering adverse tax consequences. As a result, we may be required to liquidate or forgo otherwise investments in order to the asset and income tests or to qualify under certain statutory relief provisions. These actions could have the effect of reducing our income, increasing our income tax liability, and reducing amounts available for distribution to our stockholders. In addition, we may be required to make distributions to stockholders at times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution, and may be to pursue investments (or, in some cases, the sale of such investments) that would be otherwise to us in order to the REIT Requirements. Accordingly, the REIT Requirements could materially and affect us. Moreover, if we are compelled to our investments to meet any of these asset, income, or distribution tests, or to repay obligations to our lenders, we may be to comply with one or more of the REIT Requirements or may be subject to a 100% tax on any resulting if such sales constitute prohibited transactions.
In certain circumstances, we may be liable for certain tax obligations of certain of the members of the OP.
In certain circumstances, we may be liable for tax obligations of certain of the members of the OP. In connection with certain UPREIT transactions and the Company’s internalization, we have entered or may enter into tax protection agreements under which we have agreed to indemnify members of the OP against adverse tax consequences if we were to sell, convey, transfer, or otherwise dispose of our assets in taxable transactions, with specific exceptions and limitations. Pursuant to the tax protection agreements, we have also agreed to ensure that such members of the OP are allocated minimum amounts of the OP’s indebtedness. If we fail to meet our obligations under the tax protection agreements, we may be required to reimburse those members of the OP for the amount of the tax liabilities they incur, subject to certain limitations. We may enter into additional tax protection agreements in the future in connection with other UPREIT transactions. Although it may be in our stockholders’ best interest that we sell a property, it may be economically disadvantageous for us to do so because of these obligations. In order to limit our exposure to a tax obligation, our use of proceeds from any sales or dispositions of certain properties will be limited.
In connection with acquisitions, we may inherit tax liabilities and attributes of other entities.
From time to time, we or the OP may acquire other corporations or entities and, in connection with such acquisitions, we may succeed to the historical tax attributes and liabilities of such entities. For example, if we acquire appreciated assets from a non-REIT C corporation in a transaction in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in its hands is determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of the C corporation, we will be subject to entity-level tax on any gain recognized in connection with a disposition (such as a taxable sale) of any such assets during the 5-year period following such acquisition. In addition, in order to qualify as a REIT, we must not have, at the end of any taxable year, any earnings and profits accumulated in a non-REIT year. As a result, if we acquire a C corporation (including upon a liquidation of a TRS), we must distribute the corporation’s earnings and profits accumulated prior to the acquisition before the end of the taxable year in which we acquire the corporation. We also could be required to pay the acquired entity’s unpaid taxes even though such liabilities arose prior to the time we acquired the entity.
Because each of Trident BRE Holdings I, Inc. and Trident BRE Holdings II, Inc. (the “Blocker Corps”) were taxable as a non-REIT C corporation and we acquired their appreciated assets in connection with the Company’s internalization in transactions (the “Blocker Corp Mergers”) in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in our hands was determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of each of the Blocker Corps prior to the Blocker Corp Mergers, we will be subject to corporate income tax on the “built-in gain” with respect to the Blocker Corps’ assets at the
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time of the Blocker Corp Mergers if we dispose of those assets in a taxable transaction within five years following the Blocker Corp Mergers. This built-in gain is measured by the difference between the value of the Blocker Corps’ assets at the time of the Blocker Corp Mergers and the adjusted basis in those assets. We estimate this built-in gain to be approximately $56.4 million. The assets of the Blocker Corps we acquired in the Blocker Corp Mergers are the Blocker Corps’ interests in BRE. When BRE merged into the OP in a tax-deferred transaction and the Blocker Corps received OP Units, the built-in gain associated with the Blocker Corps’ assets became represented as part of an intangible asset on our balance sheet. The disposition of that intangible asset in a taxable transaction within five years following the Blocker Corp Mergers could trigger a corporate income tax on that built-in gain. The most likely transaction in which that intangible asset is disposed of would be a sale of the OP (or our interest in the OP) in a taxable transaction. Thus, if the OP (or our interest in the OP) is sold in a taxable transaction within five years following the Blocker Corp Mergers, we could incur a corporate income tax on approximately $56.4 million of built-in .
In addition to the foregoing, as a result of the Blocker Corp Mergers, we inherited any liability with respect to unpaid taxes of each of the Blocker Corps for any periods prior to the Blocker Corp Mergers.
Changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws could have a material and adverse effect on us.
The IRS, the United States Treasury Department and Congress frequently review U.S. federal income tax legislation, regulations, and other guidance. We cannot predict whether, when or to what extent new U.S. federal tax laws, regulations, interpretations or rulings will be adopted. Any legislative action may prospectively or retroactively modify our tax treatment and, therefore, may adversely affect our taxation or our stockholders. We urge you to consult with your tax advisor with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our stock. Although REITs generally receive certain tax advantages compared to entities taxed as “C” corporations, it is possible that future legislation would result in a REIT having fewer tax advantages, and it could become more advantageous for a company that invests in real estate to elect to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a “C” corporation.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The market price and trading volume of shares of our common stock may be volatile and could be substantially affected by various factors.
The market price of shares of our common stock may fluctuate. In addition, the trading volume in shares of our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. Historically, these changes frequently appear to occur without regard to the operating performance of the affected companies. Hence, the price of our common stock could fluctuate based upon factors that have little or nothing to do with us in particular. If the market price of shares of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares of our common stock at or above the public offering price. We cannot assure you that the market price of shares of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly, including a decline below the public offering price, in the future.
Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the market price or trading volume of shares of our common stock include:
• actual or anticipated declines in our quarterly operating results or distributions;
• actual or anticipated tenant defaults, bankruptcies, or vacancies, or speculation in the press or investment community about actual or anticipated tenant defaults, bankruptcies, or vacancies;
• changes in government regulations;
• changes in laws affecting REITs and related tax matters;
• the announcement of new transactions by us or our competitors;
• reductions in our FFO, Core FFO, AFFO, or earnings estimates;
• publication of research reports about us or the real estate industry;
• increases in market interest rates that lead purchasers of shares of our common stock to demand a higher yield;
• future equity issuances, or the perception that they may occur, including issuances of common stock upon exercise or vesting of equity awards or redemption of OP Units;
• changes in market valuations of similar companies;
• adverse market reaction to any increased indebtedness we incur in the future;
• additions or departures of key management personnel;
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• actions by institutional stockholders;
• differences between our actual financial and operating results and those expected by investors and analysts;
• changes in analysts’ recommendations or projections;
• speculation in the press or investment community; and
• the realization of any of the other risk factors presented herein.
Further, net lease REITs must be able to deploy capital. If we cannot access the capital markets upon favorable terms or at all, or raise capital from alternative sources to the public equity markets, we may not be able to acquire investments upon favorable terms or at all and may be required to liquidate investments, including investments that have not yet realized maximum return, which could result in adverse tax consequences and/or adversely affect our ability to meet cash flow and other operational needs. Turmoil in the capital markets could lead to decreased consumer confidence and widespread reduction of business activity, adversely impacting our tenants and us.
In the past, securities class action litigation has been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the price of their common stock. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, our ability to execute our business strategy, and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
We may not be able to make distributions to our stockholders at the times or in the amounts we expect, or at all.
We intend to make cash distributions to our stockholders in amounts such that all or substantially all of our taxable income in each year, subject to adjustments, is distributed. However, we may not be able to continue to generate sufficient cash flow from our properties to permit us to make the distributions we expect. Our ability to continue to make distributions in the future may be adversely affected by the risk factors described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to make or maintain distributions and certain agreements relating to our indebtedness may, under certain circumstances, limit or eliminate our ability to make distributions to our common stockholders. For instance, our Revolving Credit Facility contains provisions that restrict us from paying distributions if an event of default exists, other than distributions required to maintain our REIT status. We can give no assurance that rents from our properties will increase, or that future acquisitions of real properties or other investments will increase our cash available for distributions to stockholders. In addition, any distributions will be authorized at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors, and the form, timing, and amount, if any, will depend upon a number of factors, including our actual and projected results of operations, FFO, Core FFO, AFFO, liquidity, cash flows and financial condition, the revenue we actually receive from our properties, our operating expenses, our debt service requirements, our capital expenditures, prohibitions and other under our financing arrangements, our REIT taxable income, the annual REIT distribution requirements, applicable law, and such other factors as our Board of Directors deems relevant.
If we do not have sufficient cash available for distributions, we may need to fund the shortage out of working capital or borrow to provide funds for such distributions, which would reduce the amount of proceeds available for real estate investments and increase our future interest costs. Our inability to make distributions, or to make distributions at expected levels, could result in a decrease in trading price of our common stock.
Future offerings of debt, which would be senior to shares of our common stock upon liquidation, and/or preferred equity securities that may be senior to shares of our common stock for purposes of distributions or upon liquidation, may materially and adversely affect the market price of shares of our common stock.
In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of debt or preferred equity securities (or causing the OP to issue debt securities). Upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and preferred stock and lenders with respect to other borrowings will receive distributions of our available assets prior to our stockholders. Additionally, any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences, and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock and may result in dilution to owners of our common stock. Additionally, future issuances or sales of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock may be at prices below the initial public offering price of the shares of our Class A Common Stock and may result in further dilution in our earnings and AFFO per share and/or materially and adversely impact the per share trading price of our common stock. Our stockholders are not entitled to preemptive rights or other protections against dilution. Our preferred stock, if issued, could have a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on distribution payments that could limit our right to make distributions to our stockholders. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, or nature of our future offerings. Our stockholders bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the per share trading price of our common stock.
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Sales of substantial amounts of our capital stock in the public markets may dilute your voting power and your ownership interest in us.
Our Charter provides that we may issue up to 500,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.00025 par value, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share. Moreover, under Maryland law and as provided in our Charter, a majority of our entire Board of Directors has the power to amend our Charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we are authorized to issue without stockholder approval. Future issuances of shares of our common stock, securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, or shares of our preferred stock may dilute the ownership interest of our common stockholders. Because our decision to issue additional equity or convertible or exchangeable securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future issuances. In addition, we are not required to offer any such securities to existing stockholders on a preemptive basis. Therefore, it may not be possible for existing stockholders to participate in such future issuances, which may dilute the existing stockholders’ interests in us.
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