Digital Realty Reports Fourth Quarter And Full-Year 2015 Results

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR, news, filings), a leading global provider of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions, announced today financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2015.  All per share results are presented on a fully-diluted share and unit basis.

Highlights

• Reported FFO per share of $0.79 in 4Q15, compared to $1.40 in 4Q14
  • Reported FFO of $4.85 for the full year of 2015, compared to $5.04 in 2014
• Reported core FFO per share of $1.38 in 4Q15, compared to $1.26 in 4Q14
  • Reported core FFO per share of $5.26 for the full year of 2015 compared to $4.96 in 2014
• Signed leases during 4Q15 expected to generate $36 million in annualized GAAP rental revenue, bringing the full-year 2015 total to $127 million
• Reiterated 2016 core FFO per share outlook of $5.45 – $5.60  and “constant-currency” core FFO per share outlook of $5.50 – $5.70

Financial Results

Digital Realty recognized total revenue of $500 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, a 15% increase from the previous quarter and a 21% increase over the same quarter last year.  For the full-year 2015, Digital Realty recognized total revenue of $1.8 billion, a 9% increase over the prior year.

Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2015 was $288 million, a 15% increase from the previous quarter and a 19% increase over the same quarter last year.  Adjusted EBITDA was $1.0 billion for the full-year 2015, a 9% increase over 2014.

Funds from operations (“FFO”) on a fully diluted basis was $118 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, or $0.79 per share, compared to $1.28 per share in the third quarter of 2015 and $1.40 per share in the fourth quarter of 2014.  FFO per share for the full-year 2015 was $4.85 compared to $5.04 in 2014.

Excluding certain items that do not represent core expenses or revenue streams, core FFO was$1.38 per share for the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to $1.32 per share in the third quarter of 2015, and $1.26 per share in the fourth quarter of 2014.  Core FFO per share for the full-year 2015 was $5.26 per share compared to $4.96 per share in 2014.

Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2015 was $17 million, and net loss available to common stockholders was $40 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, compared to net income available to common shareholders of $0.28 per diluted share in the third quarter of 2015 and net loss available to common shareholders of $0.39 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2014.  The net loss during the fourth quarter of 2015 was primarily attributable to the write-off of straight-line rent receivables related to Telx.  For the full-year 2015, net income was $302 million and net income available to common shareholders was $217 million, or $1.56 per share, compared to $1.00 per share for 2014.

Leasing Activity

“Data center demand remains steady, with new leases signed during the fourth quarter of 2015 representing $36 million in annualized GAAP rental revenue, including a $6 million contribution from Telx, the acquisition of which we completed in October,” commented Chief Executive OfficerA. William Stein.

“In addition to space and power, Telx also contributed $7 million of annualized interconnection revenue bookings during the fourth quarter.  I am pleased with the rapid progress we have made towards integrating Telx, as well as the consistent execution we achieved in all areas of our business in 2015.  The data center fundamental backdrop remains healthy, and particularly following the successful refinancing of our global credit facilities in January and corresponding extension of debt maturities, we are well positioned to continue to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns for shareholders.”

The weighted-average lag between leases signed during the fourth quarter of 2015 and the contractual commencement date was 4.5 months.

In addition to new leases signed, Digital Realty also signed renewal leases representing $29 million of annualized GAAP rental revenue during the quarter.  Rental rates on renewal leases signed during the fourth quarter of 2015 rolled up 8% on a cash basis and up 19% on a GAAP basis.

New leases signed during the fourth quarter of 2015 by region and product type are summarized as follows:

Investment Activity

In December 2015, Digital Realty completed the sale of 650 Randolph Road, a vacant 128,000 square foot industrial building previously held for redevelopment in Franklin Township, NJ for$9.2 million, or $72 per square foot.  Digital Realty recognized a loss on the sale of approximately $0.1 million during the fourth quarter of 2015.

Subsequent to the end of the quarter, Digital Realty closed on the sale of 47700 Kato Road and 1055 Page Avenue, two adjacent non-data center properties totaling 199,000 square feet inFremont, CA for $37.5 million, or $188 per square foot.  The properties were 100% leased and were expected to generate cash net operating income of approximately $2.7 million in 2015, representing a cap rate of 7.2%.  The sale is expected to generate net proceeds of $35.8 million, and Digital Realty expects to recognize a gain on the sale of approximately $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2016.

As previously announced, during the fourth quarter of 2015 Digital Realty acquired a 126-acre land parcel less than a mile away from its existing Digital Ashburn campus in Loudoun County, VAfor a purchase price of $43 million.  The site is expected to support the development of over two million square feet and the build-out of approximately 150 megawatts.  Construction work is expected to begin in 2016, subject to market demand.  Delivery will be phased to facilitate customer expansion requirements upon completion of the existing Digital Ashburn data center campus.

Likewise during the fourth quarter of 2015, Digital Realty acquired a six-acre land parcel approximately three miles west of downtown Frankfurt, Germany for $6 million.  The site is capable of supporting a 27 MW campus across three buildings, totaling 339,000 square feet.  Timing and commencement of future development will be subject to market demand.

Balance Sheet

Digital Realty had approximately $5.9 billion of total debt outstanding as of December 31, 2015, comprised of $5.6 billion of unsecured debt and approximately $0.3 billion of secured debt.  At the end of the fourth quarter of 2015, net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA was 5.2x, debt-plus-preferred-to-total-enterprise-value was 39.2% and fixed charge coverage was 3.3x.

Subsequent to quarter-end, Digital Realty completed the refinancing of its global revolving credit facility and term loan.  In conjunction with the refinancing, pricing was tightened by 10 basis points, the maturity date was extended by more than two years and aggregate commitments were expanded by $550 million.  The combined facilities total $3.55 billion, consisting of a$2.0 billion line of credit and a $1.55 billion term loan.

2016 Outlook

Digital Realty reiterated its 2016 core FFO per share outlook of $5.45 – $5.60.  The assumptions underlying this guidance are summarized in the following table.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains non-GAAP financial measures, including FFO, core FFO, “constant-currency” core FFO, and Adjusted EBITDA. A reconciliation from U.S. GAAP net income available to common stockholders to FFO, a definition of FFO, a reconciliation from FFO to core FFO, and a definition of core FFO are included as an attachment to this press release.  A reconciliation from U.S. GAAP net income available to common stockholders to Adjusted EBITDA, a definition of Adjusted EBITDA and definitions of net-debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA, debt-plus-preferred-to-total-enterprise-value, Cash NOI, and fixed charge coverage ratio are included as an attachment to this press release.

Investor Conference Call

Prior to Digital Realty’s conference call today at 5:30 p.m. EDT / 2:30 p.m. PDT, Digital Realty will post a presentation to the Investors section of the company’s website athttp://investor.digitalrealty.com.  The presentation is designed to accompany the discussion of the company’s fourth quarter and full-year 2015 financial results and operating performance.  The conference call will feature Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein and Chief Financial Officer Andrew P. Power.

To participate in the live call, investors are invited to dial +1 (888) 317-6003 (for domestic callers) or +1 (412) 317-6061 (for international callers) and reference the conference ID# 5297568 at least five minutes prior to start time.  A live webcast of the call will be available via the Investors section of Digital Realty’s website athttp://investor.digitalrealty.com.

Telephone and webcast replays will be available one hour after the call until March 25, 2016.  The telephone replay can be accessed by dialing +1 (877) 344-7529 (for domestic callers) or +1 (412) 317-0088 (for international callers) and providing the conference ID# 10077984.  The webcast replay can be accessed on Digital Realty’s website.

About Digital Realty

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. supports the data center and colocation strategies of more than 1,000 firms across its secure, network-rich portfolio of data centers located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.  Digital Realty’s clients include domestic and international companies of all sizes, ranging from financial services, cloud and information technology services, to manufacturing, energy, gaming, life sciences and consumer products.

Additional information about Digital Realty is included in the Company Overview, available on the Investors page of Digital Realty’s website at www.digitalrealty.com.  The Company Overview is updated periodically, and may disclose material information and updates.  To receive e-mail alerts when the Company Overview is updated, please visit the Investors page of Digital Realty’s website.

Contact Information
Andrew P. Power
Chief Financial Officer
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
+1 (415) 738-6500

John J. Stewart
Senior Vice President
Investor Relations
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
+1 (415) 738-6500

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially, including statements related to supply and demand for data center and colocation space; the integration of Telx Holdings, Inc.; the refinancing of our global revolving credit facility and term loan; pricing and net effective leasing economics; market dynamics and data center fundamentals; our strategic priorities, including improving ROIC and our disposition program; rent from leases that have been signed but have not yet commenced and other contracted rent to be received in future periods; rental rates on future leases; lag between signing and commencement; cap rates and yields; and the company’s FFO, core FFO, “constant currency” core FFO and net income outlook and underlying assumptions. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the following: the impact of current global economic, credit and market conditions; current local economic conditions in the geographies in which we operate; decreases in information technology spending, including as a result of economic slowdowns or recession; adverse economic or real estate developments in our industry or the industry sectors that we sell to (including risks relating to decreasing real estate valuations and impairment charges); our dependence upon significant tenants; bankruptcy or insolvency of a major tenant or a significant number of smaller tenants; defaults on or non-renewal of leases by tenants; our failure to obtain necessary debt and equity financing; risks associated with using debt to fund our business activities, including re-financing and interest rate risks, our failure to repay debt when due, adverse changes in our credit ratings or our breach of covenants or other terms contained in our loan facilities and agreements; financial market fluctuations; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; our inability to manage our growth effectively; difficulty acquiring or operating properties in foreign jurisdictions; our failure to successfully integrate and operate acquired or developed properties or businesses; the suitability of our properties and data center infrastructure, delays or disruptions in connectivity, failure of our physical infrastructure or services or availability of power; risks related to joint venture investments, including as a result of our lack of control of such investments; delays or unexpected costs in development of properties; decreased rental rates, increased operating costs or increased vacancy rates; increased competition or available supply of data center space; our inability to successfully develop and lease new properties and development space; difficulties in identifying properties to acquire and completing acquisitions; our inability to acquire off-market properties; our inability to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to reporting companies; our failure to maintain our status as a REIT; possible adverse changes to tax laws; restrictions on our ability to engage in certain business activities; environmental uncertainties and risks related to natural disasters; losses in excess of our insurance coverage; changes in foreign laws and regulations, including those related to taxation and real estate ownership and operation; and changes in local, state and federal regulatory requirements, including changes in real estate and zoning laws and increases in real property tax rates. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports and other filings by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2015, June 30, 2015 andSeptember 30, 2015.  The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Definitions

Funds from Operations (FFO):
We calculate funds from operations, or FFO, in accordance with the standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or NAREIT.  FFO represents net income (loss) (computed in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains (or losses) from sales of property, excluding a gain from a pre-existing relationship, impairment charges, real estate related depreciation and amortization (excluding amortization of deferred financing costs) and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures.  Management uses FFO as a supplemental performance measure because, in excluding real estate related depreciation and amortization and gains and losses from property dispositions and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures, it provides a performance measure that, when compared year over year, captures trends in occupancy rates, rental rates and operating costs.  We also believe that, as a widely recognized measure of the performance of REITs, FFO will be used by investors as a basis to compare our operating performance with that of other REITs.  However, because FFO excludes depreciation and amortization and captures neither the changes in the value of our properties that result from use or market conditions, nor the level of capital expenditures and capitalized leasing commissions necessary to maintain the operating performance of our properties, all of which have real economic effect and could materially impact our financial condition and results from operations, the utility of FFO as a measure of our performance is limited.  Other REITs may not calculate FFO in accordance with the NAREIT definition and, accordingly, our FFO may not be comparable to such other REITs’ FFO.  Accordingly, FFO should be considered only as a supplement to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance.

Core Funds from Operations:
We present core funds from operations, or core FFO, as a supplemental operating measure because, in excluding certain items that do not reflect core revenue or expense streams, it provides a performance measure that, when compared year over year, captures trends in our core business operating performance. We calculate core FFO by adding to or subtracting from FFO (i) termination fees and other non-core revenues, (ii) gain on sale of investment, (iii) significant transaction expenses, (iv) loss from early extinguishment of debt, (v) change in fair value of contingent consideration, (vi) equity in earnings adjustment for non-core items, (vii) severance accrual, equity acceleration, and legal expenses, (viii) bridge facility fees and (ix) other non-core expense adjustments. Because certain of these adjustments have a real economic impact on our financial condition and results from operations, the utility of core FFO as a measure of our performance is limited. Other REITs may not calculate core FFO in a consistent manner. Accordingly, our core FFO may not be comparable to other REITs’ core FFO. Core FFO should be considered only as a supplement to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance.

Constant Currency Core Funds from Operations:
We calculate constant-currency core funds from operations by adjusting the core funds from operations for foreign currency translations.

Adjusted Funds from Operations (AFFO):
We present adjusted funds from operations, or AFFO, as a supplemental operating measure because, when compared year over year, it assesses our ability to fund dividend and distribution requirements from our operating activities. We also believe that, as a widely recognized measure of the operations of REITs, AFFO will be used by investors as a basis to assess our ability to fund dividend payments in comparison to other REITs, including on a per share and unit basis. We calculate AFFO by adding to or subtracting from core FFO (i) non-real estate depreciation, (ii) amortization of deferred financing costs, (iii) amortization of debt discount/premium, (iv) non-cash stock-based compensation expense, (v) non-cash stock-based compensation acceleration, (vi) straight-line rent revenue, (vii) straight-line rent expense, (viii) above-and below-market rent amortization, (ix) non-cash tax expense, (x) capitalized leasing compensation, (xi) recurring capital expenditures and (xii) capitalized internal leasing commissions. Other REITs may not calculate AFFO in a consistent manner. Accordingly, our AFFO may not be comparable to other REITs’ AFFO. AFFO should be considered only as a supplement to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA:
We believe that earnings before interest expense, loss from extinguishment of debt, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and impairment of investments in real estate, or EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA (as defined below), are useful supplemental performance measures because they allow investors to view our performance without the impact of non-cash depreciation and amortization or the cost of debt and, with respect to Adjusted EBITDA, change in fair value of contingent consideration, severance related accrual, equity acceleration, and legal expenses, transaction expenses, gain (loss) on sale of property, gain on sale of investment, gain on settlement of pre-existing relationship with Telx, other non-core expense adjustments, noncontrolling interests, and preferred stock dividends. Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA excluding change in fair value of contingent consideration, severance related accrual, equity acceleration, and legal expenses, transaction expenses, gain (loss) on sale of property, gain on sale of investment, gain on settlement of pre-existing relationship with Telx, other non-core expense adjustments, noncontrolling interests, and preferred stock dividends. In addition, we believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of REITs. Because EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are calculated before recurring cash charges including interest expense and income taxes, exclude capitalized costs, such as leasing commissions, and are not adjusted for capital expenditures or other recurring cash requirements of our business, their utility as a measure of our performance is limited.  Other REITs may calculate EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do; accordingly, our EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to such other REITs’ EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA.  Accordingly, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should be considered only as supplements to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our financial performance.

Net Operating Income (NOI) and Cash NOI:
Net operating income, or NOI, represents rental revenue and tenant reimbursement revenue less utilities, rental property operating expenses, repair and maintenance expenses, property taxes and insurance expenses (as reflected in the statement of operations). NOI is commonly used by stockholders, company management and industry analysts as a measurement of operating performance of the company’s rental portfolio. Cash NOI is NOI less straight-line rents and above and below market rent amortization. Cash NOI is commonly used by stockholders, company management and industry analysts as a measure of property operating performance on a cash basis. However, because NOI and cash NOI exclude depreciation and amortization and capture neither the changes in the value of our properties that result from use or market conditions, nor the level of capital expenditures and capitalized leasing commissions necessary to maintain the operating performance of our properties, all of which have real economic effect and could materially impact our results from operations, the utility of NOI and cash NOI as measures of our performance is limited. Other REITs may not calculate NOI and cash NOI in the same manner we do and, accordingly, our NOI and cash NOI may not be comparable to such other REITs’ NOI and cash NOI. Accordingly, NOI and cash NOI should be considered only as supplements to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as measures of our performance.

Additional Definitions

Net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA ratio is calculated using total debt at balance sheet carrying value less unrestricted cash and cash equivalents divided by the product of Adjusted EBITDA multiplied by four.

Debt-plus-preferred-to-total-enterprise-value is mortgage debt and other loans plus preferred stock divided by mortgage debt and other loans plus the liquidation value of preferred stock and the market value of outstanding Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock and Digital Realty Trust, L.P. units, assuming the redemption of Digital Realty Trust, L.P. units for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock.

Fixed charge coverage ratio is Adjusted EBITDA divided by the sum of GAAP interest expense, capitalized interest, scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends. For the quarter ended December 31, 2015, GAAP interest expense was $62 million, capitalized interest was $3 million and scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends was $26 million.

SOURCE Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

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