Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Digital Realty (DLR) Surpasses Q2 FFO & Revenue Estimates

Read MoreHide Full Article

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2020 core funds from operations (FFO) per share of $1.54, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.48. However, the reported figure compares unfavorably with the year-ago quarter’s $1.64.

The company reported operating revenues of $993 million in the second quarter, marking a 24% year-over-year rise. The revenue figure also outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $931.1 million.

Decent leasing activities and strong signed total bookings aided results.

Quarter in Detail

Signed total bookings during the reported quarter are estimated to generate $144 million of annualized GAAP rental revenues. This is expected to include a $12-million contribution from interconnection. Notably, the weighted-average lag between leases signed during second-quarter 2020 and the contractual commencement date was seven months.

Moreover, the company signed renewal leases, marking $169 million of annualized GAAP rental revenues in the second quarter. Rental rates on renewal leases signed during the second quarter rolled down 2.8% on a cash basis and up 7.2% on a GAAP basis.

Portfolio Activity

During the June-end quarter, Digital Realty’s company, Interxion, purchased a land parcel in Madrid, Spain, spanning an area of 3.6 acres for $37 million. The new facility will encompass an area of about 375,000 square feet upon completion and is projected to support up to 34 megawatts of critical IT capacity.

Balance Sheet

Digital Realty exited second-quarter 2020 with cash and cash equivalents of $505.2 million, up from $246.5 million recorded at the end of the prior quarter.

Further, during the second quarter, the company issued 4.5 million shares of common stock under its at-the-market (“ATM”) equity offering program, generating around $645 million in gross proceeds.

Additionally, as of Jun 30, 2020, the company had $12.4 billion of total debt outstanding, of which $12.1 billion was unsecured debt and $0.2 billion was secured debt. Also, as of the same date, its net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA was 5.7x, while fixed charge coverage was 4.6x.

Guidance

Digital Realty updated its guidance for 2020 core FFO per share to $6.00-$6.10 from the prior estimate of $5.90-$6.10. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is pinned at $6.65.

It expects total revenues to be between $3.775 billion and $3.825 billion, and adjusted EBITDA to be $2.100-$2.125 billion for the ongoing year.

Our Take

Digital Realty put up an impressive performance in terms of revenues and core FFO per share during the June-end quarter. The company continues to invest in a bid to enhance its global platform.

Nonetheless, aggressive pricing pressure is likely to prevail in the upcoming period. In addition, the company has a substantial debt burden.

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Digital Realty Trust, Inc. Quote

Digital Realty currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Performance of Other REITs

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (ARE - Free Report) reported second-quarter FFO as adjusted of $1.81 per share, up 4.6% from the year-ago quarter’s $1.73. The reported figure came in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Boston Properties Inc.’s (BXP - Free Report) FFO per share of $1.52 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.74 in the June-end quarter. The reported figure also decreased 14.6% from the year-ago quarter’s $1.78.

Highwoods Properties Inc.’s (HIW - Free Report) FFO per share of 93 cents surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 89 cents in the second quarter. The figure also improved 7% from the 87 cents reported in the year-ago period.

Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.

Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?

Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.

Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.

See the pot trades we're targeting>>

Published in