Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Prologis' (PLD) Q4 FFO Meets Estimates, '24 Outlook Issued

Read MoreHide Full Article

Prologis, Inc. (PLD - Free Report) reported fourth-quarter 2023 core funds from operations (FFO) per share of $1.26, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The figure increased 1.6% from the year-ago quarter.

The quarterly results reflect a rise in rental revenues and healthy leasing activity. Moreover, the occupancy level remained unchanged from the prior quarter. However, higher interest expenses are an undermining factor. In addition, this industrial REIT issued its 2024 outlook.

Shares of the company have trended down during the initial hours of today’s trading session.

Prologis generated rental revenues of $1.76 billion, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.78 billion. However, the figure increased 10.4% from the year-ago period’s $1.59 billion. Total revenues were $1.89 billion, up from the prior-year quarter’s $1.75 billion.

Per Hamid R. Moghadam, the co-founder and CEO of the company, "We closed 2023 adding another year of exceptional performance. While uncertainties remain in the economic and geopolitical environment, we are positive about the outlook for 2024. We remain focused on executing the strategy outlined at our recent Investor Forum to drive significant value from our global scale and continue to be a best-in-class partner to our customers."

For 2023, the company reported a core FFO per share of $5.61, up 8.7% from the previous year. The figure also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Rental revenues of $6.82 billion increased 38.8% year over year but missed the consensus mark of $6.85 billion.

Quarter in Detail

In the quarter under review, 43.7 million square feet of leases commenced in the company’s owned and managed portfolio, with 36.8 million square feet in the operating portfolio and 6.9 million square feet in the development portfolio. The retention level was 73.1% in the reported quarter.

The average occupancy level in Prologis’ owned and managed portfolio was 97.1% in the fourth quarter, unchanged from the prior quarter and declining 90 basis points from the year-ago quarter. Our estimate for average occupancy was 97.3%.

Prologis’ share of net effective rent change was 74.1% in the October-December quarter, lower due to geographic mix. In the reported quarter, the cash rent change was 51.8%. Consequently, cash same-store net operating income (NOI) grew 8.5%.

The company’s share of building acquisitions amounted to $495 million, with a weighted average stabilized cap rate (excluding other real estate) of 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Development stabilization aggregated $1.23 billion, with 54.9% being built to suit, while development starts totaled $2.04 billion. PLD’s total dispositions and contributions were $507 million, with a weighted average stabilized cap rate (excluding land and other real estate) of 4.7%.

However, during the reported quarter, interest expenses jumped 44.4% on a year-over-year basis to $174.5 million.

Liquidity

Prologis exited the fourth quarter of 2023 with cash and cash equivalents of $530.4 million, down from $740.8 million at the end of the third quarter of 2023.

Debt, as a percentage of the total market capitalization, was 20.5% as of Dec 31, 2023. The company's weighted average interest rate on its share of the total debt was 3%, with a weighted average term of 9.1 years. Prologis and its co-investment ventures issued $286 million of debt in the reported quarter at a weighted average interest rate of 2%, with a weighted average term of four years.

2024 Guidance

Prologis provided its 2024 core FFO per share guidance in the range of $5.42-$5.56. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the metric is currently pegged at $5.52.

The company expects average occupancy to lie between 96.5% and 97.5%. Cash same-store NOI (Prologis share) is projected in the range of 8-9%.

Prologis currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Prologis, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Prologis, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Prologis, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Prologis, Inc. Quote

Upcoming Earnings Releases

We now look forward to the earnings releases of other REITs like Crown Castle Inc. (CCI - Free Report) and SL Green Realty (SLG - Free Report) , both slated to report on Jan 24.

Meanwhile, Boston Properties (BXP - Free Report) is scheduled on Jan 30.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Crown Castle’s fourth-quarter 2023 FFO per share stands at $1.79, indicating a year-over-year decline of 3.2%. CCI currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SL Green’s fourth-quarter 2023 FFO per share is pegged at 89 cents, implying a 39% year-over-year decrease. SLG currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boston Properties’ fourth-quarter 2023 FFO per share is pegged at $1.81, suggesting a year-over-year fall of 2.7%. BXP currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

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.


Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)


Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report
predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.


Click Here, It's Really Free

Published in