AGREE REALTY CORP - Annual Report: 2018 (Form 10-K)

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10‑K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018

Commission File Number 1‑12928

AGREE REALTY CORPORATION

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

70 E. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48304

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (248) 737‑4190

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes ☒ No ◻

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ◻ No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☒ No ◻



Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted  pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes ☒ No ◻



Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10‑K or any amendment to this Form 10‑K. ◻

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes ◻ No ☒



The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s shares of common stock held by non-affiliates was $1,637,625,077 as of June 30, 2018, based on the closing price of $52.77 on the New York Stock Exchange on that date.

 

At February 19, 2019, there were 37,537,012 shares of common stock, $.0001 par value per share, outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the annual stockholder meeting to be held in 2019 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10‑K as noted herein.

 

 

 

AGREE REALTY CORPORATION

Index to Form 10‑K

 

 

 

PART I

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Agree Realty Corporation intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and includes this statement for purposes of complying with these safe harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use of the words “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “seek,” “could,” “project,” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this report include information about possible or assumed future events, including, among other things, discussion and analysis of our future financial condition, results of operations, our strategic plans and objectives, occupancy and leasing rates and trends, liquidity and ability to refinance our indebtedness as it matures, anticipated expenditures of capital, and other matters. You should not rely on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could materially affect actual results, performances or achievements. Factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations, include, but are not limited to: the global and national economic conditions and changes in general economic, financial and real estate market conditions; changes in our business strategy; the potential need to fund improvements or other capital expenditures out of operating cash flow; financing risks, such as the inability to obtain debt or equity financing on favorable terms or at all; the level and volatility of interest rates; our ability to re-lease space as leases expire; loss or bankruptcy of one or more of our major tenants; our ability to maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for federal income tax purposes and the limitations imposed on our business by our status as a REIT; and legislative or regulatory changes, including changes to laws governing REITs. The factors included in this report, including the documents incorporated by reference, and documents the Company subsequently files or furnishes with the SEC are not exhaustive and additional factors could cause actual results to differ materially from that described in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risk factors, see the factors included under the caption “Risk Factors” within this report. All forward-looking statements are based on information that was available, and speak only, as of the date on which they were made. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to review or update these forward–looking statements to reflect events or circumstances as they occur.

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K to the terms "registrant,” the "Company," “Agree Realty,” "we,” “our” or "us" refer to Agree Realty Corporation and all of its consolidated subsidiaries, including its majority owned operating partnership, Agree Limited Partnership (the “Operating Partnership”). Agree Realty has elected to treat certain subsidiaries as taxable real estate investment trust subsidiaries which are collectively referred to herein as the “TRS.”

Item 1:       Business

General

The Company is a fully integrated REIT primarily focused on the ownership, acquisition, development and management of retail properties net leased to industry leading tenants. The Company was founded in 1971 by its current Executive Chairman, Richard Agree, and its common stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) in 1994. The Company’s assets are held by, and all of its operations are conducted through, directly or indirectly, the Operating Partnership of which the Company is the sole general partner and in which it held a 99.1% interest as of December 31, 2018. Under the partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership, we, as the sole general partner, have exclusive responsibility and discretion in the management and control of the Operating Agreement.    As of December 31, 2018, our portfolio consisted of 645 properties located in 46 states and totaling approximately 11.2 million square feet of gross leasable area (“GLA”).

As of December 31, 2018, our portfolio was approximately 99.8% leased and had a weighted average remaining lease term of approximately 10.2 years. A significant majority of our properties are leased to national tenants and approximately 51.4% of our annualized base rent was derived from tenants, or parent entities thereof, with an investment grade credit rating from S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service, Fitch Ratings or the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Substantially all of our tenants are subject to net lease agreements. A net lease typically requires the tenant

to be responsible for minimum monthly rent and property operating expenses including property taxes, insurance and maintenance.

As of December 31, 2018, we had 36 full-time employees, including executive, investment, due diligence, construction, accounting, asset management and administrative personnel.

Our principal executive offices are located at 70 E. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 and our telephone number is (248) 737‑4190. We maintain a website at www.agreerealty.com. Our reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and can be accessed through this site, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such reports. These filings are also available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Our website also contains copies of our corporate governance guidelines and code of business conduct and ethics, as well as the charters of our audit, compensation and nominating and governance committees. The information on our website is not part of this report.

Recent Developments

Investments

During 2018, we completed approximately $653.9 million of investments in net leased retail real estate, including acquisition and closing costs. Total investment volume includes the acquisition of 225 properties for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $608.3 million and the completed development of eight properties for an aggregate cost of approximately $45.6 million. These 233 properties are net leased to 59 different tenants operating in 22 sectors and are located in 37 states. These assets are 100% leased for a weighted average lease term of approximately 12.4 years, and the weighted average capitalization rate on our investments was approximately 7.0%.

Dividends

We increased our quarterly dividend per share from $0.520 in March 2018 to $0.540 in June 2018 and further increased our quarterly dividend per share to $0.555 in December 2018.

The fourth quarter dividend per share of $0.555 represents an annualized dividend of $2.22 per share and an annualized dividend yield of approximately 3.8% based on the last reported sales price of our common stock listed on the NYSE of $59.12 on December 31, 2018. We have paid a quarterly cash dividend for 99 consecutive quarters and, although we expect to continue our policy of paying quarterly dividends, we cannot guarantee that we will maintain our current level of dividends, that we will continue our recent pattern of increasing dividends per share, or what our actual dividend yield will be in any future period.

Financing

In March 2018, the Company completed a follow-on public offering of 3,450,000 shares of common stock, which included the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 450,000 shares of common stock, in connection with a forward sale agreement.  The offering, which included the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, was settled in its entirety in September 2018.  Upon settlement, the Company issued 3,450,000 shares and received net proceeds of $160.2 million after deducting fees and expenses.

In May 2018, the Company entered into a $250.0 million at-the-market equity program (“ATM program”) through which the Company may, from time to time, sell shares of common stock. In addition to selling shares of common stock, the Company may enter into forward sale agreements through its ATM Program.  The Company intends to use the proceeds generated from its ATM program for general corporate purposes, including funding our investment activity, the repayment or refinancing of outstanding indebtedness, working capital and other general corporate purposes.

During the year ended December 31, 2018,  the Company issued 3,057,263 shares of common stock under our ATM program at an average price of $59.28, realizing gross proceeds of $181.2 million. We had approximately $68.8 million remaining capacity under the ATM program as of December 31, 2018.

In September 2018, the Company and the Operating Partnership entered into two supplements to uncommitted master note facilities previously entered into with institutional purchasers in August 2017. Pursuant to the supplements, the Operating

Partnership completed a private placement of $125.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 4.32% senior unsecured notes due September 2030 (the “2030 Senior Unsecured Notes”). The senior unsecured notes were sold only to institutional investors and did not involve a public offering in reliance on the exemption from registration in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

In September 2018, the Company entered into a follow-on public offering of 3,500,000 shares of common stock in connection with a forward sale agreement. Upon settlement, the offering is anticipated to raise net proceeds of approximately $190.0 million, net of underwriting discounts, fees and commissions and will be subject to certain adjustments as provided in the forward sale agreement. Selling common stock through the forward sale agreement enabled the Company to set the price of such shares upon pricing the offering (subject to certain adjustments) while delaying the issuance of such shares and the receipt of the net proceeds by the Company.  As of December 31, 2018, the Company has not settled any shares related to the forward sale agreement which is required to be settled no later than September 3, 2019.

In December 2018, the Company and the Operating Partnership entered into a $100.0 million unsecured term loan facility that matures January 2026 (the “2026 Term Loan”). Borrowings under the 2026 Term Loan are priced at LIBOR plus 145 to 240 basis points, depending on the Company’s credit rating. The Company entered into an interest rate swap to fix LIBOR at 266 basis points until maturity. As of December 31, 2018, $100.0 million was outstanding under the 2026 Term Loan, which was subject to an all-in interest rate of 4.26%.

Dispositions

During 2018, the Company sold real estate properties for net proceeds of $65.8 million and recorded a net gain of $11.2 million.

Leasing

During 2018, excluding properties that were sold, we executed new leases, extensions or options on more than 331,000 square feet of GLA throughout our portfolio. The annual rent associated with these new leases, extensions or options is approximately $3.8 million. Material new leases, extensions or options included a 30,000 square foot TJ Maxx in Logan, Utah, a 21,177 square foot Harbor Freight Tools in Cedar Park, Texas and a 20,269 square foot Old Navy in Grand Chute, Wisconsin.

Business Strategies

Our primary business objective is to generate consistent shareholder returns by primarily investing in and actively managing a diversified portfolio of retail properties net leased to industry leading tenants. The following is a discussion of our investment, financing and asset management strategies:

Investment Strategy

We are primarily focused on the long-term, fee simple ownership of properties net leased to national or large, regional retailers operating in sectors we believe to be more e-commerce and recession resistant. Our leases are typically long-term net leases that require the tenant to pay all property operating expenses, including real estate taxes, insurance and maintenance. We believe that a diversified portfolio of such properties provides for stable and predictable cash flow.

We seek to expand and enhance our portfolio by identifying the best risk-adjusted investment opportunities across our development, Partner Capital Solutions (“PCS”) and acquisitions platforms.

Development: We have been developing retail properties since the formation of our predecessor company in 1971 and our development platform seeks to employ our capabilities to direct all aspects of the development process, including site selection, land acquisition, lease negotiation, due diligence, design and construction. Our developments are typically build-to-suit projects that result in fee simple ownership of the property upon completion.

Partner Capital Solutions: We launched our PCS program in April 2012. Our PCS program allows us to acquire properties or development opportunities by partnering with private developers or retailers on their in-process developments. We offer construction expertise, relationships, access to capital and forward commitments to purchase to facilitate the successful completion of their projects. We typically take fee simple ownership of PCS projects upon their completion.

Acquisitions: Our acquisitions platform was launched in April 2010 in order to expand our investment capabilities by pursuing opportunities that do not fall within our development platform, but that do meet both our real estate and return on investment criteria.

We believe that development and PCS projects have the potential to generate superior risk-adjusted returns on investment in properties that are substantially similar to those we acquire.

Each platform leverages the Company’s real estate acumen to pursue investments in net lease retail real estate. Factors that we consider when evaluating an investment include but are not limited to:

Financing Strategy

We seek to maintain a capital structure that provides us with the flexibility to manage our business and pursue our growth strategies, while allowing us to service our debt requirements and generate appropriate risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders. We believe these objectives are best achieved by a capital structure that consists primarily of common equity and prudent amounts of debt financing. However, we may raise capital in any form and under terms that we deem acceptable and in the best interest of our shareholders.

We have previously utilized common stock equity offerings, secured mortgage borrowings, unsecured bank borrowings, private placements of senior unsecured notes and the sale of properties to meet our capital requirements. We continually evaluate our financing policies on an on-going basis in light of current economic conditions, access to various capital markets, relative costs of equity and debt securities, the market value of our properties and other factors.

As of December 31, 2018, our ratio of total debt to enterprise value, assuming the conversion of limited partnership interests in the Operating Partnership (“OP Units”) into shares of common stock, was approximately 24.9%, and our ratio of total debt to total gross assets (before accumulated depreciation) was approximately 31.5%.

As of December 31, 2018, our total debt outstanding before deferred financing costs was $724.0 million, including $61.5 million of secured mortgage debt that had a weighted average fixed interest rate of 4.13% (including the effects of interest rate swap agreements) and a weighted average maturity of 3.1 years, $643.5 million of unsecured borrowings that had a weighted average fixed interest rate of 3.96% (including the effects of interest rate swap agreements) and a weighted average maturity of 8.2 years, and $19.0 million of floating rate borrowings under our revolving credit facility at a weighted average interest rate of approximately 3.38%.

Certain financial agreements to which we are a party contain covenants that limit our ability to incur debt under certain circumstances; however, our organizational documents do not limit the absolute amount or percentage of indebtedness that we may incur. As such, we may modify our borrowing policies at any time without shareholder approval.

Asset Management

We maintain a proactive leasing and capital improvement program that, combined with the quality and locations of our properties, has made our properties attractive to tenants. We intend to continue to hold our properties for long-term investment and, accordingly, place a strong emphasis on the quality of construction and an on-going program of regular and preventative maintenance. Our properties are designed and built to require minimal capital improvements other than

renovations or alterations, typically paid for by tenants. Personnel from our corporate headquarters conduct regular inspections of each property and maintain regular contact with major tenants.

We have a management information system designed to provide our management with the operating data necessary to make informed business decisions on a timely basis. This system provides us rapid access to lease data, tenants’ sales history, cash flow budgets and forecasts. Such a system helps us to maximize cash flow from operations and closely monitor corporate expenses.

Competition

The U.S. commercial real estate investment market is a highly competitive industry. We actively compete with many entities engaged in the acquisition, development and operation of commercial properties. As such, we compete with other investors for a limited supply of properties and financing for these properties. Investors include traded and non-traded public REITs, private equity firms, institutional investment funds, insurance companies and private individuals, many of which have greater financial resources than we do and the ability to accept more risk than we believe we can prudently manage. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully with such entities in our acquisition, development and leasing activities in the future.

Significant Tenants

As of December 31, 2018, we leased 105 properties to Sherwin-Williams. As of December 31, 2018, total annualized base rent from Sherwin-Williams was approximately 6.0%, and the weighted average remaining lease term was 11.8 years.

As of December 31, 2018, we leased 23 properties to Walgreens. Total annualized base rents from Walgreens were approximately 5.4%, 7.7% and 11.6% for the years ended 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, the weighted average remaining lease term of our Walgreens leases was 8.1 years.

No other tenant accounted for more than 5.0% of our annualized base rent as of December 31, 2018. See “Item 2 – Properties” for additional information on our top tenants and the composition of our tenant base.

Regulation

Environmental

Investments in real property create the potential for environmental liability on the part of the owner or operator of such real property. If hazardous substances are discovered on or emanating from a property, the owner or operator of the property may be held strictly liable for all costs and liabilities relating to such hazardous substances. We have obtained a Phase I environmental study (which involves inspection without soil sampling or ground water analysis) conducted by independent environmental consultants on each of our properties and, in certain instances, have conducted additional investigation, including a Phase II environmental assessment.

We have no knowledge of any hazardous substances existing on our properties in violation of any applicable laws; however, no assurance can be given that such substances are not located on any of our properties. We carry no insurance coverage for the types of environmental risks described above.

We believe that we are in compliance, in all material respects, with all federal, state and local ordinances and regulations regarding hazardous or toxic substances. Furthermore, we have not been notified by any governmental authority of any noncompliance, liability or other claim in connection with any of our properties.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Our properties, as commercial facilities, are required to comply with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and similar state and local laws and regulations (collectively, the “ADA”). Investigation of a property may reveal non-compliance with the ADA. Our tenants will typically have primary responsibility for complying with the ADA, but we may incur costs if the tenant does not comply. As of December 31, 2018, we have not been notified by any governmental authority, nor are we otherwise aware, of any non-compliance with the ADA that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position or results of operations.

Available Information

We make available free of charge through our website at www.agreerealty.com all reports we electronically file with, or furnish to, the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10‑K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10‑Q, and current reports on Form 8‑K, as well as any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after those documents are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. These filings are also accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Item 1A:        Risk Factors

The following factors and other factors discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements made in this report or presented elsewhere in future SEC reports. You should carefully consider each of the risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors described below and elsewhere in this report, as well as any reports, amendments or updates reflected in subsequent filings or furnishings with the SEC. We believe these risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors, individually or in the aggregate, could cause our actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results and could materially and adversely affect our business operations, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Risks Related to Our Business and Operations

Economic and financial conditions may have a negative effect on our business and operations.

Changes in global or national economic conditions, such as a global economic and financial market downturn or a disruption in the capital markets, may cause, among other things, a significant tightening in the credit markets, lower levels of liquidity, increases in the rate of default and bankruptcy and lower consumer spending and business spending, which could adversely affect our business and operations. Potential consequences of changes in economic and financial conditions include:

We are also limited in our ability to reduce costs to offset the results of a prolonged or severe economic downturn given certain fixed costs and commitments associated with our operations. Such conditions could make it very difficult to forecast operating results, make business decisions and identify and address material business risks.

Our business is significantly dependent on single tenant properties.

We focus our development and investment activities on ownership of real properties that are primarily net leased to a single tenant. Therefore, the financial failure of, or other default in payment by, a single tenant under its lease and the potential resulting vacancy is likely to cause a significant reduction in our operating cash flows from that property and a significant reduction in the value of the property and could cause a significant impairment loss.  In addition, we would be responsible for all of the operating costs of a property following a vacancy at a single tenant building. Because our properties have generally been built to suit a particular tenant’s specific needs and desires, we may also incur significant losses to make the leased premises ready for another tenant and experience difficulty or a significant delay in releasing such property.

Failure by any major tenant with leases in multiple locations to make rental payments to us, because of a deterioration of its financial condition or otherwise, would have a material adverse effect on us.

We derive substantially all of our revenue from tenants who lease space from us at our properties. Therefore, our ability to generate cash from operations is dependent on the rents that we are able to charge and collect from our tenants. At any time, our tenants may experience a downturn in their respective businesses that may significantly weaken their financial condition, particularly during periods of economic uncertainty.  In addition, our tenants compete with alternative forms of retailing, including online shopping, home shopping networks and mail order catalogs. As a result, our tenants may delay lease commencements, decline to extend or renew leases upon expiration, fail to make rental payments when due, close a number of stores or declare bankruptcy. Any of these actions could result in the loss of rental income attributable to the affected leases. In that event, we may be unable to re-lease the vacated space at attractive rents or at all. The occurrence of any of the situations described above would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our financial condition.

Bankruptcy laws will limit our remedies if a tenant becomes bankrupt and rejects its leases.

If a tenant becomes bankrupt or insolvent, that could diminish the income we receive from that tenant’s leases.  We may not be able to evict a tenant solely because of its bankruptcy.  On the other hand, a bankruptcy court might authorize the tenant to terminate its leasehold with us.  If that happens, our claim against the bankrupt tenant for unpaid future rent would be an unsecured pre-petition claim subject to statutory limitations, and therefore any amounts received in bankruptcy are likely to be substantially less valuable than the remaining rent we otherwise were owed under the leases.  In addition, any claim we have for unpaid past rent could be substantially less than the amount owed.

Our portfolio is concentrated in certain States, which makes us more susceptible to adverse events in these areas.

Our properties are located in 46 states throughout the United States and in particular, the state of Michigan (where 51 properties out of 645 properties are located or 9.7% of our annualized base rent was derived as of December 31, 2018), Texas (47  properties or 8.3% of our annualized base rent) and Florida (48 properties or 6.5% of our annualized base rent).  An economic downturn or other adverse events or conditions such as natural disasters in any of these areas, or any other area where we may have significant concentration in the future, could result in a material reduction of our cash flows or material losses to our company. 

There are risks associated with our development and acquisition activities.

We intend to continue the development of new properties and to consider possible acquisitions of existing properties.  We anticipate that our new developments will be financed under the revolving credit facility or other forms of financing that will result in a risk that permanent fixed rate financing on newly developed projects might not be available or would be available only on disadvantageous terms. In addition, new project development is subject to a number of risks, including risks of construction delays or cost overruns that may increase anticipated project costs. Furthermore, new project commencement risks also include receipt of zoning, occupancy, other required governmental permits and authorizations and the incurrence of development costs in connection with projects that are not pursued to completion.  If permanent debt or equity financing is not available on acceptable terms to finance new development or acquisitions undertaken without permanent financing, further development activities or acquisitions might be curtailed or cash available for distribution might be adversely affected.  Acquisitions entail risks that investments will fail to perform in accordance with expectations, as well as general investment risks associated with any new real estate investment.

We own certain of our properties subject to ground leases that expose us to the loss of such properties upon breach or termination of the ground leases and may limit our ability to sell these properties.

We own a limited number of properties through leasehold interests in the land underlying the buildings and we may acquire additional buildings in the future that are subject to similar ground leases. As lessee under a ground lease, we are exposed to the possibility of losing the property upon termination, or an earlier breach by us, of the ground lease, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, our ability to make distributions to our shareholders and the trading price of our common stock. Our ground leases contain certain provisions that may limit our ability to sell certain of our properties. In order to assign or transfer our rights and obligations under certain of our ground leases, we generally must obtain the consent of the landlord which, in turn, could adversely impact the price realized from any such sale.

The capital markets may limit our sources of funds for financing activities.

Our ability to access the capital markets may be restricted at a time when we would like, or need, to access those markets. This could have an impact on our flexibility to react to changing economic and business conditions. A lack of available credit, lack of confidence in the financial sector, increased volatility in the financial markets and reduced business activity could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and our ability to obtain and manage our liquidity. In addition, the cost of debt financing and the proceeds may be materially adversely impacted by such market conditions. Also, our ability to access equity markets as a source of funds may be affected by our stock price as well as general market conditions.

Loss of revenues from tenants would reduce the Company’s cash flow.

Our tenants encounter significant macroeconomic, governmental and competitive forces. Adverse changes in consumer spending or consumer preferences for particular goods, services or store-based retailing could severely impact their ability to pay rent. Shifts from in-store to online shopping could increase due to changing consumer shopping patterns as well as the increase in consumer adoption and use of mobile electronic devices. This expansion of e-commerce could have an adverse impact on our tenant’s ongoing viability. The default, financial distress, bankruptcy or liquidation of one or more of our tenants could cause substantial vacancies in our property portfolio. Vacancies reduce our revenues, increase property expenses and could decrease the value of each vacant property. Upon the expiration of a lease, the tenant may choose not to renew the lease, and/or we may not be able to release the vacant property at a comparable lease rate or without incurring additional expenditures in connection with such renewal or re-leasing.

The availability and timing of cash distributions is uncertain

We expect to continue to pay quarterly distributions to our shareholders. However, we bear all expenses incurred by our operations, and our funds generated by operations, after deducting these expenses, may not be sufficient to cover desired levels of distributions to our shareholders. We cannot assure our shareholders that sufficient funds will be available to pay distributions.

The decision to declare and pay dividends on our common stock in the future, as well as the timing, amount, and composition of any such future dividends, will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, funds from operations, liquidity, financial condition, capital requirements, contractual prohibitions, or other limitations under our indebtedness, annual dividend requirements or the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), state law and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant. Further, we may issue new shares of common stock as compensation to our employees or in connection with public offerings or acquisitions. Any future issuances may substantially increase the cash required to pay dividends at current or higher levels. Our actual dividend payable will be determined by our board of directors based upon the circumstances at the time of declaration.

Any preferred shares we may offer may have a fixed dividend rate that would not increase with any increases in the dividend rate of our common stock. Conversely, payment of dividends on our common stock may be subject to payment in full of the dividends on any preferred shares and payment of interest on any debt securities we may offer.

If we do not maintain or increase the dividend on our common stock, it could have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares.

We face significant competition.

We face competition in seeking properties for acquisition and tenants who will lease space in these properties from insurance companies, credit companies, pension or private equity funds, private individuals, investment companies, other REITs and other industry participants, many of which have greater financial and other resources than we do.  There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully compete with such entities in our development, acquisition and leasing activities in the future.

We face risks relating to information technology and cybersecurity attacks, loss of confidential information and other business disruptions.

We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store electronic information and to manage or support a variety of our business processes and we rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide infrastructure and security for processing, transmitting and storing information.

Any failure, inadequacy or interruption could materially harm our business. Furthermore, our business is subject to risks from and may be impacted by cybersecurity attacks, including attempts to gain unauthorized access to our confidential data and other electronic security breaches. Such cyber-attacks can range from individual attempts to gain unauthorized access to our information technology systems to more sophisticated security threats. While we employ a number of measures to prevent, detect and mitigate these threats, there is no guarantee such efforts will be successful in preventing a cyber-attack. Cybersecurity incidents could cause operational interruption, damage to our business relationships, private data exposure (including personally identifiable information, or proprietary and confidential information, of ours and our employees, as well as third parties) and affect the efficiency of our business operations. Any such incidents could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability or regulatory penalties under laws protecting the privacy of personal information and reduce the benefits of our technologies.

General Real Estate Risk

Our performance and value are subject to general economic conditions and risks associated with our real estate assets.

There are risks associated with owning and leasing real estate.  Although many of our leases contain terms that obligate the tenants to bear substantially all of the costs of operating our properties, investing in real estate involves a number of risks. Income from and the value of our properties may be adversely affected by:

Economic and financial market conditions have and may continue to exacerbate many of the foregoing risks.  If a tenant fails to perform on its lease covenants, that would not excuse us from meeting any mortgage debt obligation secured by the property and could require us to fund reserves in favor of our mortgage lenders, thereby reducing funds available for payment of cash dividends on our shares of common stock.

The fact that real estate investments are relatively illiquid may reduce economic returns to investors.

We may desire to sell a property in the future because of changes in market conditions or poor tenant performance or to avail ourselves of other opportunities.  We may also be required to sell a property in the future to meet secured debt obligations or to avoid a secured debt loan default.  Real estate properties cannot generally be sold quickly, and we cannot assure you that we could always obtain a favorable price.  We may be required to invest in the restoration or modification of a property before we can sell it. This lack of liquidity may limit our ability to vary our portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other conditions and, as a result, could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and our ability to pay distributions on our common stock.

Our ability to renew leases or re-lease space on favorable terms as leases expire significantly affects our business.

We are subject to the risks that, upon expiration of leases for space located in our properties, the premises may not be re-let or the terms of re-letting (including the cost of concessions to tenants) may be less favorable than current lease terms.  If a tenant does not renew its lease or if a tenant defaults on its lease obligations, there is no assurance we could obtain a substitute tenant on acceptable terms.  If we cannot obtain another tenant with comparable structural needs, we may be required to modify the property for a different use, which may involve a significant capital expenditure and a delay in re-leasing the property. Further, if we are unable to re-let promptly all or a substantial portion of our retail space or if the

rental rates upon such re-letting were significantly lower than expected rates, our net income and ability to make expected distributions to shareholders would be adversely affected.  There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain tenants in any of our properties upon the expiration of their leases.

Potential liability for environmental contamination could result in substantial costs.

Under federal, state and local environmental laws, we may be required to investigate and clean up any release of hazardous or toxic substances or petroleum products at our properties, regardless of our knowledge or actual responsibility, simply because of our current or past ownership or operation of the real estate.  If unidentified environmental problems arise, we may have to make substantial payments, which could adversely affect our cash flow and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.  This potential liability results from the following:

These costs could be substantial and in extreme cases could exceed the value of the contaminated property.  The presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products or the failure to properly remediate contamination may adversely affect our ability to borrow against, sell or lease an affected property.  In addition, some environmental laws create liens on contaminated sites in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs in connection with a contamination.

We own and may in the future acquire properties that will be operated as convenience stores with gas station facilities. The operation of convenience stores with gas station facilities at our properties will create additional environmental concerns. We require that the tenants who operate these facilities do so in material compliance with current laws and regulations.

A majority of our leases require our tenants to comply with environmental laws and to indemnify us against environmental liability arising from the operation of the properties. However, we could be subject to strict liability under environmental laws because we own the properties.  There are certain losses, including losses from environmental liabilities, that are not generally insured against or that are not generally fully insured against because it is not deemed economically feasible or prudent to do so. There is also a risk that tenants may not satisfy their environmental compliance and indemnification obligations under the leases.  Any of these events could substantially increase our cost of operations, require us to fund environmental indemnities in favor of our secured lenders and reduce our ability to service our secured debt and pay dividends to shareholders and any debt security interest payments.  Environmental problems at any properties could also put us in default under loans secured by those properties, as well as loans secured by unaffected properties.

Uninsured losses relating to real property may adversely affect our returns.

Our leases generally require tenants to carry comprehensive liability and extended coverage insurance on our properties.  However, there are certain losses, including losses from environmental liabilities, terrorist acts or catastrophic acts of nature, that are not generally insured against or that are not generally fully insured against because it is not deemed economically feasible or prudent to do so.  If there is an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insurance limits, we could lose both the revenues generated by the affected property and the capital we have invested in the property. In the event of a substantial unreimbursed loss, we would remain obligated to repay any mortgage indebtedness or other obligations related to the property.

Risks Related to Our Debt Financings

Our level of indebtedness could materially and adversely affect our financial position, including reducing funds available for other business purposes and reducing our operational flexibility, and we may have future capital needs and may not be able to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms.

At December 31, 2018, our ratio of total debt to enterprise value (assuming conversion of OP Units into shares of common stock) was approximately 24.9%. Incurring substantial debt may adversely affect our business and operating results by:

In addition, the use of leverage presents an additional element of risk in the event that (1) the cash flow from lease payments on our properties is insufficient to meet debt obligations, (2) we are unable to refinance our debt obligations as necessary or on as favorable terms, (3) there is an increase in interest rates, (4) we default on our financial obligations and (5) debt service requirements increase.  If a property is mortgaged to secure payment of indebtedness and we are unable to meet mortgage payments, the property could be foreclosed upon with a consequential loss of income and asset value to us.  Under the “cross-default” provisions contained in mortgages encumbering some of our properties, our default under a mortgage with a lender would result in our default under mortgages held on other properties resulting in multiple foreclosures.

We generally intend to maintain a ratio of total indebtedness (including construction or acquisition financing) to total market capitalization of 65% or less.  Nevertheless, we may operate with debt levels which are in excess of 65% of total market capitalization for extended periods of time.  Our organizational documents contain no limitation on the amount or percentage of indebtedness which we may incur.  Therefore, our board of directors, without a vote of the shareholders, could alter the general policy on borrowings at any time.  If our debt capitalization policy were changed, we could become more highly leveraged, resulting in an increase in debt service that could adversely affect our operating cash flow and our ability to make expected distributions to shareholders, and could result in an increased risk of default on our obligations.

Covenants in our credit agreements could limit our flexibility and adversely affect our financial condition.

The terms of the financing agreements and other indebtedness require us to comply with a number of customary financial and other covenants.  These covenants may limit our flexibility in our operations, and breaches of these covenants could result in defaults under the instruments governing the applicable indebtedness even if we have satisfied our payment obligations. Our financing agreements contain certain cross-default provisions which could be triggered in the event that we default on our other indebtedness. These cross-default provisions may require us to repay or restructure the revolving credit facility in addition to any mortgage or other debt that is in default. If our properties were foreclosed upon, or if we are unable to refinance our indebtedness at maturity or meet our payment obligations, the amount of our distributable cash flows and our financial condition would be adversely affected.

Our unsecured revolving credit facility and certain term loan agreements contain various restrictive corporate covenants, including a maximum total leverage ratio, a maximum secured leverage ratio, a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, a maximum recourse secured debt ratio, a minimum net worth requirement and a maximum payout ratio. In addition, our unsecured revolving credit facility and certain term loan agreements have unencumbered pool covenants, which include a minimum number of eligible unencumbered assets, a maximum unencumbered leverage ratio and a minimum unencumbered interest coverage ratio. These covenants may restrict our ability to pursue certain business initiatives or certain transactions that might otherwise be advantageous. Furthermore, failure to meet certain of these financial covenants could cause an event of default under and/or accelerate some or all of such indebtedness which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Credit market developments may reduce availability under our revolving credit facility.

There is risk that lenders, even those with strong balance sheets and sound lending practices, could fail or refuse to honor their legal commitments and obligations under our existing revolving credit facility, including but not limited to: extending credit up to the maximum amount permitted by such credit facility, allowing access to additional credit features and/or honoring loan commitments. If our lender(s) fail to honor their legal commitments under our revolving credit facility, it could be difficult to replace our revolving credit facility on similar terms. Any such failure by any of the lenders under the revolving credit facility may impact our ability to finance our operating or investing activities.

An increase in market interest rates could raise our interest costs on existing and future debt or adversely affect our stock price, and a decrease in interest rates may lead to additional competition for the acquisition of real estate or adversely affect our results of operations.

Our interest costs for any new debt and our current debt obligations may rise if interest rates increase. This increased cost could make the financing of any new acquisition more expensive as well as lower our current 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. In addition, an increase in interest rates could decrease the access third parties have to credit, thereby decreasing the amount they are willing to pay to lease our assets and limit our ability to reposition our portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other conditions. An increase in market interest rates may lead prospective purchasers of our common stock to expect a higher dividend yield, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. 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 targeted for acquisition. In such circumstances, if we are not able to offset the decrease in yields by obtaining lower interest costs on our borrowings, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

Our hedging strategies may not be successful in mitigating our risks associated with interest rates and could reduce the overall returns on your investment.

We use various derivative financial instruments to provide a level of protection against interest rate risks, but no hedging strategy can protect us completely. These instruments involve risks, such as the risk that the counterparties may fail to honor their obligations under these arrangements, that these arrangements may not be effective in reducing our exposure to interest rate changes, that a court could rule that such agreements are not legally enforceable, and that we may have to post collateral to enter into hedging transactions, which we may lose if we are unable to honor our obligations. These instruments may also generate income that may not be treated as qualifying REIT income for purposes of the REIT income tests. In addition, the nature and timing of hedging transactions may influence the effectiveness of our hedging strategies. Poorly designed strategies or improperly executed transactions could actually increase our risk and losses. Moreover, hedging strategies involve transaction and other costs. We cannot assure you that our hedging strategy and the derivatives that we use will adequately offset the risk of interest rate volatility or that our hedging transactions will not result in losses that may reduce the overall return on your investment.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

Our charter, bylaws and Maryland law contain provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a change of control transaction.

Our charter contains 9.8% ownership limits. Our charter, subject to certain exceptions, authorizes our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT and contains provisions that limit any person to actual or constructive ownership of no more than 9.8% (in value or in number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of the outstanding shares of our common stock and no more than 9.8% (in value) of the aggregate of the outstanding shares of all classes and series of our stock. Our board of directors, in its sole discretion, may exempt, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, any person from the ownership limits. These restrictions on transferability and ownership will not apply if our board of directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT. The ownership limits may delay or impede, and we may use the ownership limits deliberately to delay or impede, a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our shareholders.

We have a staggered board. Our directors are divided into three classes serving three-year staggered terms. The staggering of our board of directors may discourage offers for the Company or make an acquisition more difficult, even when an acquisition may be viewed to be in the best interest of our shareholders.

We could issue stock without stockholder approval. Our board of directors could, without stockholder approval, issue authorized but unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock. In addition, our board of directors could, without stockholder approval, classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and set the preferences, rights and other terms of such classified or reclassified shares. Our board of directors could establish a series of stock that could, depending on the terms of such series, delay, defer or prevent a transaction or change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be viewed to be in the best interest of our shareholders.

Provisions of Maryland law may limit the ability of a third party to acquire control of our company. Certain provisions of Maryland law may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or of impeding a change of control under certain circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of shares of our common stock with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then prevailing market price of such shares, including:

The business combination statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are approved or exempted by the board of directors before the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder.  Our board of directors has exempted from the business combination provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, or MGCL, any business combination with Mr. Richard Agree or any other person acting in concert or as a group with Mr. Richard Agree.

In addition, our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute Richard Agree, Edward Rosenberg, any spouses or the foregoing, any brothers or sisters of the foregoing, any ancestors of the foregoing, any other lineal descendants of any of the foregoing, any estates of any of the foregoing, any trusts established for the benefit of any of the foregoing and any other entity controlled by any of the foregoing, our other officers, our employees, any of the associates or affiliates of the foregoing and any other person acting in concert of as a group with any of the foregoing.

Additionally, Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL, permits our board of directors, without stockholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in our charter or our bylaws, to implement certain takeover defenses. These provisions may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making an acquisition proposal for our company or of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of our common stock with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-current market price.

Our charter, our bylaws, the limited partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership and Maryland law also contain other provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be viewed to be in the best interest of our shareholders.

Future offerings of debt and equity may not be available to us or may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

We expect to continue to increase our capital resources by making additional offerings of equity and debt securities in the future, which could include classes or series of preferred stock, common stock and senior or subordinated notes. Our ability to raise additional capital may be restricted at a time when we would like or need, including as a result of market conditions. Future market dislocations could cause us to seek sources of potentially less attractive capital and impact our flexibility to react to changing economic and business conditions. All debt securities and other borrowings, as well as all classes or series of preferred stock, will be senior to our common stock in a liquidation of our company. Additional equity offerings could dilute our shareholders’ equity and reduce the market price of shares of our common stock. In addition, depending on the terms and pricing of an additional offering of our common stock and the value of our properties, our shareholders may experience dilution in both the book value and fair value of their shares. The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock in the market after an offering or the perception that such sales could occur, and this could materially and adversely affect our ability to raise capital through future offerings of equity or equity-related securities.  In addition, we may issue preferred stock or other securities convertible into equity securities with a distribution preference or a liquidation preference that may limit our ability to make distributions on our common stock. Our ability to estimate the amount, timing or nature of additional offerings is limited as these factors will depend upon market conditions and other factors.

The market price of our stock may vary substantially.

The market price of our common stock could be volatile, and investors in our common stock may experience a decrease in the value of their shares, including decreases unrelated to our operating performance or prospects. Among the market conditions that may affect the market price of our common stock are the following:

An officer and director may have interests that conflict with the interests of shareholders.

An officer and member of our board of directors owns OP units in the Operating Partnership. This individual may have personal interests that conflict with the interests of our shareholders with respect to business decisions affecting us and the Operating Partnership, such as interests in the timing and pricing of property sales or refinancing in order to obtain favorable tax treatment.

Federal Income Tax Risks

Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities.

To qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes we must continually satisfy numerous income, asset and other tests, thus having to forego investments we might otherwise make and hindering our investment performance.

Failure to qualify as a REIT could adversely affect our operations and our ability to make distributions.

We will be subject to increased taxation if we fail to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes.  Although we believe that we are organized and operate in such a manner so as to qualify as a REIT under the Code, no assurance can be given that we will remain so qualified.  Qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex Code provisions for which there are only limited judicial or administrative interpretations.  The complexity of these provisions and applicable treasury regulations is also increased in the context of a REIT that holds its assets in partnership form.  The determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.  Additionally, our charter provides our board of directors with the power, under certain circumstances, to revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election and cause us to be taxed as a regular corporation, without the approval

of our stockholders. A REIT that annually distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders generally is not taxed at the corporate level on such distributed income. We have not requested and do not plan to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that we qualify as a REIT.

If we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will face tax consequences that will substantially reduce the funds available for payment of cash dividends:

In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will no longer be required to pay dividends (other than any mandatory dividends on any preferred shares we may offer).  As a result of these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT could adversely affect the market price for our common stock.

U.S. federal tax reform legislation could affect REITs generally, the geographic markets in which we operate, our stock and our results of operations, both positively and negatively in ways that are difficult to anticipate.

Changes to the federal income tax laws are proposed regularly. Additionally, the REIT rules are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which may result in revisions to regulations and interpretations in addition to statutory changes. If enacted, certain such changes could have an adverse impact on our business and financial results. In particular, H.R. 1, which took effect for taxable years that began on or after January 1, 2018 (subject to certain exceptions), made many significant changes to the federal income tax laws that profoundly impacted the taxation of individuals, corporations (both regular C corporations as well as corporations that have elected to be taxed as REITs), and the taxation of taxpayers with overseas assets and operations. A number of changes that affect non-corporate taxpayers will expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts to extend them. These changes will impact us and our shareholders in various ways, some of which are adverse or potentially adverse compared to prior law. While the IRS has issued some guidance with respect to certain of the new provisions, there are numerous interpretive issues that will require further guidance. It is highly likely that technical corrections legislation will be needed to clarify certain aspects of the new law and give proper effect to Congressional intent. There can be no assurance, however, that technical clarifications or further changes needed to prevent unintended or unforeseen tax consequences will be enacted by Congress in the near future. In addition, while certain elements of tax reform legislation do not impact us directly as a REIT, they could impact the geographic markets in which we operate, the tenants that populate our properties and the customers who frequent our properties in ways, both positive and negative, that are difficult to anticipate. Other legislative proposals could be enacted in the future that could affect REITs and their shareholders. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the effect of H.R. 1 and any other potential tax law changes on an investment in our common stock.

Changes in tax laws may prevent us from maintaining our qualification as a REIT.

As we have previously described, we intend to maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. However, this intended qualification is based on the tax laws that are currently in effect. We are unable to predict any future changes in the tax laws that would adversely affect our status as a REIT. If there is a change in the tax law that prevents us from qualifying as a REIT or that requires REITs generally to pay corporate level income taxes, we may not be able to make the same level of distributions to our shareholders.

Complying with REIT requirements may force us to liquidate or restructure otherwise attractive investments.

In order to qualify as a REIT, at least 75% of the value of our assets must consist of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified real estate assets. The remainder of our investments in securities (other than government securities, securities of TRSs and qualified real estate assets) cannot include more than 10% of the voting securities or 10% of the value of all securities, of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the total value of our assets (other than government securities, securities of TRSs and qualified real estate assets) can consist of securities of any one issuer, and no more than 20% of the total value of our assets can be represented by one or more TRSs. If we fail to comply with these 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 otherwise attractive investments.

We may have to borrow funds or sell assets to meet our distribution requirements.

Subject to some adjustments that are unique to REITs, a REIT generally must distribute 90% of its taxable income. For the purpose of determining taxable income, we may be required to accrue interest, rent and other items treated as earned for tax purposes but that we have not yet received. In addition, we may be required not to accrue as expenses for tax purposes some expenses that actually have been paid, including, for example, payments of principal on our debt, or some of our deductions might be disallowed by the Internal Revenue Service. As a result, we could have taxable income in excess of cash available for distribution. If this occurs, we may have to borrow funds or liquidate some of our assets in order to meet the distribution requirement applicable to a REIT.

Our ownership of and relationship with our TRSs will be limited, and a failure to comply with the limits would jeopardize our REIT status and may result in the application of a 100% excise tax.

A REIT may own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. A TRS may earn income that would not be qualifying income if earned directly by the parent REIT. Overall, no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs. A TRS will typically pay federal, state and local income tax at regular corporate rates on any income that it earns. In addition, the TRS rules impose a 100% excise tax on certain transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. Our TRSs will pay federal, state and local income tax on their taxable income, and their after-tax net income will be available for distribution to us but will not be required to be distributed to us. There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the 20% limitation discussed above or to avoid application of the 100% excise tax discussed above.

Liquidation of our assets may jeopardize our REIT qualification.

To qualify as a REIT, we must comply with requirements regarding our assets and our sources of income. If we are compelled to liquidate our investments to repay obligations to our lenders, we may be unable to comply with these requirements, ultimately jeopardizing our qualification as a REIT, or we may be subject to a 100% tax on any gain if we sell assets in transactions that are considered to be “prohibited transactions,” which are explained in the risk factor below.

We may be subject to other tax liabilities even if we qualify as a REIT.

Even if we remain qualified as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we will be required to pay certain federal, state and local taxes on our income and property. For example, we will be subject to federal income tax on any of our REIT taxable income (including capital gains) that we do not distribute annually to our shareholders. Additionally, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which dividends 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. Moreover, if we have net income from “prohibited transactions,” that income will be subject to a 100% tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. The determination as to whether a particular sale is a prohibited transaction depends on the facts and circumstances related to that sale. While we will undertake sales of assets if those assets become inconsistent with our long-term strategic or return objectives, we do not believe that those sales should be considered prohibited transactions, but there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service would not contend otherwise. The need to avoid prohibited transactions could cause us to forego or defer sales of properties that might otherwise be in our best interest to sell.

In addition, any net taxable income earned directly by our TRSs, or through entities that are disregarded for federal income tax purposes as entities separate from our TRSs, will be subject to federal and possibly state corporate income tax. To the

extent that we and our affiliates are required to pay federal, state and local taxes, we will have less cash available for distributions to our shareholders.

Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates on dividend income from regular corporations.

The maximum federal income tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” payable by non-REIT corporations to certain non-corporate U.S. stockholders is generally 20% and a 3.8% Medicare tax may also apply. Dividends paid by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the reduced rates applicable to qualified dividend income. Commencing with taxable years that began on or after January 1, 2018 and continuing through 2025, H.R. 1 temporarily reduced the effective tax rate on ordinary REIT dividends (i.e., dividends other than capital gain dividends and dividends attributable to certain qualified dividend income received by us) for U.S. holders of our common stock that are individuals, estates or trusts by permitting such holders to claim a deduction in determining their taxable income equal to 20% of any such dividends they receive. Taking into account H.R. 1’s reduction in the maximum individual federal income tax rate from 39.6% to 37%, this results in a maximum effective rate of regular income tax on ordinary REIT dividends of 29.6% through 2025 (as compared to the 20% maximum federal income tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income received from a non-REIT corporation). The more favorable rates applicable to regular corporate distributions could cause investors who are individuals to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay distributions. This could materially and adversely affect the value of the stock of REITs, including our common stock.

Complying with 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 liabilities. Any income from a hedging transaction we enter into to manage risk of interest rate changes, price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made to acquire or carry real estate assets does not constitute qualifying income for purposes of income tests that apply to us as a REIT. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions is likely to be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of the income tests. As a result of these rules, we may need 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 our TRS would 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 our TRSs will generally not provide any tax benefit, except for being carried forward against future taxable income in the TRSs.

Item 1B:       Unresolved Staff Comments

There are no unresolved staff comments.

Item 2:          Properties

As of December 31, 2018, our portfolio consisted of 645 properties located in 46 states and totaling approximately 11.2 million square feet of GLA.  

As of December 31, 2018, our portfolio was approximately 99.8% leased and had a weighted average remaining lease term of approximately 10.2 years. A significant majority of our properties are leased to national tenants and approximately 51.4% of our annualized base rent was derived from tenants, or parents thereof, with an investment grade credit rating. Substantially all of our tenants are subject to net lease agreements. A net lease typically requires the tenant to be responsible for minimum monthly rent and property operating expenses including property taxes, insurance and maintenance. In addition, our tenants are typically subject to future rent increases based on fixed amounts or increases in the consumer price index and certain leases provide for additional rent calculated as a percentage of the tenants’ gross sales above a specified level.

Tenant Diversification

The following table presents annualized base rents for all tenants that generated 1.5% or greater of our total annualized base rent as of December 31, 2018:

Tenant Sector Diversification

The following table presents annualized base rents for all sectors that generated 2.5% or greater of our total annualized base rents as of December 31, 2018:

Geographic Diversification

The following table presents annualized base rents, by state, for our portfolio as of December 31, 2018:

 

Lease Expirations

The following table presents contractual lease expirations within the Company’s portfolio as of December 31, 2018, assuming that no tenants exercise renewal options:

Developments

During the fourth quarter of 2018, construction continued or commenced on eight development and Partner Capital Solutions (“PCS”) projects with anticipated total project costs of approximately $28.8 million. The projects consist of the Company’s first development with Gerber Collision in Round Lake, Illinois; the Company’s redevelopment of the former Kmart space in Frankfort, Kentucky for ALDI, Big Lots and Harbor Freight Tools; the Company’s first three developments with Sunbelt Rentals in Batavia and Maumee, Ohio and Georgetown, Kentucky; the Company’s third and fourth developments with Mister Car Wash in Orlando and Tavares, Florida; and the Company’s redevelopment of the former Kmart space in Mount Pleasant, Michigan for Hobby Lobby.

During the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, the Company had 16 development or PCS projects completed or under construction. Anticipated total costs for those projects are approximately $74.4 million and include the following completed or commenced projects:

Notes:

 

Item 3:        Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business. We are not presently involved in any litigation nor, to our knowledge, is any other litigation threatened against us, other than routine litigation arising in the ordinary course of business, which is expected to be covered by our liability insurance and all of which collectively is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, results of operations or business or financial condition.

Item 4:        Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5:        Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Our common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “ADC.” At February 19, 2019, there were 37,537,012 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding which were held by approximately 129 shareholders of record. The number of shareholders of record does not reflect persons or entities that held their shares in nominee or “street” name. In addition, at February 19, 2019 there were 347,619 outstanding OP Units held by a limited partner other than our Company. The OP Units are exchangeable into shares of common stock on a one-for-one basis.

 

Common stock repurchases during the three months ended December 31, 2018 were:

During the three months ended December 31, 2018, the Company withheld 6,036 shares from employees to satisfy estimated statutory income tax obligations related to vesting of restricted stock awards. The value of the common stock withheld was based on the closing price of our common stock on the applicable vesting date. There were no unregistered sales of equity secruities during the three months ended December 31, 2018.

We intend to continue to declare quarterly dividends. However, our distributions are determined by our board of directors and will depend upon cash generated by operating activities, our financial condition, capital requirements, annual distribution requirements under the REIT provisions of the Code and such other factors as the board of directors deems relevant. We have historically paid cash dividends, although we may choose to pay a portion in stock dividends in the future. To qualify as a REIT, we must distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income prior to net capital gains to our shareholders, as well as meet certain other requirements. We must pay these distributions in the taxable year the income is recognized; or in the following taxable year if they are declared during the last three months of the taxable year, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date during such period and paid during January of the following year. Such distributions are treated for REIT tax purposes as paid by us and received by our shareholders on December 31 of the year in which they are declared. In addition, at our election, a distribution for a taxable year may be declared in the following taxable year if it is declared before we timely file our tax return for such year and if paid on or before the first regular dividend payment after such declaration. These distributions qualify as dividends paid for the 90% REIT distribution test for the previous year and are taxable to holders of our capital stock in the year in which paid.

For information about our equity compensation plan, please see “Item 12 – Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” of this Annual Report on Form 10‑K.

Item 6:        Selected Financial Data

The following table sets forth our selected financial information on a historical basis and should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K. The balance sheet for the

periods ending December 31, 2014 through 2018 and operating data for each of the periods presented were derived from our audited financial statements.