Apple Hospitality REIT Earnings 2020-03-31

The Company’s investment in real estate consisted of the following (in thousands):

As of March 31, 2020, the Company owned 231 hotels with an aggregate of 29,535 rooms located in 34 states.

The Company leases all of its hotels to its wholly-owned taxable REIT subsidiary (or a subsidiary thereof) under master hotel lease agreements.

Hotel Acquisitions

There were no acquisitions during the three months ended March 31, 2020. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company acquired three hotels, including two hotels during the three months ended March 31, 2019. The following table sets forth the location, brand, manager, date acquired, number of rooms and gross purchase price, excluding transaction costs, for each hotel. All dollar amounts are in thousands.

The Company used borrowings under its revolving credit facility to purchase each of these hotels. The acquisitions of these hotel properties were accounted for as an acquisition of a group of assets, with costs incurred to effect the acquisition, which were not significant, capitalized as part of the cost of the assets acquired. For the two hotels acquired during the three months ended March 31, 2019, the amount of revenue and operating income included in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations from the date of acquisition through March 31, 2019 was approximately $0.7 million and $0.1 million, respectively.

Hotel Purchase Contract Commitments

As of March 31, 2020, the Company had outstanding contracts, all of which were entered into prior to 2020, for the potential purchase of six hotels for a total expected purchase price of approximately $208.8 million. Two of the hotels, the newly developed Hampton Inn & Suites and Home2 Suites in Cape Canaveral, Florida, were acquired in April 2020. Also, subsequent to March 31, 2020, the Company exercised its right to terminate the contract to purchase the Courtyard hotel in Denver, Colorado and the refundable deposit of approximately $0.6 million was repaid to the Company. The three remaining hotels are under development and are planned to be completed and opened for business over the next five to 15 months from March 31, 2020, at which time closings on these hotels are expected to occur. Although the Company is working towards acquiring these hotels, in each case there are a number of conditions to closing that have not yet been satisfied and there can be no assurance that closings on these hotels will occur under the outstanding purchase contracts. If the sellers meet all of the conditions to closing, the Company is obligated to specifically perform under these contracts. As the properties are under development, at this time, the sellers have not met all of the conditions to closing. The following table summarizes the location, brand, date of purchase contract, expected number of rooms, refundable (if the seller does not meet its obligations under the contract) contract deposits paid, and gross purchase price for each of the contracts outstanding at March 31, 2020 that have not been terminated. All dollar amounts are in thousands.

The Company utilized $25.0 million of its available cash and entered into a one-year note payable with the developer secured by the hotels for $21.7 million to fund the purchase price of the Cape Canaveral, Florida hotels. The note payable bears interest, which is payable monthly, at a floating annual rate equal to the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate for a one-month term (“one-month LIBOR”) plus a margin of 2.0% for the first six months of the loan term and 3.0% for the second six months of the loan term. The Company plans to utilize its available cash at closing to purchase the remaining hotels under contract if closings occur.

During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company sold two hotels in two transactions with unrelated parties for a total combined gross sales price of approximately $45.0 million, resulting in a combined gain on sale of approximately $8.8 million, which is included in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The two hotels had a total carrying value of approximately $35.7 million at the time of sale. The following table lists the two hotels sold:

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company sold 11 hotels in three transactions with unrelated parties for a total combined gross sales price of approximately $121.7 million, resulting in a combined gain on sale of approximately $5.6 million, which is included in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019. The 11 hotels had a total carrying value of approximately $115.1 million at the time of the sale. The following table lists the 11 hotels sold:

Excluding gains on sale of real estate, the Company’s consolidated statements of operations include operating income of approximately $0.1 million and $2.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, relating to the results of operations of the 13 hotels noted above (the two hotels sold in the first three months of 2020 and the 11 hotels sold in 2019) for the period of ownership. The sale of these properties does not represent a strategic shift that has, or will have, a major effect on the Company’s operations and financial results, and therefore the operating results for the period of ownership of these properties are included in income from continuing operations for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019. The net proceeds from the sales were used to pay down borrowings on the Company’s revolving credit facility.

Summary

As of March 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, the Company’s debt consisted of the following (in thousands):

The aggregate amounts of principal payable under the Company’s total debt obligations as of March 31, 2020 (including the revolving credit facility, term loans, senior notes and mortgage debt), for the five years subsequent to March 31, 2020 and thereafter are as follows (in thousands):

The Company uses interest rate swaps to manage its interest rate risks on a portion of its variable-rate debt. Throughout the terms of these interest rate swaps, the Company pays a fixed rate of interest and receives a floating rate of interest equal to one-month LIBOR. The swaps are designed to effectively fix the interest payments on variable-rate debt instruments. See Note 5 for more information on the interest rate swap agreements. The Company’s total fixed-rate and variable-rate debt, after giving effect to its interest rate swaps in effect at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, is set forth below. All dollar amounts are in thousands.

Credit Facilities

$850 Million Credit Facility

The Company utilizes an unsecured “$850 million credit facility” comprised of (i) a $425 million revolving credit facility with an initial maturity date of July 27, 2022 and (ii) a $425 million term loan facility consisting of two term loans: a $200 million term loan with a maturity date of July 27, 2023, and a $225 million term loan with a maturity date of January 31, 2024 (the “$425 million term loan facility”). Subject to certain conditions including covenant compliance and additional fees, the $425 million revolving credit facility maturity date may be extended up to one year. The Company may make voluntary prepayments in whole or in part, at any time. Interest payments on the $850 million credit facility are due monthly and the interest rate, subject to certain exceptions, is equal to an annual rate of the one-month LIBOR plus a margin ranging from 1.35% to 2.25%, depending upon the Company’s leverage ratio, as calculated under the terms of the credit agreement. The Company is also required to pay quarterly an unused facility fee at an annual rate of 0.20% or 0.25% on the unused portion of the $425 million revolving credit facility, based on the amount of borrowings outstanding during the quarter. In response to the disruption to the operations of the Company’s hotels and to the financial markets and broader economy caused by COVID-19, the Company borrowed its entire availability under its revolving credit facility in March 2020 and, at March 31, 2020, had an outstanding balance of $425.0 million and no remaining availability under its credit facilities.

$225 Million Term Loan Facility

The Company has an unsecured $225 million term loan facility that is comprised of (i) a $50 million term loan with a maturity date of August 2, 2023, which was funded on August 2, 2018, and (ii) a $175 million term loan with a maturity date of August 2, 2025, of which $100 million was funded on August 2, 2018 and the remaining $75 million was funded on January 29, 2019. The credit agreement contains requirements and covenants similar to the Company’s $850 million credit facility. The Company may make voluntary prepayments in whole or in part, at any time, subject to certain conditions. Interest payments on the $225 million term loan facility are due monthly and the interest rate, subject to certain exceptions, is equal to an annual rate of the one-month LIBOR plus a margin ranging from 1.35% to 2.50%, depending upon the Company’s leverage ratio, as calculated under the terms of the credit agreement.  

2017 $85 Million Term Loan Facility

On July 25, 2017, the Company entered into an unsecured $85 million term loan facility with a maturity date of July 25, 2024, consisting of one term loan that was funded at closing (the “2017 $85 million term loan facility”). The credit agreement, as amended and restated in August 2018, contains requirements and covenants similar to the Company’s $850 million credit facility. The Company may make voluntary prepayments in whole or in part, at any time, subject to certain conditions. Interest payments on the $85 million term loan are due monthly. In July 2019, the Company entered into an amendment of the $85 million term loan to reduce the interest rate margin from 1.80% - 2.60% to 1.30% - 2.10%, depending upon the Company’s leverage ratio, as calculated under the terms of the credit agreement, for the remainder of the term.

2019 $85 Million Term Loan Facility

On December 31, 2019, the Company entered into an unsecured $85 million term loan facility with a maturity date of December 31, 2029, consisting of one term loan funded at closing (the “2019 $85 million term loan facility”). Net proceeds from the 2019 $85 million term loan facility were used to pay down borrowings on the Company’s revolving credit facility. The credit agreement contains requirements and covenants similar to the Company’s $850 million credit facility. The Company may make voluntary prepayments in whole or in part, subject to certain conditions. Interest payments on the 2019 $85 million term loan facility are due monthly and the interest rate, subject to certain exceptions, is equal to an annual rate of the one-month LIBOR plus a margin ranging from 1.70% to 2.55%, depending upon the Company’s leverage ratio, as calculated under the terms of the credit agreement.  

$50 Million Senior Notes Facility

On March 16, 2020, the Company entered into an unsecured $50 million senior notes facility with a maturity date of March 31, 2030, consisting of senior notes totaling $50 million funded at closing (the “$50 million senior notes facility” and, collectively with the $850 million credit facility, the $225 million term loan facility, the 2017 $85 million term loan facility and the 2019 $85 million term loan facility, the “credit facilities”). Net proceeds from the $50 million senior notes facility are available to provide funding for general corporate purposes. The note agreement contains requirements and covenants similar to the Company’s $850 million credit facility. The Company may make voluntary prepayments in whole or in part, at any time, subject to certain conditions, including make-whole provisions. Interest payments on the $50 million senior notes facility are due quarterly and the interest rate, subject to certain exceptions, ranges from an annual rate of 3.60% to 4.35% depending on the Company’s ratio of Consolidated Total Indebtedness to Consolidated EBITDA as defined in the agreement. 

As of March 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, the details of the Company’s credit facilities were as set forth below. All dollar amounts are in thousands.

The credit agreements governing the credit facilities contain mandatory prepayment requirements, customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default. The credit agreements require that the Company comply with various covenants, which include, among others, a minimum tangible net worth, maximum debt limits, minimum interest and fixed charge coverage ratios and restrictions on certain investments. The Company was in compliance with the applicable covenants at March 31, 2020. As a result of COVID-19 and the associated disruption to the Company’s operating results, the Company anticipates that it may not be in compliance with certain of these covenants in future periods. In April 2020, the Company notified the lenders under its credit facilities of the anticipated non-compliance with certain covenants and anticipates entering into amendments to each of the credit facilities that will provide for waivers of each of the covenants for four quarters beginning with the quarter ending June 30, 2020. The terms of the amendments are expected to include minimum liquidity requirements and restrictions on the amount of the Company’s distributions, capital expenditures, share repurchases and acquisitions among other items during the covenant relief period. Additionally, the Company anticipates the amendments to require that the interest rate under its credit facilities increase, during the covenant relief period, to the highest interest rate margin under each of the credit agreements which would range from 75-80 basis points of an increase above current margins depending on the agreement. Although the Company anticipates completing these amendments, there are many conditions to closing, including but not limited to finalizing the terms of the amendments and completing the amendments themselves, and there can be no assurances that the Company will be able to complete the amendments with the noted terms or at all. If the amendments are not entered into, as currently anticipated, and the Company does not meet the covenant requirements in future periods, the Company will be in default under each credit facility, which may result in a potential acceleration of amounts due under each credit facility, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company if it is unable to obtain alternative sources of capital to repay such amounts.

Mortgage Debt

As of March 31, 2020, the Company had approximately $500.0 million in outstanding mortgage debt secured by 31 properties, with maturity dates ranging from July 2021 to January 2038, stated interest rates ranging from 3.40% to 6.25% and effective interest rates ranging from 3.40% to 4.97%. The loans generally provide for monthly payments of principal and interest on an amortized basis and defeasance or prepayment penalties if prepaid. The following table sets forth the hotel properties securing each loan, the interest rate, loan assumption or origination date, maturity date, the principal amount assumed or originated, and the outstanding balance prior to any fair value adjustments or debt issuance costs as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 for each of the Company’s mortgage debt obligations. All dollar amounts are in thousands.

Except as described below, the carrying value of the Company’s financial instruments approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of these financial instruments.

Debt

The Company estimates the fair value of its debt by discounting the future cash flows of each instrument at estimated market rates consistent with the maturity of a debt obligation with similar credit terms and credit characteristics, which are Level 3 inputs under the fair value hierarchy. Market rates take into consideration general market conditions and maturity. As of March 31, 2020, the carrying value and estimated fair value of the Company’s debt were approximately $1.8 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, both the carrying value and estimated fair value of the Company’s debt were approximately $1.3 billion. Both the carrying value and estimated fair value of the Company’s debt (as discussed above) is net of unamortized debt issuance costs related to term loans, senior notes and mortgage debt for each specific year.

Derivative Instruments

Currently, the Company uses interest rate swaps to manage its interest rate risks on variable-rate debt. Throughout the terms of these interest rate swaps, the Company pays a fixed rate of interest and receives a floating rate of interest equal to the one-month LIBOR. The swaps are designed to effectively fix the interest payments on variable-rate debt instruments. These swap instruments are recorded at fair value and, if in an asset position, are included in other assets, net, and, if in a liability position, are included in accounts payable and other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The fair values of the Company’s interest rate swap agreements are determined using the market standard methodology of netting the discounted future fixed cash payments and the discounted expected variable cash receipts, which is considered a Level 2 measurement under the fair value hierarchy. The variable cash receipts are based on an expectation of future interest rates (forward curves) derived from observable market interest rate curves. The following table sets forth information for each of the Company’s interest rate swap agreements outstanding as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019. All dollar amounts are in thousands.

The Company assesses, both at inception and on an ongoing basis, the effectiveness of its qualifying cash flow hedges. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, all of the interest rate swap agreements listed above, with the exception of the $110 million agreement, were designated as cash flow hedges. The Company discontinued hedge accounting on the $110 million interest rate swap agreement during the three months ended March 31, 2020 due to a change in the forecasted interest payments being hedged. As a result, the unrealized loss incurred during the three months ended March 31, 2020 of $0.2 million was recorded to interest and other expense, net in the Company’s statement of operations. The change in the fair value of the Company’s designated cash flow hedges is recorded to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of shareholders’ equity in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Amounts reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) will be reclassified to interest and other expense, net as interest payments are made or received on the Company’s variable-rate derivatives. The Company estimates that approximately $9.5 million of net unrealized losses included in accumulated other comprehensive loss at March 31, 2020 will be reclassified as an increase to interest and other expense, net within the next 12 months.

The following table presents the effect of derivative instruments in cash flow hedging relationships in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands):

The Company has, and is expected to continue to engage in, transactions with related parties. These transactions cannot be construed to be at arm’s length and the results of the Company’s operations may be different if these transactions were conducted with non-related parties. There have been no changes to the contracts and relationships discussed in the 2019 Form 10-K. Below is a summary of the significant related party relationships in effect during the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019.

Glade M. Knight, Executive Chairman of the Company, owns Apple Realty Group, Inc. (“ARG”), which receives support services from the Company and reimburses the Company for the cost of these services as discussed below. Mr. Knight is also currently a partner and Chief Executive Officer of Energy 11 GP, LLC and Energy Resources 12 GP, LLC, which are the respective general partners of Energy 11, L.P. and Energy Resources 12, L.P., each of which receive support services from ARG.

The Company provides support services, including the use of the Company’s employees and corporate office, to ARG and is reimbursed by ARG for the cost of these services. The amounts reimbursed to the Company are based on the actual costs of the services and a good faith estimate of the proportionate amount of time incurred by the Company’s employees on behalf of ARG. Total reimbursed costs allocated by the Company to ARG for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 totaled approximately $0.3 million for each respective period, and are recorded as a reduction to general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. 

As part of the cost sharing arrangement, certain day-to-day transactions may result in amounts due to or from the Company and ARG. To efficiently manage cash disbursements, the Company or ARG may make payments for the other company. Under this cash management process, each company may advance or defer up to $1 million at any time. Each quarter, any outstanding amounts are settled between the companies. This process allows each company to minimize its cash on hand and reduces the cost for each company. The amounts outstanding at any point in time are not significant to either of the companies. As of March 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019, total amounts due from ARG for reimbursements under the cost sharing structure totaled approximately $0.3 million and $0.5 million, respectively, and are included in other assets, net in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

The Company, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Apple Air Holding, LLC, owns a Learjet used primarily for acquisition, asset management, renovation and investor and public relations purposes. The aircraft is also leased to affiliates of the Company based on third party rates, which leasing activity was not significant during the reporting periods. The Company also utilizes aircraft, owned through two entities, one of which is owned by the Company’s Executive Chairman, and the other, by its Chief Executive Officer, for acquisition, asset management, renovation and investor and public relations purposes, and reimburses these entities at third party rates. Total costs incurred for the use of these aircraft during the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 were less than $0.1 million for each respective period and are included in general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

Distributions 

Subsequent to the distribution paid in March 2020, the Company announced the suspension of its monthly distributions due to the impact of COVID-19 on its operating cash flows. Prior to the suspension of its distributions, the Company’s annual distribution rate, payable monthly, was $1.20 per common share. For the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company paid distributions of $0.30 per common share for a total of $67.3 million and $67.2 million, respectively. The distributions paid during the three months ended March 31, 2020 include the distribution paid in January 2020, totaling $22.4 million, that was declared in December 2019, which was included in accounts payable and other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2019.

Share Repurchases

In May 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an extension of its existing share repurchase program (the “Share Repurchase Program”), authorizing share repurchases up to an aggregate of $345 million. The Share Repurchase Program may be suspended or terminated at any time by the Company and will end in July 2021 if not terminated earlier. During the first three months of 2020 and 2019, the Company purchased, under its Share Repurchase Program, approximately 1.5 million and 0.3 million of its common shares, respectively, at a weighted-average market purchase price of approximately $9.42 and $14.93 per common share, respectively, for an aggregate purchase price, including commissions, of approximately $14.3 million and $4.1 million, respectively. The shares were repurchased under a written trading plan that provided for share repurchases in open market transactions, and was intended to comply with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Repurchases under the Share Repurchase Program have been funded, and the Company intends to fund future repurchases, with cash on hand or availability under its credit facilities. As of March 31, 2020, approximately $345.4 million remained available for purchase under the Share Repurchase Program. In March 2020 the Company terminated its written trading plan.

The Company annually establishes an incentive plan for its executive management. Under the incentive plan for 2020 (the “2020 Incentive Plan”), participants are eligible to receive a bonus based on the achievement of certain 2020 performance measures, consisting of operational performance metrics (including targeted Modified Funds from Operations per share, Comparable Hotels revenue per available room growth and Adjusted Hotel EBITDA Margin growth) and shareholder return metrics (including shareholder return relative to a peer group and total shareholder return, over one-year, two-year and three-year periods). The operational performance metrics are equally weighted and account for 50% of the total target incentive compensation. The shareholder return metrics are weighted 75% for relative shareholder return metrics and 25% for total shareholder return metrics, and account for 50% of the total target incentive compensation. At March 31, 2020, the range of potential aggregate payouts under the 2020 Incentive Plan was $0 - $13.9 million. The range of payout under the 2020 Incentive Plan reflects a voluntary reduction of $0 - $5.2 million of the potential payout to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer in response to the expected decline in the Company’s operating results due to COVID-19. Based on performance through March 31, 2020, the Company has accrued approximately $1.5 million as a liability for potential executive bonus payments under the 2020 Incentive Plan, which is included in accounts payable and other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2020 and in general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Approximately 25% of awards under the 2020 Incentive Plan, if any, will be paid in cash, and 75% will be issued in stock under the Company’s 2014 Omnibus Incentive Plan, approximately two-thirds of which will vest in December 2020 and one-third of which will vest in December 2021. Under the incentive plan for 2019 (the “2019 Incentive Plan”), the Company recorded approximately $2.2 million in general and administrative expenses in its consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019.

During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company accrued expense associated with two separation agreements of approximately $1.25 million each, totaling approximately $2.5 million, in connection with the retirements of the Company’s former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and the Company’s former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer which, pursuant to the separation and general release agreements executed and amended in March 2020, will be paid at a mutually agreed-upon date in 2020. The accrued expense was included in accounts payable and other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2020 and in general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company incurred a one-time separation payment of $0.5 million in connection with the retirement of the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer which, pursuant to the separation and general release agreement executed in March 2019, was paid in April 2019 and was included in general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019.

Share-Based Compensation Awards

The following table sets forth information pertaining to the share-based compensation issued under the 2019 Incentive Plan and the incentive plan for 2018 (the “2018 Incentive Plan”).