Seeking Alpha • Jul 21
Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust Transformed By Cedar Deal
Wheeler recently cut a deal to take over the less-desirable properties from the Cedar Realty Trust liquidation.
Despite the lower quality of these locations, they are actually well in line with the broader Wheeler portfolio and provide cash flow the business desperately needs.
The opportunity exists to invest alongside Management in the senior notes, which appear poised to profit the most from an eventual sale of the business.
The current situation at Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust (WHLR) merits further consideration by investors willing to stomach some volatility and fully apprised of the risks. A brief summary follows:
The Players
Jon Wheeler - namesake of the business - was ousted after two ugly proxy battles.
Joseph Stillwell - at the helm after winning his second proxy attempt. He had the initial misfortune of gaining control as Covid lockdowns began.
Steamboat Capital Partners - owns portions of the WHLR capital stack, and has sued over treatment of preferred shareholders.
Cedar Reality Trust (CDR) - winding down REIT that has agreed to sell WHLR a portfolio of properties for $130m cash and the assumption of CDR preferred shares. The sale is expected to close in the coming 2-4 weeks.
Legacy WHLR Overview
The legacy business had the following results in FY21:
WHLR Investor Presentation
$41.7m NOI, $6.8m Adjusted Funds from Operations (AFFO)
Cap structure summary and new CDR acquisition pieces: $130m KeyBank bridge loan to WHLR, CDR B/C preferred ($161m face)
Base rent has averaged ~77.5% of WHLR revenues over the past five fiscal years, and with 94% of properties rented at $9.62 for FY21, I therefore estimate Wheeler will earn ~$64m of FY22 revenue vs $60.4m in FY21. Support below:
Author calculations from WHLR 10-K's
Q1-22 results were $15.5m of revenue (vs $14.7 in Q1-21), $10.2m NOI (vs $9.8m), and $2.3m of AFFO (vs $1.2m), so results appear on track.
WHLR Investor Presentation
CDR Acquisition Overview
CDR Transaction Proxy
Author summary from CDR FY21 10-K
New WHLR Pro-Forma
So how does this transaction change the complexion of Wheeler? Prior to the deal, WHLR has 5.5m leasable square feet with $9.62 average base rent. The acquisition will increase their square footage by around 50% and add slightly higher rents on a lower occupancy base. The CDR properties included in the transaction were about 28% of total CDR base rents and 38% of square footage. This equates to ~$36m of FY22 revenues on the acquired properties (28% of CDR's $127.6m FY21 total revenues) and doesn't assume any new leases for FY22.
The pro-forma combined cashflow could look something like this:
~$100m revenue
$33m property operations ($13m from CDR's 28% of operating expenses, $20m run rate for WHLR)
$10m corporate overhead (~$6m run rate for WHLR, assume $4m increase from CDR, some could be non-cash and synergies could improve this number)
$23m cash interest expense (5% estimate on $452m pro-forma debt below)
$10m Capex ($28m total FY21 for CDR of which 28% is ~$8m, $1.1m for WHLR for "recurring Capex" in FY21)
No Taxes