SEGRO achieves record level of rent roll growth

SEGRO plc (LON:SGRO) has announced its results for the year ended 31 December 2022.

Commenting on the results David Sleath, Chief Executive of SEGRO said:

“SEGRO is today reporting strong operational results for 2022, including a record level of rent roll growth driven by our active asset management and a strong leasing performance. Our modern, well-located and highly sustainable warehouses continue to be in high demand from a diverse range of occupiers, underpinned by long-term structural drivers.

“Our strategy over the past decade has focused on cultivating a unique portfolio located in the most supply-constrained European urban and logistics markets, backed by a strong balance sheet to enable SEGRO to outperform through the property cycle. Our portfolio valuation fell in the second half of 2022 as investment yields rose and values weakened across the sector in response to macroeconomic conditions. However, the impact on our portfolio was mitigated by its high quality and the strong rental growth we delivered across all of our markets.

“Our prime portfolio, excellent land bank, development expertise, customer focus and balance sheet capacity mean we are well positioned to deliver attractive returns and further growth into the years ahead.”

HIGHLIGHTS¹:

• Adjusted pre-tax profit of £386 million up 8.4 per cent compared with the prior year (2021: £356 million). Adjusted EPS increased by 6.5 per cent to 31.0 pence (2021: 29.1 pence, 28.0 pence excluding the 1.1 pence SELP performance fee recognised in 2021 resulting in a 10.7 per cent increase).
• Adjusted NAV per share down 15.0 per cent to 966 pence (31 December 2021: 1,137 pence) driven by a portfolio valuation decline of 11.0 per cent (2021: 13.1 per cent increase, H2 2022 16.6 per cent decrease). This was primarily driven by market-wide yield expansion in the second half, partly offset by estimated rental value growth (ERV) of 10.9 per cent, portfolio asset management successes and development profits.
• Net rental income of £522 million, up 18.9 per cent (2021: £439 million), driven by strong like-for-like rental growth of 6.7 per cent anddevelopment completions.
• Strong occupier demand, with our customer focus and active management of the portfolio generating a record £98 million of new headline rent commitments during the period (2021: £95 million), including £41 million of new pre-let agreements, and a 23 per cent average uplift on rent reviews and renewals.
• Net capital investment of £1.3 billion (2021: £1.5 billion)in asset acquisitions, development projects and land purchases, less disposals.
• 639,200 sq m of development completions delivered during 2022, at a yield on cost of 7.4 per cent. 80 per cent of this is already let to customers from a diverse range of sectors.

• Continued momentum in the development pipeline with 915,600 sq m of projects under construction or in advanced pre-let discussions equating to £86 million of potential rent, of which 75 per cent has been or is expected to be pre-let, supporting growth in earnings over the year ahead and into 2024.
• Significant progress with our Responsible SEGRO strategic priorities, de-risking and investing in the future of our business, including a ten per cent reduction in the average embodied carbon intensity of our development programme; the launch of ten Community Investment Plans (CIPs); and meaningful changes to promote diversity and inclusion across our business.
• £3.1 billion of new financing helping to maintain our long-average debt maturity of 8.6 years and providing high visibility on funding costs with no significant near-term debt maturities. Average cost of debt at 31 December 2022 of 2.5 per cent, and interest cover of 4.5 times.
• Strong balance sheet providing capacity to invest in our development programme and allowing us flexibility to make further commitments. We have access to £2.2 billion of available liquidity and a modest level of gearing reflected in LTV of 32 per cent at 31 December 2022 (31 December 2021: 23 per cent).
• 2022 full year dividend increased 8.2 per cent to 26.3 pence (2021: 24.3 pence). Final dividend increased by 7.7 per cent to 18.2 pence (2021: 16.9 pence)

OUTLOOK

Our long-standing disciplined approach to portfolio management means that SEGRO has one of the best and most modern pan-European industrial warehouse portfolios, through which we can serve our customers’ entire regional and local distribution needs. Two-thirds of this portfolio is located in Europe’s most attractive urban markets, often in substantial clusters in key sub-markets, where the lack of available land means that supply-demand dynamics are tightest and where long-term growth and returns are therefore likely to be the highest. This is complemented by the remaining one-third of our portfolio, comprising clusters of high-quality logistics warehouses situated at key hubs along major transportation corridors.

Occupier demand for warehouse space across Europe continues to be positive and is derived from a wide variety of customer types. Our space is flexible and can be adapted to suit businesses from many different industries which, when coupled with our relentless focus on customer service through our market-leading operating platform, is reflected in high customer satisfaction and retention rates, as well as our asset management and leasing performance. Our business is therefore both resilient and positioned to support growth sectors and adapt to trends, including e-commerce, the digital sector (data centres), urbanisation and the consequential need for industrial and distribution space close to the end customer from a very broad range of businesses.

Supply and availability of modern, sustainable warehouse space in the locations most desired by occupiers remains extremely limited across Europe. Vacancy levels are at historic lows and supply is likely to remain constrained given recent increases in financing and construction costs. We expect this contrast between positive demand and limited supply to drive further growth in rental levels. We already have £130 million of reversionary potential embedded in the portfolio (most of which will be captured through the five-yearly rent review process), as well as indexation provisions in almost half of our leases, both of which underpin future like-for-like rental income growth even before any further growth in market rental levels.

Our sizeable, mostly pre-let current development programme and well-located land bank, provide us with further potential to grow our rent roll profitably and allows us significant optionality due to the short construction periods of our assets. We will continue to be led by customer demand and our Disciplined approach to capital allocation as we make decisions regarding the execution of future projects.

With modest leverage, a long-average debt maturity of 8.6 years, no near-term refinancing requirements and virtually all of our debt at fixed or capped rates, we have significant financial flexibility to continue to invest capital in the development and acquisition opportunities that offer the most attractive risk-adjusted returns.

Macroeconomic factors caused a sharp correction in interest rates in the second half of 2022, with a consequential impact on real estate volumes, property yields and asset values. As we enter 2023, there are early signs of liquidity returning to the investment markets as investors see value at current levels of pricing. As the path of future interest rates becomes more evident, we believe there is a significant volume of capital ready to be deployed into the industrial and logistics sector due to its attractive fundamentals. We will continue to respond tactically to changes in market conditions, but our long-term strategic focus is to ensure that our properties are of the highest quality and the most sought after, able to generate superior long-term growth, and therefore command a valuation premium.

We will also continue to invest in and de-risk the future of our business via the significant progress we have made with our Responsible SEGRO strategic priorities.

Our prime portfolio and market-leading operating platform combine to create a strong competitive advantage, and position us to create value through the cycle for all of our stakeholders. We therefore remain confident in our ability to deliver attractive returns and continued growth in earnings and dividends into the future.

WEBCAST / CONFERENCE CALL FOR INVESTORS AND ANALYSTS

A live webcast of the results presentation will be available from 08:30am (UK time) at:

https://www.investis-live.com/segro/63d7a413aaec340f003dc325/sfya

The webcast will be available for replay at SEGRO’s website at: http://www.segro.com/investors shortly after the live presentation.

A video of David Sleath, Chief Executive discussing the results will be available to view on www.segro.com, together with this announcement, the Full Year 2022 Property Analysis Report and other information about SEGRO.

FINANCIAL CALENDAR

2022 full year dividend ex-div date 16 March 2023

2022 full year dividend record date 17 March 2023

2022 full year dividend scrip dividend price announced 23 March 2023

Last date for scrip dividend elections 12 April 2023

2022 full year dividend payment date 4 May 2023

2023 Q1 Trading Update 20 April 2023

Half Year 2023 Results (provisional) 27 July 2023