Equity Residential Raises 2023 Earnings Guidance

Rhea-AI Summary

Equity Residential raises guidance for same store revenue, NOI, EPS, FFO per share, and Normalized FFO per share. Strong demand, lower delinquency, limited supply, and high prices contribute to the increase.

Positive

• Equity Residential raises its guidance ranges for same store revenue and NOI by 6-7%, EPS by $0.03, FFO per share by $0.03, and Normalized FFO per share by $0.03. The increase is driven by strong demand, particularly in New York, lower delinquency in Southern California, limited new apartment supply, and high prices and low availability of single-family housing.

Negative

• None.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) today announced that it has raised its guidance ranges for its same store revenue and net operating income (NOI) as well as its Earnings Per Share (EPS), Funds from Operations (FFO) per share and Normalized FFO per share. In connection with the Company’s planned participation in the upcoming Nareit REITweek Conference, the Company has also posted a new Investor Update to its website, www.equityapartments.com.

“We are pleased to raise our outlook for full year same store revenue, NOI and Normalized FFO per share. This increase reflects continued strong demand across our markets, particularly New York, and lower than previously anticipated delinquency in Southern California. We are also benefiting from limited new apartment supply in most of our markets as well as the high prices and low availability of single family housing in these markets,” said Mark J. Parrell, Equity Residential’s President and CEO.

Full Year 2023 Guidance

	Revised		Previous
Same Store (includes Residential and Non-Residential):
Physical Occupancy	96.0%		96.2%
Revenue change	5.5% to 6.25%		4.5% to 6.0%
Expense change	No Change		4.0% to 5.0%
NOI change	6.0% to 7.0%		4.75% to 6.25%
EPS	$2.02 to $2.12		$1.99 to $2.09
FFO per share	$3.69 to $3.79		$3.66 to $3.76
Normalized FFO per share	$3.73 to $3.83		$3.70 to $3.80

All per share results are reported as available to common shares/units on a diluted basis. The changes in the full year 2023 EPS, FFO per share and Normalized FFO per share guidance ranges are due primarily to:

		Positive/(Negative) Impact
		Revised Full Year 2023 vs Previous Full Year 2023
Same store NOI		$	0.04
Other items			(0.01	)
Net:		$	0.03

The Company has a glossary of defined terms and related reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures on pages 3 and 4 of this release.

About Equity Residential

Equity Residential is committed to creating communities where people thrive. The Company, a member of the S&P 500, is focused on the acquisition, development and management of residential properties located in and around dynamic cities that attract affluent long-term renters. Equity Residential owns or has investments in 303 properties consisting of 79,900 apartment units, with an established presence in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Seattle, San Francisco and Southern California, and an expanding presence in Denver, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Austin. For more information on Equity Residential, please visit our website at www.equityapartments.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions made by management. While Equity Residential’s management believes the assumptions underlying its forward-looking statements are reasonable, such information is inherently subject to uncertainties and may involve certain risks, including, without limitation, changes in general market conditions, including the rate of job growth and cost of labor and construction material, the level of new multifamily construction and development, government regulations (such as eviction moratoriums) and competition. These and other risks and uncertainties are described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and available on our website, www.equityapartments.com. Many of these uncertainties and risks are difficult to predict and beyond management’s control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, results or events. Equity Residential assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events.

Terms and Definitions:

Earnings Per Share ("EPS") – Net income per share calculated in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Expected EPS is calculated on a basis consistent with actual EPS. Due to the uncertain timing and extent of property dispositions and the resulting gains/losses on sales, actual EPS could differ materially from expected EPS.

FFO and Normalized FFO:

Funds From Operations (“FFO”) – The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“Nareit”) defines FFO (December 2018 White Paper) as net income (computed in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains or losses from sales and impairment write-downs of depreciable real estate and land when connected to the main business of a REIT, impairment write-downs of investments in entities when the impairment is directly attributable to decreases in the value of depreciable real estate held by the entity and depreciation and amortization related to real estate. Adjustments for partially owned consolidated and unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures are calculated to reflect FFO on the same basis. Expected FFO per share is calculated on a basis consistent with actual FFO per share and is considered an appropriate supplemental measure of expected operating performance when compared to expected EPS.

The Company believes that FFO and FFO available to Common Shares and Units are helpful to investors as supplemental measures of the operating performance of a real estate company, because they are recognized measures of performance by the real estate industry and by excluding gains or losses from sales and impairment write-downs of depreciable real estate and excluding depreciation related to real estate (which can vary among owners of identical assets in similar condition based on historical cost accounting and useful life estimates), FFO and FFO available to Common Shares and Units can help compare the operating performance of a company’s real estate between periods or as compared to different companies.

Normalized Funds From Operations ("Normalized FFO") – Normalized FFO begins with FFO and excludes:

• the impact of any expenses relating to non-operating real estate asset impairment;
• pursuit cost write-offs;
• gains and losses from early debt extinguishment and preferred share redemptions;
• gains and losses from non-operating assets; and
• other miscellaneous items.

Expected Normalized FFO per share is calculated on a basis consistent with actual Normalized FFO per share and is considered an appropriate supplemental measure of expected operating performance when compared to expected EPS.

The Company believes that Normalized FFO and Normalized FFO available to Common Shares and Units are helpful to investors as supplemental measures of the operating performance of a real estate company because they allow investors to compare the Company's operating performance to its performance in prior reporting periods and to the operating performance of other real estate companies without the effect of items that by their nature are not comparable from period to period and tend to obscure the Company's actual operating results.

FFO, FFO available to Common Shares and Units, Normalized FFO and Normalized FFO available to Common Shares and Units do not represent net income, net income available to Common Shares or net cash flows from operating activities in accordance with GAAP. Therefore, FFO, FFO available to Common Shares and Units, Normalized FFO and Normalized FFO available to Common Shares and Units should not be exclusively considered as alternatives to net income, net income available to Common Shares or net cash flows from operating activities as determined by GAAP or as a measure of liquidity. The Company's calculation of FFO, FFO available to Common Shares and Units, Normalized FFO and Normalized FFO available to Common Shares and Units may differ from other real estate companies due to, among other items, variations in cost capitalization policies for capital expenditures and, accordingly, may not be comparable to such other real estate companies.

FFO available to Common Shares and Units and Normalized FFO available to Common Shares and Units are calculated on a basis consistent with net income available to Common Shares and reflects adjustments to net income for preferred distributions and premiums on redemption of preferred shares in accordance with GAAP. The equity positions of various individuals and entities that contributed their properties to the Operating Partnership in exchange for OP Units are collectively referred to as the "Noncontrolling Interests – Operating Partnership". Subject to certain restrictions, the Noncontrolling Interests – Operating Partnership may exchange their OP Units for Common Shares on a one-for-one basis.

The following table presents a reconciliation of expected EPS to expected FFO per share and expected Normalized FFO per share.

		Expected
		2023
		Per Share
EPS – Diluted		$2.02 to $2.12
Depreciation expense		2.17
Net (gain) loss on sales		(0.50)
Impairment – operating real estate assets		—
FFO per share – Diluted		3.69 to 3.79
Impairment – non-operating real estate assets		—
Write-off of pursuit costs		0.01
Debt extinguishment and preferred share redemption (gains) losses		—
Non-operating asset (gains) losses		0.01
Other miscellaneous items		0.02
Normalized FFO per share – Diluted		$3.73 to $3.83

Net Operating Income (“NOI”) – NOI is the Company’s primary financial measure for evaluating each of its apartment properties. NOI is defined as rental income less direct property operating expenses (including real estate taxes and insurance). The Company believes that NOI is helpful to investors as a supplemental measure of its operating performance because it is a direct measure of the actual operating results of the Company's apartment properties. NOI does not include an allocation of property management expenses either in the current or comparable periods. Rental income for all leases and operating expense for ground leases (for both same store and non-same store properties) are reflected on a straight-line basis in accordance with GAAP for the current and comparable periods.

Non-Residential – Consists of revenues and expenses from retail and public parking garage operations.

Non-Same Store Properties – For annual comparisons, primarily includes all properties acquired during 2022 and 2023, plus any properties in lease-up and not stabilized as of January 1, 2022.

Physical Occupancy – The weighted average occupied apartment units for the reporting period divided by the average of total apartment units available for rent for the reporting period.

Residential – Consists of multifamily apartment revenues and expenses.

Same Store Properties – For annual comparisons, primarily includes all properties acquired or completed that are stabilized prior to January 1, 2022, less properties subsequently sold. Properties are included in Same Store when they are stabilized for all of the current and comparable periods presented.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230530005640/en/

Marty McKenna

(312) 928-1901

mmckenna@eqr.com

Source: Equity Residential

FAQ

What is Equity Residential raising its guidance for?

Equity Residential is raising its guidance for same store revenue, NOI, EPS, FFO per share, and Normalized FFO per share.

What are the factors contributing to the increase in guidance?

The increase in guidance is driven by strong demand across markets, particularly in New York, lower delinquency in Southern California, limited new apartment supply, and high prices and low availability of single-family housing.