Corporate Office Properties Prices $400 Million of 2.900% Senior Notes due 2033

Rhea-AI Summary

Corporate Office Properties Trust (NYSE: OFC) announced a public offering of $400 million in 2.900% Senior Notes due 2033, guaranteed by its operating partnership. The offering is set to close on November 17, 2021. Proceeds will be used to redeem existing 5.00% Senior Notes due 2025, pay off a $49.5 million mortgage loan, and reduce revolving credit facility balances. The notes will be issued under an effective shelf registration statement with the SEC.

Positive

• Successfully pricing a $400 million offering of Senior Notes.
• Proceeds will be used to refinance higher interest debt, potentially reducing interest expenses.

Negative

• The Company is taking on new debt with a maturity date of 2033, which may increase long-term financial obligations.

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Corporate Office Properties Trust (“COPT” or the “Company”) (NYSE: OFC) announced that its operating partnership, Corporate Office Properties, L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”), priced an underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of $400 million of 2.900% Senior Notes due 2033 (the “2033 Notes”). The Company will fully and unconditionally guarantee the Operating Partnership’s obligations under the 2033 Notes. The Offering is expected to close on November 17, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, BofA Securities, Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., PNC Capital Markets LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Regions Securities LLC, and TD Securities (USA) LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the Offering. Additionally, Capital One Securities, Inc., KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., M&T Securities, Inc., and U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. are acting as co-managers for the Offering.

The Operating Partnership intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to redeem its 5.00% Senior Notes due 2025 and for general corporate purposes, including, without limitation, paying off a mortgage loan with an outstanding balance of approximately $49.5 million, and paying down amounts outstanding on the Operating Partnership’s revolving credit facility.

The 2033 Notes will be issued pursuant to a prospectus supplement and an accompanying prospectus filed as part of an effective shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form S-3. A written prospectus and prospectus supplement relating to the Offering, when available, may be obtained by contacting:

• Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 608 2nd Avenue South, Suite 1000 Minneapolis, MN 55402, Attn: WFS Customer Service, by calling toll-free at 1-800-645-3751, or by emailing wfscustomerservice@wellsfargo.com; or
• BofA Securities, Inc., NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd floor, Charlotte, NC 28255-0001, Attn: Prospectus Department, by calling toll-free at 1-800-294-1322, or by emailing dg.prospectus_requests@bofa.com ; or
• Citigroup Global Markets Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by calling toll-free at 1-800-831-9146, or by emailing prospectus@citi.com; or
• PNC Capital Markets LLC, 300 Fifth Avenue, 10th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, Attn: Securities Settlement, by calling toll-free at 1-855-881-0697, or by emailing secsett@pnc.com.

You may also get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.

This press release is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities, blue sky or other laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

About COPT

COPT is a REIT that owns, manages, leases, develops and selectively acquires office and data center properties. The majority of its portfolio is in locations that support the United States Government and its contractors, most of whom are engaged in national security, defense and information technology (“IT”) related activities servicing what the Company believes are growing, durable, priority missions (such properties, “Defense/IT Locations”). The Company also owns a portfolio of office properties located in select urban/urban-like submarkets in the Greater Washington, DC/Baltimore region with durable Class-A office fundamentals and characteristics (“Regional Office Properties”). As of September 30, 2021, the Company derived 88% of its core portfolio annualized rental revenue from Defense/IT Locations and 12% from its Regional Office Properties. As of the same date and including 19 properties owned through unconsolidated joint ventures, COPT’s core portfolio of 184 office and data center shell properties encompassed 21.5 million square feet and was 94.8% leased; the Company also owned one wholesale data center with a capacity of 19.25 megawatts that was 86.7% leased.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain “forward-looking” statements, as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, that are based on the Company’s current expectations, estimates and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the Company. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “plan” or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which the Company cannot predict with accuracy and some of which the Company might not even anticipate. Although the Company believes that the expectations, estimates and projections reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions at the time made, the Company can give no assurance that these expectations, estimates and projections will be achieved. Future events and actual results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements.

The areas of risk that may affect these expectations, estimates and projections include, but are not limited to, those risks described in Item 1A of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Source: Corporate Office Properties Trust

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211102006323/en/

IR Contacts:

Stephanie Krewson-Kelly

443-285-5453

stephanie.kelly@copt.com

Michelle Layne

443-285-5452

michelle.layne@copt.com

Source: Corporate Office Properties Trust

FAQ

What is the purpose of Corporate Office Properties Trust's recent $400 million offering?

The funds will be used to redeem existing high-interest Senior Notes and for general corporate purposes.

When is the Corporate Office Properties Trust's Senior Notes offering expected to close?

The offering is expected to close on November 17, 2021.

What is the interest rate on the new Senior Notes issued by Corporate Office Properties Trust?

The new Senior Notes have an interest rate of 2.900%.

How will Corporate Office Properties Trust use the net proceeds from its bond offering?

The net proceeds will be used to redeem existing 5.00% Senior Notes due 2025 and pay off a $49.5 million mortgage loan.

What are the implications of Corporate Office Properties Trust's new debt?

While it refinances high-interest debt, it increases long-term financial obligations with new Senior Notes maturing in 2033.