AvalonBay Communities, Inc. Announces 2020 Operating Results and Initial 2021 Financial Outlook

ARLINGTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE: AVB) (the “Company”) reported today that Net Income Attributable to Common Stockholders for the three months ended December 31, 2020 was $341,128,000. This resulted in an increase in Earnings per Share – diluted (“EPS”) for the three months ended December 31, 2020 of 103.3% to $2.44 from $1.20 for the prior year period, primarily attributable to an increase in gain on sale of real estate and depreciation expense, partially offset by a decrease in Established Community NOI, as detailed in the table below.

Funds from Operations attributable to common stockholders – diluted (“FFO”) per share for the three months ended December 31, 2020 decreased 18.9% to $1.93 from $2.38 for the prior year period. Core FFO per share (as defined in this release) for the three months ended December 31, 2020 decreased 16.9% to $2.02 from $2.43 for the prior year period.

The following table compares the Company’s actual results for EPS, FFO per share and Core FFO per share for the three months ended December 31, 2020 to its results for the prior year period:

For the year ended December 31, 2020, EPS increased 4.6% to $5.89 from $5.63 for the prior year, FFO per share decreased 8.0% to $8.45 from $9.18 for the prior year, and Core FFO per share decreased 7.0% to $8.69 from $9.34 for the prior year.

The following table compares the Company’s actual results for EPS, FFO per share and Core FFO per share for the year ended December 31, 2020 to its results for the prior year:

Established Communities Operating Results for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to the Prior Year Period

For Established Communities, total revenue decreased $46,103,000, or 8.7%, to $485,961,000. Residential and commercial uncollectible lease revenue contributed $16,613,000 of this decrease, comprised of $11,217,000 for residential and $5,396,000 for commercial. Operating expenses for Established Communities increased $8,614,000, or 5.8%, to $157,359,000. NOI for Established Communities decreased $54,717,000, or 14.3%, to $328,602,000.

Rental revenue for Established Communities decreased 8.6%, as detailed in the following table:

The following table reflects the percentage changes in rental revenue, operating expenses and NOI for Established Communities for the three months ended December 31, 2020 compared to the three months ended December 31, 2019:

Established Communities Operating Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to the Prior Year

For Established Communities, total revenue decreased $78,971,000, or 3.7%, to $2,028,317,000. Residential and commercial uncollectible lease revenue contributed $43,970,000 of this decrease, comprised of $33,768,000 for residential and $10,202,000 for commercial. Operating expenses for Established Communities increased $17,424,000, or 2.9%, to $621,412,000. NOI for Established Communities decreased $96,395,000, or 6.4%, to $1,406,905,000.

Rental revenue for Established Communities decreased 3.7%, as detailed in the following table:

The following table reflects the percentage changes in rental revenue, operating expenses and NOI for Established Communities for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019:

COVID-19 Operational Update

Established Communities Collections Update

The following table provides an update for residential revenue collections for Established Communities for Q2 2020 through Q4 2020 as of each respective quarter end, as well as through January 31, 2021 for the periods presented. Collected residential revenue represents the portion of apartment base rent charged to residents and other rentable items, including parking and storage rent, along with pet and other fees in accordance with residential leases, that has been collected (“Collected Residential Revenue”), and excludes transactional and other fees.

For further discussion of collection rates and limitations on use of this data, see Definitions and Reconciliations.

The ongoing impact from COVID-19 on the Company’s consolidated results of operations will be affected by the duration and severity of the pandemic, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions resume. Because of these factors, the Company’s historical results, including results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2020 and information through February 3, 2021, may not be indicative of results for future periods.

Development Activity

During the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company completed the development of four consolidated apartment communities:

• Avalon Marlborough II, located in Marlborough, MA;
• Avalon Towson, located in Towson, MD;
• Avalon Walnut Creek II, located in Walnut Creek, CA; and
• Avalon Doral, located in Doral, FL.

These communities contain an aggregate of 1,044 apartment homes and were constructed for a Total Capital Cost of $385,000,000.

During the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company started the construction of three consolidated apartment communities:

• Avalon Harbor Isle, located in Island Park, NY;
• Avalon Easton II, located in Easton, MA; and
• Avalon Somerville Station, located in Somerville, NJ.

These communities are expected to contain an aggregate of 591 apartment homes and are expected to be developed for an aggregate estimated Total Capital Cost of $221,000,000.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company completed the development of eight consolidated communities containing an aggregate of 2,095 apartment homes for an aggregate Total Capital Cost of $777,000,000. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company started the construction of three consolidated apartment communities and one unconsolidated apartment community.

At December 31, 2020, the Company had 16 consolidated Development Communities under construction that in the aggregate are expected to contain 5,128 apartment homes and 62,000 square feet of commercial space. Estimated Total Capital Cost at completion for these Development Communities is $1,951,000,000. As of December 31, 2020, the Company has an estimated remaining Total Capital Cost of $559,000,000 to invest over the next several years on the 16 Development Communities under construction and recently completed Development Communities.

At December 31, 2020, the Company had two Unconsolidated Development Communities under construction that in the aggregate are expected to contain 803 apartment homes and 56,000 square feet of commercial space. Estimated Total Capital Cost at completion for these Unconsolidated Development Communities is $386,000,000, with an estimated remaining equity investment of the Company of $38,400,000 after expected loan proceeds as of December 31, 2020. See the full release for further discussion.

During the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company acquired three land parcels for future development, for an aggregate investment of $77,350,000.

Disposition Activity

Consolidated Apartment Communities

During the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company sold six wholly-owned operating communities:

• Avalon Somerset, located in Somerset, NJ;
• Eaves San Rafael, located in San Rafael, CA;
• Avalon Cohasset, located in Cohasset, MA;
• Avalon Wilton on Danbury Rd, located in Wilton, CT;
• Avalon Stratford, located in Stratford, CT; and
• Eaves Diamond Heights, located in San Francisco, CA.

In aggregate, the six communities contain 1,242 apartment homes and were sold for $444,100,000, resulting in a gain in accordance with GAAP of $249,122,000 and an Economic Gain of $160,460,000.

In January 2021, the Company sold eaves Stamford, a wholly-owned operating community, located in Stamford, CT, that contains 238 apartment homes, for $72,000,000.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company sold nine wholly-owned operating communities containing an aggregate of 1,817 apartment homes. These assets were sold for $627,750,000 and a weighted average Initial Market Cap Rate of 4.4%, resulting in a gain in accordance with GAAP of $340,444,000 and an Economic Gain of $210,701,000.

During the three months and year ended December 31, 2020, the Company sold 11 and 70 of the 172 residential condominiums at The Park Loggia, located in New York, NY, for gross proceeds of $33,860,000 and $216,372,000, respectively. At December 31, 2020, 69% of the 66,000 square feet of commercial space has been leased. In addition, subsequent to quarter end and through the date of this release, the Company sold three residential condominiums for gross proceeds of $5,940,000

Liquidity and Capital Markets

At December 31, 2020, the Company did not have any borrowings outstanding under its $1,750,000,000 unsecured credit facility, and had $313,532,000 in unrestricted cash and cash in escrow.

The Company’s annualized Net Debt-to-Core EBITDAre (as defined in this release) for the fourth quarter of 2020 was 5.4 times and Unencumbered NOI (as defined in this release) was 94%.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company had the following debt activity:

• In public offerings under its existing shelf registration statement, the Company issued (i) $700,000,000 principal amount of unsecured notes for net proceeds of $694,701,000, maturing in March 2030 and with a 2.30% coupon and an effective interest rate of 2.68%, including the impact of an interest rate hedge and offering costs and (ii) $600,000,000 principal amount of unsecured notes for net proceeds of $593,430,000, maturing in January 2031 with a 2.45% coupon and an effective interest rate of 2.65%, including the impact of an interest rate hedge and offering costs.

• The Company borrowed $51,000,000 under a mortgage note with a maturity date of March 2027 and a contractual interest rate of 2.38%, in conjunction with the refinancing of $50,616,000 of secured indebtedness that had a contractual interest rate of 3.08%.

• The Company repaid (i) $400,000,000 principal amount of its 3.625% unsecured notes in advance of the October 2020 scheduled maturity and (ii) $250,000,000 principal amount of its 3.95% unsecured notes in advance of the January 2021 scheduled maturity. In conjunction with these repayments, the Company recognized a loss on debt extinguishment of $9,170,000 composed of prepayment penalties and the non-cash write-off of unamortized deferred financing costs.

• The Company repaid $300,000,000 principal amount of its variable rate unsecured notes at par in advance of the January 2021 scheduled maturity.

• The Company repaid $67,904,000 principal amount of 4.18% fixed rate debt secured by Avalon Hoboken at par in advance of its December 2020 maturity date.

Stock Repurchase Program

In July 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a new stock repurchase program under which the Company may acquire shares of its common stock in open market or negotiated transactions up to an aggregate purchase price of $500,000,000. This authority may be exercised from time to time in the Company’s discretion and in such amounts as market conditions warrant. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements, market conditions and other corporate liquidity requirements and priorities. The stock repurchase program does not have an expiration date and may be suspended or terminated at any time without prior notice. The Company intends that funds used for the stock repurchase program will be matched over time with the proceeds from sales of existing apartment communities and in some cases with newly issued debt, but initially may be funded from existing cash balances, retained cash flow and/or the Company’s line of credit.

Under this program, during the three months and year ended December 31, 2020, the Company repurchased 313,057 shares of common stock at an average price of $148.25 per share and 1,225,790 shares of common stock at an average price of $149.99 per share, respectively.

First Quarter 2021 Financial Outlook

The following presents a summary of the Company’s financial outlook for 2021, further details for which are provided in the full release.

For its first quarter 2021 financial outlook, the Company expects the following:

First Quarter Conference Schedule

Management is scheduled to present at Citi’s Global Property CEO Conference from March 8 – 11, 2021. During this conference, management may discuss the Company’s current operating environment; operating trends; development, redevelopment, disposition and acquisition activity; financial outlook; portfolio strategy and other business and financial matters affecting the Company. Details on how to access a webcast of the Company’s presentation will be available in advance of the conference event on the Company’s website at http://www.avalonbay.com/events.

Other Matters

The Company will hold a conference call on February 4, 2021 at 1:00 PM ET to review and answer questions about this release, its fourth quarter 2020 results and 2021 outlook, the Attachments (described below) and related matters. To participate on the call, dial 800-458-4121 and use conference id: 1919406.

To hear a replay of the call, which will be available from February 4, 2021 at 6:00 PM ET to February 11, 2021 at 6:00 PM ET, dial 888-203-1112 and use conference id: 1919406. A webcast of the conference call will also be available at http://www.avalonbay.com/earnings, and an on-line playback of the webcast will be available for at least seven days following the call.

The Company produces Earnings Release Attachments (the “Attachments”) that provide detailed information regarding operating, development, redevelopment, disposition and acquisition activity. These Attachments are considered a part of this earnings release and are available in full with this earnings release via the Company’s website at http://www.avalonbay.com/earnings. To receive future press releases via e-mail, please submit a request through http://investors.avalonbay.com/email_notification.

In addition to the Attachments, the Company is providing a teleconference presentation that will be available on the Company’s website at http://www.avalonbay.com/earnings subsequent to this release and before the market opens on February 4, 2021.

About AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 291 apartment communities containing 86,025 apartment homes in 11 states and the District of Columbia, of which 18 communities were under development and one community was under redevelopment. The Company is an equity REIT in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas in New England, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California, as well as in the Company’s expansion markets consisting of Southeast Florida and Denver, Colorado (the “Expansion Markets”). More information may be found on the Company’s website at http://www.avalonbay.com. For additional information, please contact Jason Reilley, Vice President of Investor Relations, at 703-317-4681.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release, including its Attachments, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements, which you can identify by the Company’s use of words such as “expects,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “intends,” “believes,” “outlook” and similar expressions that do not relate to historical matters, are based on the Company’s expectations, forecasts and assumptions at the time of this release, which may not be realized and involve risks and uncertainties that cannot be predicted accurately or that might not be anticipated. These could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that might cause such differences include those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, about which there are many uncertainties, including (i) the duration and severity of the pandemic, (ii) the effectiveness and timing of the vaccine availability and (iii) the effect on the multifamily industry and the general economy of measures taken by businesses and the government to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and relieve economic distress of consumers, such as governmental limitations on the ability of multifamily owners to evict residents who are delinquent in the payment of their rent. The adverse impact over the long-term of the pandemic on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be material. In addition, the effects of the pandemic are likely to heighten the following risks, which we routinely face in our business: we may abandon development or redevelopment opportunities for which we have already incurred costs; adverse capital and credit market conditions may affect our access to various sources of capital and/or cost of capital, which may affect our business activities, earnings and common stock price, among other things; changes in local employment conditions, demand for apartment homes, supply of competitive housing products, landlord-tenant laws, including the adoption of new rent control regulations, and other economic or regulatory conditions may result in lower than expected occupancy and/or rental rates and adversely affect the profitability of our communities; delays in completing development, redevelopment and/or lease-up may result in increased financing and construction costs and may delay and/or reduce the profitability of a community; debt and/or equity financing for development, redevelopment or acquisitions of communities may not be available or may not be available on favorable terms; we may be unable to obtain, or experience delays in obtaining, necessary governmental permits and authorizations; expenses may result in communities that we develop or redevelop failing to achieve expected profitability; our assumptions concerning risks relating to our lack of control of joint ventures and our abilities to successfully dispose of certain assets may not be realized; our assumptions and expectations in our financial outlook may prove to be too optimistic; and the timing and net proceeds of condominium sales may not equal our current expectations.

Contacts

Jason Reilley

Vice President of Investor Relations

703-317-4681

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