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Macerich (MAC) Q1 FFO Beats Estimates, Revenues Fall Y/Y

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Retail REIT The Macerich Company (MAC - Free Report) delivered first-quarter 2018 funds from operations (FFO) per share of 82 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a cent.

Results were backed by robust growth in re-leasing spreads and tenant sales growth. However, the company recorded lower portfolio occupancy.

The company posted revenues of $212 million for the first quarter, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $215 million. Further, the figure came in 3.5% lower than the prior-year quarter figure.

Quarter in Detail

As of Mar 31, 2018, mall portfolio occupancy shrunk 30 basis points (bps) year over year to 94%. Mall tenant annual sales increased 7.4% year over year to $686 per square feet. Re-leasing spreads for the year ended Mar 31, 2018, increased 14.7%. Average rent per square foot ascended 3.8% to $58.44 from $56.31 as of Mar 31, 2017.

Also, same-center net operating income for the reported quarter inched up 0.07% from the prior-year period.

As of Mar 31, 2018, Macerich’s cash and cash equivalents summed $118.2 million, up from $91 million reported as of Dec 31, 2017.

Guidance

Macerich reaffirmed its guidance for 2018. The retail REIT expects FFO per share of $3.92-$4.02. This is backed by the same-center NOI growth rate projection of 2-2.5%, and no asset sales or acquisitions assumptions. Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for full-year FFO per share is pegged at $3.95.

Our Viewpoint

The company has resorted to non-core asset dispositions and recycling the proceeds toward higher quality assets. It continued with this strategy in the Jan-Mar quarter as well. Such moves are expected to improve Macerich’s portfolio quality.   

However, it is feared that dwindling footfall amid shift of consumers toward online channels, store closures and bankruptcy of retailers might affect the company’s near-term performance. While Macerich has been striving to counter the pressure through efforts to support omni-channel retailing and bringing online retailers to its stores, implementation of such measures requires a decent upfront cost. Therefore, this might consequently limit any robust growth in profit margins in the near future.

Macerich Company (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
 

Currently, Macerich has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Performance of Other Stocks

Taubman Centersreported first-quarter 2018 adjusted FFO per share of $1.04, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 92 cents. The figure also came in 13% higher than the year-ago tally of 92 cents.

Simon Property Group, Inc. (SPG - Free Report) delivered first-quarter 2018 FFO of $2.87 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.83. The reported figure also came in 4.7% higher than the prior-year tally of $2.74.

Regency Centers Corporation’s (REG - Free Report) first-quarter 2018 FFO per share of 96 cents outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 94 cents.  Further, results compared favorably with 27 cents reported in the year-earlier quarter. However, results in the year-ago period included one-time merger-related costs of 55 cents per share.

Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represent funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.

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