Life Storage, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Results

Life Storage, Inc. (NYSE:LSI), a leading national owner and operator of self-storage properties, reported operating results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2021. All share and per share information has been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the January 2021 three-for-two stock split made in the form of a 50% stock dividend.

Highlights for the Fourth Quarter Included:

• Generated net income attributable to common shareholders of $74.1 million, or $0.90 per fully diluted common share.
• Achieved adjusted funds from operations (“FFO”)⁽¹⁾ per fully diluted common share of $1.41, a 31.8% increase over the same period in 2020.
• Increased same store revenue by 16.9% and same store net operating income (“NOI”)⁽²⁾ by 23.9%, year-over-year.
• Acquired 50 stores for $826.6 million, including eight stores from the Company’s third-party management platform.
• With our joint venture partners, acquired 13 stores for a total cost of approximately $291 million, of which the Company invested $52 million.
• Added 29 stores (gross) to the Company’s third-party management platform.

Highlights for the Full Year Included:

• Generated net income attributable to common shareholders of $249.3 million, or $3.17 per fully diluted common share.
• Achieved adjusted funds from operations (“FFO”)⁽¹⁾ per fully diluted common share of $5.07, a 27.7% increase over the same period in 2020.
• Increased same store revenue by 14.1% and same store net operating income (“NOI”)⁽²⁾ by 19.4%, year-over-year.
• Acquired 112 wholly owned stores for $1,696.3 million, including 31 stores from the Company’s third-party management and joint venture platforms.
• With our joint venture partners, acquired 30 stores for a total cost of approximately $611 million, of which the Company invested $81 million.
• Added 103 stores (gross) to the Company’s third-party management platform; the Company grew its third-party management portfolio 11% in 2021 despite acquiring 31 previously managed stores.
• Completed a $600 million offering of 2.4% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2031.

Joe Saffire, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We continued to successfully accelerate our growth in 2021. Each day our team executed to deliver exceptional results and I am very proud of what we accomplished together. We achieved record acquisition volume in 2021 as we closed $2.3 billion in wholly owned and joint venture acquisitions, adding 144 properties to our platform to be just under 1,100 properties. With a growing acquisition and a third-party management pipeline, we are well positioned to continue executing on our strategic initiatives to further grow shareholder value in 2022 and beyond.”

FINANCIAL RESULTS:

In the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company generated net income attributable to common shareholders of $74.1 million or $0.90 per fully diluted common share, compared to net income attributable to common shareholders of $41.6 million, or $0.57 per fully diluted common share, in the fourth quarter of 2020.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company achieved $249.3 million of net income attributable to common shareholders, or $3.17 per fully diluted common share, as compared to $151.6 million, or $2.13 per fully diluted common share, for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Funds from operations for the quarter were $1.41 per fully diluted common share compared to $1.02 for the same period last year. Adjusted FFO per fully diluted common share for the quarter was $1.41 compared to $1.07 for the quarter ended December 31, 2020.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, FFO per fully diluted common share was $5.08 compared to $3.90 for the year ended December 31, 2020. Adjusted FFO per fully diluted common share for the year was $5.07 as compared to adjusted FFO for the year ended December 31, 2020 of $3.97.

OPERATIONS:

Revenues for the 531 stabilized stores wholly owned by the Company since December 31, 2019 increased 16.9% in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter of 2020. The increase largely resulted from the net impact of a 110 basis point increase in average occupancy and the net impact of a 15.2% increase in realized rental rates.

Same store operating expenses increased 1.9% for the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the prior year period, the result of increased marketing costs, office and other operating expenses, and repairs and maintenance. The increases were partially offset by decreases in real estate taxes, and payroll and benefits. Same store NOI increased 23.9% in the fourth quarter of 2021 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2020.

During the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company achieved double digit same store revenue growth in each of its 31 major markets. Overall, the markets with the strongest positive revenue impact were Austin, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Buffalo-Upstate, NY and various Florida Markets.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS:

Wholly Owned Portfolio

During the quarter, the Company acquired 50 stores in Florida (17), Georgia (9), Connecticut (6), Texas (4), Illinois (4), North Carolina (3), South Carolina (2), Colorado (2), Tennessee (1), Virginia (1) and Maine (1) for a total purchase price of $826.6 million.

At December 31, 2021, the Company was under contract to acquire ten self-storage facilities in California (9) and Maryland (1) for an aggregate purchase price of $246.3 million. During January 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of six self-storage facilities in California for an aggregate purchase price of $165.0 million. Subsequent to December 31, 2021, the Company entered into contracts to acquire 15 self-storage facilities in Texas (4), North Carolina (4), Florida (3), South Carolina (1), Illinois (1), Massachusetts (1) and Georgia (1) for an aggregate purchase price of $236.2 million. The purchases of the remaining facilities are subject to customary conditions to closing, and there is no assurance that any of these facilities will be acquired.

THIRD-PARTY MANAGEMENT:

The Company continues to aggressively and profitably grow its third-party management platform. During the quarter, the Company added 29 stores (gross). As of quarter end, the Company managed 367 facilities in total, including those in which it owns a minority interest.

FINANCIAL POSITION:

At December 31, 2021, the Company had approximately $171.9 million of cash on hand, and approximately $500 million available on its line of credit.

To support acquisition activity, the Company issued equity securities and priced a bond offering during the fourth quarter. During the quarter, the Company issued 1,527,771 shares of common stock under its continuous equity offering program at a weighted average issue price of $140.44 per share, generating net proceeds after expenses of $212 million. Additionally, the Company completed a previously announced $600 million Senior Unsecured Notes offering at 2.4% due 2031 that closed on October 7, 2021.

Below are key financial ratios at December 31, 2021:

COMMON STOCK DIVIDEND:

Subsequent to quarter end, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a 16% increase to its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share, or $4.00 annualized. The dividend was paid on January 26, 2022 to shareholders of record on January 14, 2022.

YEAR 2022 EARNINGS GUIDANCE:

The following assumptions covering operations have been utilized in formulating guidance for 2022:

The Company’s 2022 same store pool consists of the 581 stabilized stores wholly owned since December 31, 2020. 38 of the stores purchased through December 31, 2021 at certificate of occupancy or that were in the early stages of lease-up are not included, regardless of their current occupancies. The Company believes that occupancy levels achieved during the lease-up period, using discounted rates, are not truly indicative of a new store’s performance, and therefore do not result in a meaningful year-over-year comparison in future years. The Company will include such stores in its same store pool in the second year after the stores achieve 80% sustained occupancy using market rates and incentives.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:

When used herein, the words “intends,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” and similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

All forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We may also make additional forward-looking statements from time to time. All such subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, by us or on our behalf, are also expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements apply only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. Any forward-looking statements should be considered in light of the risks referenced in the “Risk Factors” section included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Such factors include, but are not limited to:

• adverse changes in general economic conditions, the real estate industry and in the markets in which we operate;
• the effect of competition from new self-storage facilities or other storage alternatives, which would cause rents and occupancy rates to decline;
• impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic or the future outbreak of other highly infectious or contagious diseases on the U.S., regional and global economies and our financial condition and results of operations;
• potential liability for uninsured losses and environmental contamination;
• the impact of the regulatory environment as well as national, state, and local laws and regulations including, without limitation, those governing real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), tenant reinsurance and other aspects of our business, which could adversely affect our results;
• loss of key personnel;
• the Company’s ability to evaluate, finance and integrate acquired self-storage facilities on expected terms into the Company’s existing business and operations;
• the Company’s ability to effectively compete in the industry in which it does business;
• disruptions in credit and financial markets and resulting difficulties in raising capital or obtaining credit at reasonable rates or at all, which could impede our ability to grow;
• the Company’s existing indebtedness may mature in an unfavorable credit environment, preventing refinancing or forcing refinancing of the indebtedness on terms that are not as favorable as the existing terms;
• interest rates may increase, impacting costs associated with the Company’s outstanding floating rate debt, if any, and impacting the Company’s ability to comply with debt covenants;
• exposure to litigation or other claims;
• risks associated with breaches of our data security;
• the regional concentration of the Company's business may subject the Company to economic downturns in the states of Florida and Texas;
• the Company’s cash flow may be insufficient to meet required payments of operating expenses, principal, interest and dividends; and
• failure to maintain our REIT status for U.S. federal income purposes, including tax law changes that may change the taxability of future income.

The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information currently available to us. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations are subject to risks and uncertainties and can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider these risks before you make an investment decision with respect to our securities.

CONFERENCE CALL:

Life Storage will hold its Fourth Quarter Earnings Release Conference Call at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, February 25, 2022. To help avoid connection delays, participants are encouraged to pre-register using this link. Anyone unable to pre-register may access the conference call at 877.234.0062 (domestic) or 973.413.6112 (international); passcode 105369 or request to be joined into the Life Storage call. Management will accept questions from registered financial analysts after prepared remarks; all others are encouraged to listen to the call via webcast by accessing the investor relations tab at lifestorage.com. The webcast will be archived for a period of 90 days; a telephone replay will also be available for 14 days by calling 877.481.4010 and entering passcode 44506.

ABOUT LIFE STORAGE, INC:

Life Storage, Inc. is a self-administered and self-managed equity REIT that is in the business of acquiring and managing self-storage facilities. Located in Buffalo, New York, the Company operates just under 1,100 storage facilities in 35 states. The Company serves both residential and commercial storage customers with storage units rented by month. Life Storage consistently provides responsive service to approximately 600,000 customers, making it a leader in the industry. For more information visit http://invest.lifestorage.com.

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