Safehold (SAFE) - 2025 Q1 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For Q1 2025, GAAP revenue was $97.7 million, net income was$ 29.4 million, and earnings per share (EPS) was $0.41, reflecting a decline in GAAP earnings year over year primarily due to a nonrecurring$ 1.9 million loss on a preferred equity investment [11][12] - Excluding the one-time loss, Q1 EPS increased slightly year over year, driven by higher net earnings on investment fundings and percentage rent [12] - The portfolio currently earns a 3.7% cash yield and a 5.4% annualized yield, with an economic yield of 5.8% [12][13] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The total portfolio at quarter end was $6.8 billion, with an estimated GLTV of 52% and rent coverage of 3.5 times [9][15] - The company funded a total of$ 20 million in Q1, consisting of $16 million in ground lease fundings and$ 4 million related to leasehold loans [10] - The ground lease portfolio has grown 20 times by both book value and estimated unrealized capital appreciation since the IPO, with 85 multifamily ground leases now comprising 58% of the portfolio [10] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has nonbinding LOIs totaling approximately $386 million for potential commitments across 11 ground leases and four loans, with six of the ground leases focused on affordable housing [7][9] - The portfolio GLTV increased from 49% to 52% quarter over quarter, reflecting the largest office revaluation quarter [14][15] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to reach a scale that unlocks the full value of the business for shareholders while expanding the customer base that can benefit from long-term lower-cost capital [4][5] - The management is focused on capital recycling and evaluating opportunities to address the public versus private valuation disconnect [35][21] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The management noted that while the market remains volatile, there are signs of stabilization, and they are optimistic about the pipeline of deals [6][19] - The management expressed confidence in the ability to close the majority of the deals in the pipeline within the year, despite the challenges posed by market conditions [31][61] Other Important Information - The company ended the quarter with approximately$ 1.3 billion of liquidity, supported by potential available capacity in joint ventures [9][17] - The company has a weighted average debt maturity of approximately 19 years and no corporate maturities due until 2027 [17] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you provide more details on the sponsors and markets related to the nonbinding LOIs? - The pipeline includes a robust mix of multifamily deals, with diverse locations across the West Coast, Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest [25][26] Question: What are the benefits of ground leases versus leasehold loans? - Leasehold loans provide more certainty in volatile markets and can help kickstart transactions that are stalled [27] Question: Can you quantify the closed deals from the LOIs? - The majority of the deals in the pipeline are expected to close this year, with timing varying based on construction versus recap deals [31] Question: What is the company's strategy regarding joint ventures? - The company is exploring opportunities for joint ventures to unlock value from the existing portfolio while focusing on larger scale deals with current partners [65][66] Question: How does the company view the current market volatility? - The management acknowledged ongoing volatility but noted that it has tightened, allowing sponsors to make clearer long-term capital decisions [44][61] Question: What is the outlook for S&P ratings? - The company is in dialogue with S&P and aims to achieve a third single A rating through prudent capital management and continued deal origination [82]