Agree Realty Expands Credit Facility, Fortifies Balance Sheet

Agree Realty Corporation ADC recently fortified its balance sheet by amending and restating the company’s revolving credit and term loan agreement to increase the senior unsecured credit facility to $600 million.  The move will also enable the company to extend the maturity of the revolving facility.

The credit facility comprises a $500-million unsecured revolving line of credit due in January 2024 that can be extended by a year by exercising an option. The credit facility also consists of two unsecured term loans worth $65 million and $35 million, respectively.  It will mature in January 2024. There is also an accordion option in the credit agreement for increasing the credit facility capacity by up to a total of $1.1 billion.

For the revolving line of credit, pricing will range from an interest rate of LIBOR + 77.5 to 145 basis points (bps). For the term loan, pricing will range from an interest rate of LIBOR + 85 to 165 bps. Both ranges will depend on the company's credit rating.

Based on the company's leverage ratio and credit rating at the time of closing, the revolving facility was priced at LIBOR+ 82.5 bps, while interest rate on unsecured term loans was 3.13%. Agree Realty intends to utilize existing interest rate swaps to fix LIBOR on the term loans at around 2.13%.

The credit facility expansion is a strategic fit as it provides ample growth opportunities. Moreover, extended maturities of the assumed debt will help improve its maturity profile and enjoy greater liquidity for day-to-day operations. The recast will also enable the company to make accretive investments in high-quality retail net lease properties.

Recently, the company also announced a 2.6% sequential hike in quarterly cash dividend. It will now pay a dividend of 58.50 cents per share, up from the 57 cents paid in the prior quarter. The increased dividend will be paid on Jan 3, 2020, to shareholders of record as on Dec 20, 2019.

In the past six months, shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have gained 7.8% compared with the industry’s rally of 3.1%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Other Stocks to Consider

Brixmor Property Group Inc. BRX currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. Its shares have rallied 22.5% over the past six months. The company’s funds from operations (FFO) per share estimate for 2019 remained unchanged at $1.92 in a month’s time.

Retail Properties of America, Inc. RPAI holds a Zacks Rank of 2, presently. Its shares have appreciated 14.1% over the past six months. The company’s FFO per share estimate for 2019 has remained unrevised at $1.06 over the past 30 days.

Currently, Cousins Properties Incorporated CUZ carries a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s 2019 FFO per share moved up 2.1% to $2.96 over the past two months. Its shares have gained 5.8% over the past six months.

5 Stocks Set to Double

Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.

Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Agree Realty Corporation (ADC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Retail Properties of America, Inc. (RPAI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Brixmor Property Group Inc. (BRX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.