Press Release Details

SL Green Realty Corp. Reports First Quarter 2009 FFO of $1.48 per Share and EPS of $0.57 per Share

Apr 27, 2009 at 12:00 AM EDT
SL Green Realty Corp. Reports First Quarter 2009 FFO of $1.48 per Share and EPS of $0.57 per Share

Quarterly Highlights

  • First quarter FFO totaled $1.48 per share (diluted) compared to $1.36 per share (diluted) during the first quarter of 2008, an increase of 8.8%.

  • Net income per share for the first quarter of 2009 totaled $0.57 per share (diluted) compared to $2.06 per share (diluted) in the same period in the prior year. The results for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 include gains on sale of $0.27 per share (diluted) compared to gains on sale of $1.80 per share (diluted) for the same period in 2008.
  • Repurchased approximately $224.9 million of the Company's unsecured notes and exchangeable bonds in 2009, realizing gains on early extinguishment of debt aggregating approximately $57.5 million. Since October 2008, the Company has repurchased approximately $487.5 million of its bonds, and realized gains on early extinguishment of approximately $135.0 million.
  • Signed 32 Manhattan office leases totaling 296,840 square feet with average starting rents of $52.71 during the first quarter. Average Manhattan office starting rents increased by 23.9% on these leases over previously fully escalated rents.
  • Recognized combined same-store GAAP NOI growth of 2.5% for the first quarter, including 1.9% from the consolidated same-store properties and 4.1% from the unconsolidated joint venture same-store properties.
  • Closed with Gramercy Capital Corp. (NYSE: GKK) on a sale of 100.0% of the partnership interests in 55 Corporate Drive, NJ for $230.0 million, which resulted in a gain of approximately $6.6 million on the Company's 50.0% interest.
  • Gramercy Capital Corp. and SL Green Realty Corp. completed the internalization of Gramercy's management in April 2009. The internalization was completed through the direct acquisition by Gramercy of its external manager, GKK Manager LLC, which was previously a wholly owned subsidiary of SL Green.
  • Paid a dividend of $0.375 per share of common stock.

Summary
New York, NY, April 27, 2009 - SL Green Realty Corp. (NYSE: SLG) today reported funds from operations, or FFO, of $88.1 million, or $1.48 per share (diluted), for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, an increase of 8.8% compared to $1.36 per share (diluted) for the same quarter in 2008.

Net income attributable to common stockholders totaled $32.8 million, or $0.57 per share (diluted), for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, compared to $121.1 million, or $2.06 per share (diluted), for the same quarter in 2008. The results for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 include gains on sale of $0.27 per share (diluted) compared to gains on sale of $1.80 per share (diluted) for the same period in 2008.

Operating and Leasing Activity
For the first quarter of 2009, the Company reported revenues and EBITDA of $263.4 million and $143.8 million, respectively, an increase of $10.0 million, or 3.9%, and a decrease of $10.2 million, or 6.6%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2008. During the quarter, the Company had strong leasing activity at 100 Park Avenue, 420 Lexington Avenue, 220 East 42nd Street, 810 Seventh Avenue and 1 and 2 Jericho Plaza.

Same-store GAAP NOI on a combined basis increased by 2.5% for the first quarter when compared to the same quarter in 2008, with the consolidated properties increasing 1.9% to $127.6 million and the unconsolidated joint venture properties increasing 4.1% to $50.9 million.

Average starting Manhattan office rents of $52.71 per rentable square foot on the 296,840 square feet of leases signed during the first quarter represented a 23.9% increase over the previously fully escalated rents.

Occupancy for the Manhattan portfolio at March 31, 2009 was 96.2%, compared to 96.7% at December 31, 2008. During the quarter, the Company signed 36 leases in the Manhattan portfolio totaling 322,224 square feet, of which 32 leases and 296,840 square feet represented office leases.

Average starting Suburban office rents of $30.89 per rentable square foot for the first quarter represented a 1.5% decrease over the previously fully escalated rents. Occupancy for the Suburban portfolio was 90.4% at both March 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008. During the quarter, the Company signed 32 leases in the Suburban portfolio totaling 124,090 square feet, of which 29 leases and 123,110 square feet represented office leases.

Significant leasing activities during the first quarter included:

      - New lease with Tribune Company/WPIX for approximately 104,243 square feet at 220 East 42nd Street.
      - New lease with Wells Fargo Trade Capital Services for approximately 44,716 square feet at 100 Park Avenue.
      - Early renewal with Insight Communications Company, Inc. for approximately 34,460 square feet at 810 Seventh Avenue.
      - New lease with Ion Media Networks Inc. for approximately 25,954 square feet at 810 Seventh Avenue.
      - Early renewal with Deloitte LLP for approximately 37,824 square feet at 1 and 2 Jericho Plaza, Long Island.

Real Estate Investment Activity
The Company and Gramercy Capital Corp. sold 100.0% of their partnership interests in 55 Corporate Drive, NJ for $230.0 million, including the assumption by the buyer of the $190.0 million in-place mortgage indebtedness. The Company recognized a gain of approximately $6.6 million in connection with the sale of the Company's 50% interest in the joint venture.

Financing and Capital Activity
The Company repurchased approximately $224.9 million of its bonds in 2009, including approximately $213.3 million of exchangeable bonds, realizing gains on early extinguishment of debt aggregating approximately $57.5 million. Approximately $60.9 million face amount of these repurchases occurred during April 2009 and, accordingly, approximately $9.8 million of these gains will be recognized during the second quarter of 2009.

Structured Finance Activity
The Company's structured finance investments totaled approximately $589.3 million on March 31, 2009, a decrease of approximately $90.5 million from the balance at December 31, 2008. This excludes approximately $102.1 million of structured finance investments which were classified as held for sale at March 31, 2009. During the first quarter of 2009, the Company recorded $62.0 million in loan loss reserves against its structured finance investments. The structured finance investments currently have a weighted average maturity of 5.1 years and a weighted average yield for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 of 8.5%, inclusive of loans totaling $84.5 million which are on non-accrual status.

Investment in Gramercy Capital Corp.
At March 31, 2009, the book value of the Company's investment in Gramercy Capital Corp. was zero. Fees earned from various management arrangements between the Company and Gramercy totaled approximately $5.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 compared to $9.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2008. During the quarter, the Company waived its right to receive CDO collateral management fees from Gramercy. The Company did not recognize any FFO contribution from its investment in Gramercy for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 compared to an FFO contribution of $5.3 million for the same quarter in the prior year. The Company's share of net income from its investment in Gramercy has been estimated at a loss of $3.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, compared to income of $5.1 million for the same quarter in the prior year.

Gramercy Capital Corp. and SL Green Realty Corp. completed the internalization of Gramercy's management. The internalization was completed through the direct acquisition by Gramercy of its external manager, GKK Manager LLC, which was previously a wholly owned subsidiary of SL Green.

The Company's marketing, general and administrative, or MG&A, expenses no longer includes the consolidation of the expenses of its subsidiary GKK Manager LLC, the entity which managed and advised Gramercy. For the quarter ended March 31, 2009, the Company incurred approximately $5.2 million of costs associated with Gramercy compared to $3.5 million for the same quarter in the prior year. These expenses are now included in discontinued operations.

Dividends
During the first quarter of 2009, the Company declared quarterly dividends on its outstanding common and preferred stock as follows:

      - $0.375 per share of common stock. Dividends were paid on April 15, 2009 to stockholders of record on the close of business on March 31, 2009.

      - $0.4766 and $0.4922 per share on the Company's Series C and D Preferred Stock, respectively, for the period January 15, 2009 through and including April 14, 2009. Dividends were paid on April 15, 2009 to stockholders of record on the close of business on March 31, 2009, and reflect regular quarterly dividends, which are the equivalent of annualized dividend of $1.90625 and $1.96875, respectively.

Conference Call and Audio Webcast
The Company's executive management team, led by Marc Holliday, Chief Executive Officer, will host a conference call and audio web cast on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 2:00 pm ET to discuss the financial results. The Supplemental Package will be available prior to the quarterly conference call on the Company's website, www.slgreen.com, under "financial reports" in the investors section.

The live conference call will be webcast in listen-only mode on the Company's website under "event calendar & webcasts" in the investors' section of the website and on Thomson's StreetEvents Network. The conference call may also be accessed by dialing 888.396.2298 Domestic or 617.847.8708 International, using pass-code "SL Green."

A replay of the call will be available through May 5, 2009 by dialing 888.286.8010 Domestic or 617.801.6888 International, using pass-code 23223016.

Supplemental Information
The Supplemental Package outlining the Company's first quarter 2009 financial results will be available prior to the quarterly conference call on the Company's website.

Company Profile
SL Green Realty Corp. is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust, or REIT, that predominantly acquires, owns, repositions and manages Manhattan office properties. The Company is the only publicly held REIT that specializes in this niche. As of March 31, 2009, the Company owned 29 New York City office properties totaling approximately 23,211,200 square feet, making it New York's largest office landlord. In addition, at March 31, 2009, SL Green held investment interests in, among other things, eight retail properties encompassing approximately 400,212 square feet, three development properties encompassing approximately 399,800 square feet and two land interests, along with ownership interests in 33 suburban assets totaling 6,986,500 square feet in Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester County, Connecticut and New Jersey.

To be added to the Company's distribution list or to obtain the latest news releases and other Company information, please visit our website at www.slgreen.com or contact Investor Relations at 212-216-1601.

Disclaimers
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
During the quarterly conference call, the Company may discuss non-GAAP financial measures as defined by SEC Regulation G. In addition, the Company has used non-GAAP financial measures in this press release. A reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure and the comparable GAAP financial measure can be found on page 9 of this release and in the Company's Supplemental Package.

Forward-looking Statement
This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions thereof. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that we expect, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future, including such matters as future capital expenditures, dividends and acquisitions (including the amount and nature thereof), development trends of the real estate industry and the Manhattan, Westchester County, Connecticut, Long Island and New Jersey office markets, business strategies, expansion and growth of our operations and other similar matters, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and our perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors we believe are appropriate.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may materially differ, and we caution you not to place undue reliance on such statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of the words "may," "will," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," "project," "continue," or the negative of these words, or other similar words or terms.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made by us. These risks and uncertainties include the effect of the credit crisis on general economic, business and financial conditions, and on the New York Metro real estate market in particular; dependence upon certain geographic markets; risks of real estate acquisitions, dispositions and developments, including the cost of construction delays and cost overruns; risks relating to structured finance investments; availability and creditworthiness of prospective tenants and borrowers; bankruptcy or insolvency of a major tenant or a significant number of smaller tenants; adverse changes in the real estate markets, including reduced demand for office space, increasing vacancy, and increasing availability of sublease space; availability of capital (debt and equity); unanticipated increases in financing and other costs, including a rise in interest rates; our ability to comply with financial covenants in our debt instruments; our ability to maintain our status as a REIT; risks of investing through joint venture structures, including the fulfillment by our partners of their financial obligations; the continuing threat of terrorist attacks, in particular in the New York Metro area and on our tenants; our ability to obtain adequate insurance coverage at a reasonable cost and the potential for losses in excess of our insurance coverage, including as a result of environmental contamination; and legislative, regulatory and/or safety requirements adversely affecting REITs and the real estate business, including costs of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act and other similar laws and regulations.

Other factors and risks to our business, many of which are beyond our control, are described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise.

CONTACT
Gregory F. Hughes
Chief Operating Officer and
Chief Financial Officer
-Or-
Heidi Gillette
Investor Relations
(212) 594-2700