UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 25, 2021
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure
On March 25, 2021, Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing it is reviewing alternatives in order to provide liquidity to its stockholders and, as such, is suspending its dividend reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) and share repurchase program (“SRP”), each as described under Item 8.01 below. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated into this Item 7.01 by reference.
The information furnished under this Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1 hereto, shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any filings made by the Company pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
Item 8.01 Other Events.
On March 25, 2021, in connection with its liquidity alternative review process, the Company’s board of directors unanimously approved the suspension of: (i) the operation of the DRIP, effective immediately, such that the Company’s stockholders will receive their full distribution payable April 1, 2021 ($0.02833333 per share of the Company’s common stock) in cash; and (ii) the operation of the SRP, effective immediately, such that the scheduled March 31, 2021 repurchase will not be executed.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit Number | Description of Exhibit | |||||||
| 99.1 | ||||||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Date File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). | |||||||
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| PHILLIPS EDISON & COMPANY, INC. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Dated: March 25, 2021 | By: | /s/ John P. Caulfield | ||||||||||||||||||
| John P. Caulfield | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President and Treasurer | ||||||||||||||||||||
Phillips Edison & Company Reviewing Liquidity Alternatives
CINCINNATI - March 25, 2021 - The board of directors and management of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (“PECO” or the “Company”), an internally-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”) and one of the nation’s largest owners and operators of grocery-anchored shopping centers, are reviewing alternatives in order to provide liquidity to the Company's stockholders.
In connection with the liquidity alternative review process, the Third Amended and Restated Dividend Reinvestment Plan (“DRIP”) has been suspended, beginning with the distribution payable April 1, 2021. Stockholders will receive their full distribution ($0.02833333 per share) in cash.
Additionally, the Fourth Amended and Restated Share Repurchase Program (“SRP”), which is currently limited to repurchases resulting from the death, qualifying disability, or the declaration of incompetence (“DDI") of stockholders, has been suspended. The March 31, 2021 DDI repurchase will not be executed. The SRP for both standard and DDI requests will remain suspended until further notice.
About Phillips Edison & Company
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (“PECO” or the “Company”), an internally-managed REIT, is one of the nation’s largest owners and operators of grocery-anchored shopping centers. PECO’s diversified portfolio of well-occupied neighborhood shopping centers features a mix of national and regional retailers selling necessity-based goods and services in fundamentally strong markets throughout the United States. Through its vertically-integrated operating platform, the Company manages a portfolio of 308 shopping centers, including 283 wholly-owned centers comprising approximately 31.7 million square feet across 31 states (as of December 31, 2020). PECO has generated strong operating results over its 30+ year history and has partnered with leading institutional commercial real estate investors including TPG Real Estate and The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. The Company remains exclusively focused on creating great grocery-anchored shopping experiences and improving the communities it serves one center at a time. For more information, please visit www.phillipsedison.com.
PECO uses, and intends to continue to use, its Investors website, which can be found at www.phillipsedison.com/investors, as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” or “our”) other than historical facts may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We intend for all such forward-looking statements to be covered by the applicable safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in those acts. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” “seek,” “objective,” “goal,” “strategy,” “plan,” “focus,” “priority,” “should,” “could,” “potential,” “possible,” “look forward,” “optimistic,” or other similar words. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date this report is filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies, and prospects, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including known and unknown risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks include, without limitation, (i) changes in national, regional, or local economic climates; (ii) local market conditions, including an oversupply of space in, or a reduction in demand for, properties similar to those in our portfolio; (iii) vacancies, changes in market rental rates, and the need to periodically repair, renovate, and re-let space; (iv) changes in interest rates and the availability of permanent mortgage financing; (v) competition from other available properties and the attractiveness of properties in our portfolio to our tenants; (vi) the financial stability of tenants, including the ability of tenants to pay rent; (vii) changes in tax, real estate, environmental, and zoning laws; (viii) the concentration of our portfolio in a limited number of industries, geographies, or investments; and (ix) any of the
other risks included in the Company’s SEC filings. Therefore, such statements are not intended to be a guarantee of our performance in future periods.
See Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors of our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 12, 2021, and any subsequent filings, for a discussion of some of the risks and uncertainties, although not all of the risks and uncertainties, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those presented in our forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this release.
Investors:
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.
Michael Koehler, Vice President of Investor Relations
(513) 338-2743
InvestorRelations@phillipsedison.com
Source: Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.