SEC Filing | The Necessity Retail REIT, Inc.

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afin-20201231

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K


(Mark One)
☒			ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020


☐			TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _________ to __________

Commission file number: 001-38597

https://cdn.kscope.io/84ae998fa6202b32bd01545ad34120fa-afin-20201231_g1.jpg

American Finance Trust, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Maryland						90-0929989
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)						(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

650 Fifth Ave., 30th Floor, New York, NY 10019

________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 415-6500

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

Trading Symbols

Name of each exchange on which registered

Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share

AFIN

The Nasdaq Global Select Market

7.50% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share

AFINP

The Nasdaq Global Select Market

7.375% Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share

AFINO

The Nasdaq Global Select Market

Preferred Stock Purchase Rights

The Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer

☒

Accelerated filer

☐

Non-accelerated filer

☐

Smaller reporting company

☐

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. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

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The aggregate market value of the registrant’s Class A common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $861.7 million based on the closing sales price on the Nasdaq Global Select Market as of June 30, 2020, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

As of February 18, 2021, the registrant had 108,837,209 shares of Class A common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement to be delivered to stockholders in connection with the registrant’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. The registrant intends to file its proxy statement within 120 days after its fiscal year end.

AMERICAN FINANCE TRUST, INC.

FORM 10-K

Year Ended December 31, 2020


		Page
PART I
Item 1.	Business	1
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	3
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	30
Item 2.	Properties	30
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	36
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	36

PART II
Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	37
Item 6.	Selected Financial Data	39
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	41
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk	63
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	63
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	63
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	63
Item 9B.	Other Information	64

PART III
Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	65
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	65
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	65
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	65
Item 14.	Principal Accounting Fees and Services	65

PART IV
Item 15.	Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules	66
Item 16.	Form 10-K Summary	69

SIGNATURES		70

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Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are forward-looking statements. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of American Finance Trust, Inc. (“we” “our” or “us”), American Finance Advisors, LLC (our “Advisor”) and members of our management team, as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based, and generally are identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “seeks,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “should” or similar expressions. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Further, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results over time, unless required by law.

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Some of the risks and uncertainties, although not all risks and uncertainties, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those presented in our forward-looking statements are set forth in “Risk Factors” (Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K), “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” (Part II, Item 7A), and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations” (Part II, Item 7).

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PART I

Item 1. Business.

Overview

We are an externally managed real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes (“REIT”) focusing on acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of primarily service-oriented and traditional retail and distribution related commercial real estate properties located primarily in the United States. Our assets consist primarily of freestanding single-tenant properties that are net leased to “investment grade” and other creditworthy tenants and a portfolio of multi-tenant retail properties consisting primarily of power centers and lifestyle centers. We intend to focus our future acquisitions primarily on net leased, single-tenant service retail properties, defined as properties leased to tenants in the retail banking, restaurant, grocery, pharmacy, gas, convenience, fitness, and auto services sectors. As of December 31, 2020, we owned 920 properties, comprised of 19.3 million rentable square feet, which were 93.9% leased, including 887 single-tenant net leased commercial properties (849 of which are leased to retail tenants) and 33 multi-tenant retail properties. Based on annualized rental income on a straight-line basis as of December 31, 2020, the total single-tenant properties comprised 70% of our total portfolio and were 60% leased to service retail tenants, and the total multi-tenant properties comprised 30% of our total portfolio and were 50% leased to experiential retail tenants, defined as tenants in the restaurant, discount retail, entertainment, salon/beauty and grocery sectors, among others.

Investment Strategy

In addition to focusing on acquiring a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate properties with the tenants and other attributes noted above we also focus on:

•acquiring and owning service-oriented retail properties or experiential retail tenants that we believe are more resistant to e-commerce and the factors impacting traditional retail;

•maintaining high portfolio occupancy with a balance of service retail single-tenant assets featuring long-term leases;

•targeting a leverage level of not more than 45% loan-to-value at the time of acquisition; and

•maintaining diversity by tenant as well as a geographic location and lease term.

There is no limit on the number, size or type of properties that we may acquire. The number and mix of properties depend upon real estate market conditions and other circumstances existing at the time of acquisition of properties.

Since we acquired all of the multi-tenant properties in our portfolio in February 2017 in our merger with American Realty Capital - Retail Centers of America, Inc. which was sponsored and advised by affiliates of American Finance Advisors, LLC (the “Advisor”), we have not acquired any additional multi-tenant properties. We do not currently intend to acquire additional multi-tenant properties in the future. Moreover, pursuant to the provisions in our revolving unsecured corporate credit facility (our “Credit Facility”), we are prohibited from acquiring additional multi-tenant properties until after March 31, 2021. We may also acquire or own properties through joint ventures with third parties although we do not presently have any of these arrangements. We do not intend to develop or redevelop properties. In evaluating prospective investments, our Advisor considers relevant real estate and financial factors, including the location of the property, the leases and other agreements affecting it, the creditworthiness of its major tenants, its income-producing capacity, its physical condition, its prospects for appreciation, its prospects for liquidity, tax considerations and other factors. We may also originate or acquire first mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity or securitized loans (secured by real estate) but do not currently own any of these asset types. Our Advisor has substantial discretion to select specific investments, subject to approval by our board of directors, including any related guidelines.

Tenants and Leasing

We seek to lease space at our properties to “investment grade” rated tenants. For our purposes, “investment grade” includes both tenants (or lease guarantors) with actual investment grade ratings or tenants with “implied” investment grade ratings. Implied investment grade may include the actual rating of a tenant’s parent or the guarantor of the parent (regardless of whether the parent has guaranteed the tenant’s obligation under the lease) or tenants that are identified as investment grade by using a proprietary Moody’s analytical tool which generates an implied rating by measuring an entity’s probability of default. Based on annualized rental income on a straight-line basis as of December 31, 2020, approximately 61.5% of the tenants in our single-tenant portfolio were considered “investment grade” consisting of 50.4% with actual investment grade ratings and 11.1% with implied investment grade ratings, and approximately 31.2% of the anchor tenants in our multi-tenant portfolio were considered “investment grade” consisting of 20.2% with actual investment grade ratings and 11.0% with implied investment grade ratings.

We do not have any leases or contracts with governmental entities. We also seek to maintain high occupancy rates through long-term leases. As of December 31, 2020, our portfolio was 93.9% occupied.

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Our business is generally not seasonal.

Financing Strategies and Policies

We use various sources to fund our business, including acquisitions and other investments as well as property and tenant improvements, leasing commissions and other working capital needs. These sources have recently consisted of: (1) equity offerings of common and preferred stock; (2) property-level financing secured by the underlying property or properties; and (3) draws on our revolving unsecured corporate credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with BMO Harris Bank N.A.. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources” herein for a discussion of how we have funded our capital needs. We expect to raise additional equity capital and borrow additional monies in the future to fund our capital needs, including future acquisitions. The form of our indebtedness will vary and could be long-term or short-term, secured or unsecured, or fixed-rate or floating rate. We will not enter into interest rate swaps or caps, or similar hedging transactions or derivative arrangements for speculative purposes, but have entered into, and expect to continue to enter into, these types of transactions in order to manage or mitigate our interest rate risk on variable rate debt. See Note 7 - Derivatives and Hedging Activities to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information. We may reevaluate and change our investing or financing policies in our board’s sole discretion.

COVID-19 Update

As discussed, in more detail in other sections of this Annual Report, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, and is expected to continue to impact, us and our operations. Because of the rigorous underwriting standards used by our Advisor and our focus on credit worthy tenants, we collected 99%, 87%, 93% and 96% of cash rent due for the quarters ended March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020, September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2020, respectively, as of February 15, 2021. In addition, we collected 99% of cash rent due for the quarter ended December 31, 2020 from our top 20 tenants, 99% from our single-tenant portfolio and 88% from our multi-tenant portfolio (based on annualized rental income on a straight-line basis as of December 31, 2020). For additional information on our rent collection efforts, including deferral or abatement agreements, see Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis -Management Update on the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Organizational Structure

Substantially all of our business is conducted through American Finance Operating Partnership, L.P. (the “OP”), a Delaware limited partnership, and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Our Advisor manages our day-to-day business with the assistance of our property manager, American Finance Properties, LLC (the “Property Manager”). Our Advisor and Property Manager are under common control with AR Global Investments LLC (“AR Global”) and these related parties receive compensation and fees for providing services to us. We also reimburse these entities for certain expenses they incur in providing these services to us.

Tax Status

We elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2013. We believe that, commencing with such taxable year, we have been organized and have operated in a manner so that we qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code. We intend to continue to operate in such a manner, but can provide no assurance that we will operate in a manner so as to remain qualified as a REIT. To continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT, we must distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (which does not equal net income as calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”)), determined without regard for the deduction for dividends paid and excluding net capital gains, and must comply with a number of other organizational and operational requirements. If we continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to federal corporate income tax on the portion of our REIT taxable income that we distribute to our stockholders. Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain state and local taxes on our income and properties, and federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed income.

Competition

The commercial real estate market is highly competitive. We compete for tenants in all of our markets based on various factors that include location, rental rates, security, suitability of the property’s design to a tenant’s needs and the manner in which the property is operated and marketed. The number of competing properties in a particular market could have a material effect on our occupancy levels, rental rates and on the operating expenses of certain of our properties.

In addition, we compete for acquisitions with other REITs, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations, banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, mutual funds, and other entities. Some of these competitors, including larger REITs, have substantially greater financial resources than we have and generally may be able to accept more risk than we can prudently manage, including risks with respect to the creditworthiness of tenants.

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Competition from these and other third-party real estate investors may limit the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us and increase prices, which will lower yields, making it more difficult for us to acquire new investments on attractive terms.

Regulations - General

Our investments are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws, ordinances and regulations, including, among other things, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, zoning regulations, land use controls, environmental controls relating to air and water quality, noise pollution and indirect environmental impacts such as increased motor vehicle activity. We believe that we have all permits and approvals necessary under current law to operate our investments.

Regulations - Environmental

As an owner of real estate, we are subject to various environmental laws of federal, state and local governments. Compliance with existing laws has not had a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations, and management does not believe it will have such an impact in the future. However, we cannot predict the impact of unforeseen environmental contingencies or new or changed laws or regulations on properties in which we hold an interest, or on properties that may be acquired directly or indirectly in the future. We hire third parties to conduct Phase I environmental reviews of the real property that we intend to purchase.

Human Capital Resources

We are an externally managed company and thus have no employees. We have retained the Advisor pursuant to a long-term advisory contract to manage our affairs on a day-to-day basis. We have also entered into agreements with our Property Manager to manage and lease our properties. The employees of the Advisor, Property Manager, and their respective affiliates perform a full range of services for us, including acquisitions, property management, accounting,