I would now like to hand the conference over to Mr. Jonathan Callaghan, Chief Executive Officer. Please go ahead.
Good morning to everyone, thank you for joining us today for Cromwell Property Group's results for the half year ending 31 December 2025. I open today's presentation by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land from where this call is being hosted, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present. On slide five, we outlined some highlights over the six-month period. Recently, we have been able to deliver growth in key areas. Importantly, operating profit increased 1.5% on the prior corresponding period to AUD 55.9 million. Additionally, since June last year, we've been able to grow assets under management by 13.6% to AUD 5 billion.
Cromwell's investment portfolio, which continues to perform strongly in the sector, leading occupancy of 97.2%, recorded a valuation uplift of AUD 72 million. This valuation increase has driven an increase in the group's NTA, up 3.6% to AUD 0.58 per security. Our balance sheet remains in good shape, at 30.2% gearing. Gearing remains at the lower end of our stated gearing range of 30%-40%. We have ample liquidity of AUD 418 million to fund growth opportunities and capital expenditure. Our interest rate hedging profile is robust, with 71% of our net debt being hedged at period end. Over the past six months, Cromwell is pleased to have delivered on key pillars of our growth strategy, outlined on slide six.
This includes the launch of a new wholesale office fund to acquire 100 Creek Street in Brisbane, an asset benefiting from one of the most positive outlooks in Australian office. The capital raise is on foot and remains on track to raise more than AUD 100 million. Cromwell's Barton 1 development in ACT is underway and is progressing on time and on budget. Completion is expected in April 2027. We're currently looking for capital partners for this project, which we hope to introduce by completion. Preliminary discussions on this front are progressing positively. In December 2025, we announced expansion of the Cromwell platform through the acquisition of Terre Property Partners. This platform brings strong industrial investment management and development capability to Cromwell, as well as AUD 560 million of assets under management.
Cromwell has taken a 19.9% stake in a portfolio of industrial assets managed by Terre Property Partners, currently called the Cromwell Industrial Partnership, which we'll describe in more detail later. The remaining 80.1% of this portfolio is currently owned by Straits Trading Company, a preeminent Singaporean investment conglomerate. Our intention is to recapitalize and grow this vehicle. Its capital raise is planned to commence next week. Turning to slide seven, despite the current interest rate environment, we believe valuations have stabilized. This will support our investment portfolio, as well as capital demand for income-producing assets and projects. Across the market, economic rents continue to comfortably exceed prevailing market rents. Research from CBRE shows office sector economic rents have increased by 50%-70% since 2020, while industrial economic rents have risen by 60%-90% over the same period.
At the same time, new development remains challenging for projects without cost and income certainty. As a result, the future supply line will be constrained. Between 2025 and 2030, supply is forecast to fall below 10-year average across every major sector, with the tighter supply emerging in shopping center and office sectors. Higher interest rates will continue to make it difficult for new speculative projects to commence, and construction costs are expected to rise faster than inflation in every capital city. This dynamic is particularly acute in Queensland, where major infrastructure projects are competing aggressively for already scarce labor. A story that we see driving demand for our 100 Creek Street, Brisbane capital raise.
Set against ongoing population growth and limited new supply, we see conditions that are supportive of a tightening in commercial real estate vacancy, which in turn underpins a positive outlook for rental growth and capital demand. I will now pass to Michelle, Cromwell CFO, to provide an overview of the financial results and capital management for the half year.
Thank you, Jonathan. On slide 10, you'll see that Cromwell reported an increase of 1.5% in operating profit to AUD 55.9 million, supported by the continued strong performance of the investment portfolio, which recorded property valuation gains of AUD 72 million during the period. The group reported funds from operations of AUD 55.3 million, equivalent to AUD 0.0211 per security, reflecting a payout ratio of 71%. Net tangible assets increased to AUD 0.58 per security, up from AUD 0.56 per security at June 30, 2025, largely due to the strong performance from the investment portfolio. We are focused on maximizing the value of our investment portfolio, driving further improvements in NTA and the execution on our growth strategy, which over time, should close the gap between NTA and our security price.
As Jonathan mentioned, our gearing is at the lower bound of our target range at 30.2%, giving us plenty of balance sheet capacity and significant headroom under our debt covenants. With AUD 418 million in liquidity, we've got the flexibility to respond quickly to seize opportunities, to deploy capital into growth opportunities as they arise. Seventy-one percent of our debt is protected with derivatives, this high level of interest rate hedging will continue to provide protection from increasing market interest rates over the coming years. At the same time, the construction of the hedge portfolio allows us to participate in interest rate falls should inflation moderate, causing the RBA to reverse course.
Turning to the earnings table on slide 11, investment and asset management EBIT increased by 90%, supported by higher fee income from Cromwell Listed Securities joint venture and fees generated from the ongoing Barton 1 development. We are taking a disciplined approach to managing corporate costs, which have stabilized following the exit from Europe in calendar 2024. Savings are also being delivered through reduced net financing costs, which have decreased from AUD 28.9 million at June 30, 2025, to AUD 15.2 million for the six months to December 31, 2025, due in large part to the significant debt reductions realized from the European asset sales. Slide 12 provides an overview of the movements in Cromwell's balance sheet over the last 12 months.
Prudent deployment of capital, diligent asset management, and pleasing improvement in market valuation sentiment, all drove growth on the asset side of the balance sheet, both on a total assets and an NTA per security basis. Our balance sheet strength is a key competitive advantage, and we will continue to carefully manage liquidity and interest rate risk with the objective of supporting our expansion ambitions. I'll hand back to Jonathan now to review the investment portfolio and investment management platform performance.
Turning to Cromwell's investment portfolio overview on slide 14. Cromwell's investment portfolio of eight wholly owned assets, recorded positive valuation movements of AUD 72 million over the six months to 31 December 2025, with all assets being externally valued. This uplift was driven primarily by strong leasing outcomes at 400 George Street, Brisbane, along with modest portfolio weighted average market cap rate expansion of 8 basis points to 7.15%. Portfolio occupancy remains high at 97.2%, providing a solid foundation for income performance. Notably, 68% of portfolio income is derived from our top five tenants, with approximately 40% coming from Australian government tenants across both state and federal levels, outlined in the table on slide 15. On this slide, you can see the investment portfolio's lease expiry profile and changes to it since 30 June 2025.
The change to the 2027 expiry profile is primarily driven by a government lease extension at 400 George Street, Brisbane. To further underscore the high caliber of Cromwell's property team, our facility management team was recently recognized as the FM Organisation of the Year by the Facilities Management Association of Australia. A very strong endorsement of the expertise and commitment embedded across our platform. On the ESG front, the investment portfolio's GRES green score improved by 12 points to 90 out of 100, driven by renewed Green Star certifications. This result is an 11-point outperformance against the GRES average of 7.79, and reflects our continued focus on sustainability and operational excellence. We have included some case studies you can read through on slide 16, relating to capital works, which have assisted leasing and in turn, valuation outcomes.
At the fully integrated real estate management team, providing asset, property, and facilities management, we focus on all aspects of real estate performance and tenant amenity, driving tenant retention. Turning to slide 18. Cromwell's investment management platform grew by AUD 560 million to AUD 2.8 billion over the half year to 31 December 2025, following the acquisition of the Terre Property Partners industrial platform. The Cromwell Direct Property Fund has now commenced its wind-up process following the periodic liquidity event, approved by investors in late 2025, and has already sold 545 Queen Street, Brisbane. Our 50% interest in Oyster increased by AUD 24 million, largely due to valuation gains, while Cromwell Listed Securities were AUD 116 million. We have provided further details on the acquisition of Terre Property Partners on slide 19.
The Terre Property Partners team brings to Cromwell a deep sector expertise, an impressive track record, and incredible knowledge of the assets they manage. The Cromwell Industrial Partnership portfolio, outlined on slide 20, comprises seven high-quality logistics assets located across key hubs in Bayswater, Salisbury South, and Port Adelaide. The portfolio maintains a strong occupancy rate of 98.4% and has a weighted average cap rate of 6.1%. This portfolio, comprising real estate, largely developments by the platform, delivers stable, dependable income underpinned by long-term and by long-term and diverse tenant base. Looking ahead, our strategy is focused on bringing new capital partners alongside us to accelerate growth. Together, this platform and portfolio form the seed foundation for a core pillar of the group's future growth strategy.
An update on our Barton 1 development in the ACT is shown on slide 21. It highlights the strong progress of this development. The project remains on schedule and within budget. We look forward to welcoming new capital partners into what will be a highly compelling investment opportunity. Our near-term outlook on slide 23 remains firmly focused on the ongoing expansion of our third-party assets under management. Growing our investment management platform is central to our strategy. We are progressing a strong pipeline of new products across the industrial and office sectors, designed to meet the evolving needs of our capital partners, while strengthening our presence across Australia's core real estate markets. Work will continue in the retail sector, which remains a focus. Alongside organic growth, we will continue to deploy capital selectively to accelerate the expansion of our platform.
Strategic acquisitions remain a key lever for scaling our investment management capabilities, and we are actively assessing opportunities that align with our disciplined approach and long-term vision. Maintaining strong occupancy across our investment portfolio remains a crucial priority. Our active asset management approach, backed by targeted leasing campaigns and value-add initiatives, continue to support long-term income resilience. As we work to grow WALE and maintain high occupancies, our focus remains on delivering consistent, high-quality outcomes for both tenants and investors. We continue to manage the balance sheet with discipline, which means deploying capital in a measured and responsible way, preserving gearing headroom, so we are positioned to act when compelling opportunities emerge. We are managing our financing proactively to protect interest costs and safeguard liquidity in the current interest rate environment.
This discipline remains fundamental to our strategy and our capacity to continue to grow. Finally, turning to guidance, the group reaffirms its expectation of an annual distribution of AUD 0.03 per security for the 2026 financial year, to be paid quarterly. Thank you for dialing in today to hear our update. I'll now hand back to the operator to open the question and answer portion of this call.
Thank you. If you wish to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced. If you wish to cancel your request, please press star two. If you are on a speakerphone, please pick up your handset to ask a question. The first question comes from the line of Adam Hirsch with JP Morgan. Please go ahead.
Oh, hi. Thanks for taking my question. I'm just wondering, on the 400 George Street asset, it looks like NPI is down 12%, but the occupancy has only dropped 50 basis points. I'm just wondering if you could provide some color around, I guess, the drop in the NPI from HY 2025 to 2026.
Sorry, Adam, the line wasn't good, I think your question was about the fall in net property income for 400 George Street. Primarily, that's driven by t he federal government left a reasonably large tenancy there. We have re-leased that space. There is a hole between the tenant leaving and the new tenant arriving, and that's what's behind that.
Okay, that's clear. I guess, what were the leasing spreads on the old tenant leaving and the new one coming in?
It's about 4%, 5%.
Yep. Yeah, that's clear. I guess my next question is just on 207 Kent Street. Do you just have some color, I guess, on the lease-up profile and how your level of inquiry on the asset's going?
It's ticking along. We're doing deals. A t the moment, we're in a bit of a poorer performance period, give due to some handbacks, but inquiry remains reasonable. Inspections are happening, so it seems to be going okay.
We did just a little under 2,000 sq m in the last half. You know, we'll probably fit out another floor, at least, with some fit outs, which seem to turn over fairly quickly once they're built.
Yep, that's clear. I guess, just onto the Barton 1 development, I'm just wondering, what was the impact of development fees on your funds management income for this half? Do you just have a guide around how much those development fee, the development income is gonna impact over the next half?
Well, we hav en't landed on the timing for recognition of w hat's the fees? .
What are the, y eah, it's the fees in this period about half of them.
Yeah. It was, it wasn't very much this half.
Yeah, no, perfect. That's all from me. Thanks for that.
Bye.
Thank you. The next question comes from the line of Winky Tan with Morningstar. Please go ahead.
Hi, good morning, Jonathan. Good morning, Michelle. Just a follow-up to your Adam's previous question on leasing spreads. Just wondering, that 4, 5%, is that positive or negative?
Oh, positive.
Okay, great. Thanks. Just wondering what your incentive level was for the past six months and how it compared to the previous period?
T he Legal Aid one was 39%. Remains to be seen what the incentive will be on the, and the reversion will be on the, option extension from the other government tenant at 400 George, because that's going through to termination.
Great, thanks.
The, the-
Sorry, go ahead.
No, that made up the bulk of the leasing over the last six months.
Yep.
As a general comment, we haven't noticed any sort of improvement or deterioration of incentive levels.
Yep. Yep, that's fair. Final one on Victoria Avenue. I saw that in this half, you've included that in your AUM for the funds platform. Just wondering how that's going. Is the intention no longer to sell this asset?
Oh, no.
Sorry, It's not included in our assets under management.
Yeah, sorry. It's included in the investment management, total AUM because we're continuing to collect management fees on that asset while the sale process continues. We're still expecting that it'll complete this financial year, and we're assisting the purchaser with satisfaction of CPs for the financing.
Yep, that's clear. Thank you.
Thank you. Once again, if you wish to ask a question, please press star and one on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced. There are no further questions at this time. With that, we conclude our conference for today.