Would now like to hand the conference over to Hadyn Stephens, CEO and Managing Director. Please go ahead.
Thank you, and good morning, everyone. A summary of the key highlights for the six months to 30 June is provided on page six of the presentation. Starting with financial highlights for the half, distributable DEPS of AUD 8.59 was 3.4% higher than the corresponding period last year, with higher net interest expense being offset by retail increases and the impact of the buyback that was completed in the second half of last year. NTA per security increased by AUD 0.02-AUD 2.92 as at 30 June, primarily due to an increase in the value of our investment portfolio, and our MER remains one of the lowest in the sector at 31 basis points on an annualized basis.
Moving to our property portfolio, we saw a 10 basis point increase in Waypoint's weighted average cap rate during the half to 5.71%, which was offset by the impact of rent reviews across 94% of the portfolio, with the net result being a AUD 10.7 million valuation uplift. All 28 of our leases expiring in 2026 have now been resolved, with the tenant being retained on 26 of these sites and a 10.3%+ reversion achieved on renewals. Our focus now moves to the 2027 lease expiries, as well as plans for the two sites where leases were not renewed in 2026, which I will cover later in the presentation. As stated back in February, we are aiming to sell AUD 10 million-AUD 20 million of non-core assets this year.
However, it has been a very quiet first half, with the only update being the settlement of a previously announced disposal, Nowra, for AUD 6.1 million in May. Aditya will cover the finance and capital management update shortly. But in terms of highlights, gearing fell slightly to 32.4% during the half, and we completed a new AUD 250 million six-year AMTN program in June, which allowed us to repay bank facilities and maintain our weighted average debt maturity at 3.8 years. Average hedging for the second half of the year is 95%, and our weighted average hedge maturity as at 30 June was 2.5 years. Our major tenant, Viva Energy, reported a strong interim result earlier in the week, with a summary included as an appendix to this presentation.
Group EBITDA was up 154%, with all business units reporting significant growth on the first half of 2025, particularly the refining business.
Strong free cash flow enabled a 17% reduction in net debt, with gearing reducing significantly and currently below Viva Energy's through-the-cycle target. Within the convenience and mobility business, EBITDA increased by 86% on the prior corresponding period, with fuel volumes up 2% and fuel margins also strong during the half. Overall, convenience sales were up 1.3%, excluding tobacco, where sales were down 16.8% on the first half of 2025, but were in line with the second half, with the impact of illicit tobacco on legitimate retailers' sales appearing to have now stabilized. Looking at the broader environment in which our tenants operate, new vehicle sales remained strong in the first months, with total sales increasing 1.7% versus the first half of 2025.
There was a material increase in market share for EVs from March as a result of tensions in the Middle East, with battery EV and petrol hybrid EVs accounting for approximately one quarter of new car sales for the full half, or around double the market share of calendar 2025. We have included some slides in the pack looking at how the EV market share has progressed over the last few years, as well as how increased penetration might impact the Australian vehicle fleet moving forward, which we know is a key consideration for our investors. Six-monthly fuel volumes across the industry were broadly flat on the first half of 2025, with operators also benefiting from strong fuel margins during the period. Industry C-store sales, ex tobacco, were up 2.2%, although a 10.8% decline in tobacco sales resulted in total sales falling 0.6% versus the prior corresponding period.
I will now hand over to Aditya.
Thanks, Hadyn, and good morning. Turning to slide eight, which sets out the half year result. DEPS for the half was up 3.4% to AUD 0.0859, driven by higher earnings and lower securities on issue following completion of the buyback in 2025. Looking at earnings, rental income grew by 1.3%. This was underpinned by like-for-like rental growth of 3%, which was partially offset by the loss of rent from the AUD 44 million of non-core asset sales completed across 2025 and the first half of 2026. Operating expenses were in line with the prior period, with higher corporate costs offset by lower property-related costs. Property expenses have averaged AUD 1.3 million per annum over the last five years, and while the first half was lower than usual, we expect these to normalize in the second half. The MER remains relatively low at 31 basis points.
Interest expense has also increased, driven by a higher average debt balance over the period as a result of the buyback. Finally, statutory profit for the period was AUD 65.8 million, primarily driven by valuation movements on the investment portfolio. A full reconciliation between operating and statutory earnings is provided in the appendix. Turning to the balance sheet on slide nine. The balance sheet has not moved significantly compared to December, with the primary movements being the settlement of Nowra for AUD 6.1 million in May 2026, the updated valuation of our investment properties and interest rate swaps, as well as working capital movements. NTA was up slightly over the period to AUD 2.92 per security. Our balance sheet and capital position remains strong, and we have set out the key metrics illustrating this on slide 10.
As shown in the table, gearing remains at the lower end of the target range, our liquidity position is solid, and a high level of hedging has been maintained, providing insulation against the current interest rate environment. Our weighted average cost of debt was steady at 4.7%. Lower margins from the refinancing activities conducted in 2025 offset increases in base rates across our hedges and floating rate debt. Our ICR also continues to show healthy headroom to the 2x covenant. Turning to slide 11 to look a little more closely at our debt and hedging profile. On the debt front, we repaid and terminated AUD 250 million of bank debt during the period. This was funded through the issuance of a new six-year AMTN, which extends our debt maturity profile while also capturing a modest margin saving.
Our next debt maturities are in 2028 and are listed on the slide, comprising AUD 200 million of bank debt and a AUD 200 million AMTN, which will mature in September 2028. On the hedging front, we have a high level of near-term hedging to support our overall resilience against interest rate volatility. We continued our approach of progressively adding hedging over time, with coverage added for the second half of 2026 and the 2028 to 2031 period. As noted on the chart, average rates on the hedge book, including forward starts, sit at circa 3.1%-3.4% through to FY 2028, which is well-positioned relative to the forward curve. We have also reiterated our cost of debt guidance for the full year at circa 5%. An overview of our valuations as at 30 June is also provided on page 12.
As per our valuation policy, we had a change of valuer ahead of our June valuation cycle, with CBRE replacing Savills for the next three years. The process remained unchanged, with independent valuations conducted on 74 assets and director valuations for the remainder. The director vals are informed by the outcomes of the independent valuations and are also subject to a desktop review by the independent valuer. As shown on the table, the weighted average cap rate increased by 10 basis points during the period, with our Capital City assets experiencing the most expansion, given they are generally on firmer yields. In particular, Melbourne saw cap rates soften by 21 basis points, as negative sentiment regarding the Victorian economy has filtered through to transactions and values.
This cap rate expansion was offset by the impact of rent reviews across more than 90% of the portfolio that were incorporated into the June valuations, resulting in an overall valuation uplift of AUD 10.7 million for the period. I will now hand back to Hadyn to provide a market and portfolio update and our outlook for the remainder of 2026.
As outlined on page 14, while the number of fuel and convenience assets sold in the six months to 30 June was similar to the first half of last year, transaction volumes were significantly lower than the second half of 2025. Total transaction value was down approximately 20%-30% versus the two prior six-month periods, driven by a lower number of larger transactions, with only a couple of deals in excess of AUD 10 million. The average transaction yield was approximately 20 basis points higher, reflecting some yield expansion, but also a greater weighting towards higher yielding regional assets during the half. In terms of current market conditions, agents report that activity levels are being impacted by uncertainty as a result of interest rates and conflict in the Middle East. Whilst the recently announced federal budget has also affected near-term demand, as investors have digested its potential impact.
New stock is relatively limited as owners elect to hold on to properties until market conditions improve, with interest rates being a key catalyst for a return to the level of activity that we saw in the second half of last year. As outlined on page 15 of the presentation, with the final three lease expiries of the 2026 cohort resolved in the first half, all FY 2026 lease expiries have now been finalized, with options exercised on 26 of 28 leases, resulting in a 97.2% retention rate by income and an aggregate rental uplift of 10.3% on the 26 leases that have been renewed. Viva Energy has exited or will shortly exit two Brisbane sites, being Brendale and Slacks Creek.
We are currently in discussions with an operator for a fund through development at Brendale, and will shortly be commencing an EOI campaign for Slacks Creek, where we are exploring a range of potential options, as summarized on the slide. We will endeavor to provide more information on both of these at our full-year results in February. Moving to page 16, Viva Energy provided an update on its network conversion program as part of its half-year results this week, which is summarized on this page, along with an update on OTR conversions across the Waypoint portfolio. Some key things to highlight here. Firstly, as indicated by Viva at its February results, the broader OTR conversion program across Viva's network slowed in the first half, with only five new stores opened or converted versus 35 in full year 2025.
Secondly, Viva's network program for the second half is focused on new OTR stores from its development pipeline, with a smaller number of conversions of existing stores expected to be completed. Thirdly, Viva has announced the introduction of a new unattended self-service offer, similar to the U-GO offer that Ampol has been rolling out over the last 6-12 months, with 25-30 conversions to this format expected in the second half across the Viva network. Across our portfolio, landlord consent has been sought and provided for basic OTR conversions on 40 of our sites, with 19 conversions having been completed to date. Viva has scheduled an investor day for November this year, where we expect to hear more about their longer-term plans from the newly appointed CEO of the convenience and mobility division.
But for now, based on Viva's public disclosures, we anticipate a more moderate rollout of the OTR brand across both our portfolio and the broader Reddy Express network, at least in the near term. Turning to the outlook for the second half of the year on page 18. A key focus for the second half will be the market rent review and auction process for the 33 leases we have expiring in 2027, which represent approximately 7% of total rental income. Based on independent advice we've received from valuers, we believe this cohort is under rented, but we obviously need to work through the process with our tenants, and we'll provide more details regarding the status of these leases at our full year results in February next year.
With the recent AUD 250 million AMTN issuance completed in June, our debt expiry profile is in good shape, with no facilities maturing until March 2028. However, we continue to explore opportunities to reduce our cost of debt and optimize our debt facilities through early refinancing. As I mentioned earlier, it's a relatively subdued transaction market at the moment, but we're still looking to sell AUD 10 million-AUD 20 million of non-core assets this year. It's important to note that we don't have to sell these assets, but we will continue to explore avenues to do so when we believe there is a realistic opportunity to transact. Finally, I'm pleased to reaffirm our DPS guidance for the full year at AUD 0.1714, which represents 3% growth on last year. With that, I'll hand back to the operator to coordinate the Q&A.
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 the handset to ask your question. Your first question comes from Adam West with JPMorgan. Please go ahead.
Good morning. Thanks for taking my question. My first question today is just it was a good outcome on the AUD 250 million refinancing. I am just wondering if you could talk to, if the FY 2028 expiries were to be part of that batch, what type of margin saving you would have expected or if it would have been similar to what you are paying at the moment?
Thanks for the question, Adam. You are trying to figure out the margin saving if we had refinanced the 2028 expiries instead of the debt that we did repay. Is that your question?
Yeah. Or the potential upside you would see in those expiries from a margin perspective.
Yeah. Look, it is a tricky one. The AUD 200 million AMTN that we have in September, that is due to expire in September 2028, that is a fixed rate instrument. And that was put in place during really favorable conditions. So that has an all-in cost of 2.4%. So that is all in, including margin and base rate. So it is a little bit hard to, obviously, given how favorable that rate is to give you an answer where we are repaying that rate instead of other debt. But just to give you a sense, the six-year AMTN that we did issue, the equivalent margin on that was 156 basis points. And that is in the range of where we are seeing five-year bank debt for us is around 150, and six years around 160, for bank debt. So hopefully that gives you a bit of a sense.
Yeah. Perfect. Maybe just my second question, but I am just wondering, obviously with the uptick in electric vehicles, just how attractive electric charging bays would be for highway and roadside assets and whether or not it is attractive from both a leasing perspective but then also from a resale perspective as well.
Yeah. I will take that one, Adam. Thanks. Look, I think the highway sites are obvious targets for EV chargers. We as the landlord, we do not have the ability to put those in ourselves. Obviously, we lease the entire site to our tenants. So it is obviously a tenant-led initiative. We do know that both Ampol and Viva and other operators are rolling out EV chargers across their network. Highway sites are a focus of those. In terms of the economics, I think economics probably marginal in the first few years, just given usage. But obviously longer term, they will start to be more profitable. And I think from a resale point of view, anything like that kind of helps future-proof your asset is a positive when buyers are looking at them.
Yeah. Perfect. And I guess maybe just a quick follow-up, but how many of your highway sites currently have charging bays on them?
Across our network, Viva has six in place with Evie Networks, which is one of the operators, and they have been rolling them out. I do not have an exact number for you, to be honest, Adam, but I can get back to you on that.
Yeah. Perfect. Thanks. That's everything from me.
Your next question comes from Carl Braganza with Jarden. Please go ahead.
Morning, Hadyn and Aditya. A few questions from me. The first one was, based on your guidance, you've got second half earnings going slightly backwards. You've got more income flowing through from the FY 2026 renewals, and quite highly hedged. What's the drag in second half then? Is it higher base rates, disposals, or something else?
Yeah, it's a good question, and thanks for raising it. You're right. If I just talk through the components for the second half. Obviously, we do have the rent escalations coming through, particularly, in relation to the lease renewals that we've done. But again, that's only across 4% of the income, and it's only for part of the second half. So, once you apply all of that, the increase in the second half is not that material from the lease renewals. But in terms of what's moving in the other direction, that's holding our guidance at 3%. We have a higher hedge rate in the second half, so it's 3.1% versus the first half, where we had about 2.9% average rate, just given the nature of swaps rolling off and new ones coming on. So that's creating a bit of a drag.
Obviously, floating debt costs, albeit we're not that exposed to them, they still have a net impact because the second half's looking like it's going to have a higher floating rate than the first half. We've obviously sold Nowra, which contributed five months of income to the first half, and that's been sold, so that won't contribute to the second half. The other piece is just around the, which I mentioned in my speaking notes, was around the property expenses. So, they were quite low in the first half, at around AUD 0.3 million. I mentioned that the average over the last five years has been about AUD 1.3 million. So I'd say we had probably an unseasonably low level of property expenses in the first half, and we're expecting that to normalize in the second half.
Hopefully that gives you a bit of a bridge in terms of how we're seeing things.
That's great, Aditya. Thanks for that. The second one was on capital management. It seems like the OTR rollout is going slower than expected, and you've got around liquidity of AUD 100 million and trading at a circa 18% discount to NTA. What's the appetite for a buyback, and what's the minimum level of liquidity that you like to have?
Yeah, I'm happy to have a first crack at that one as well. I think when you look back over the history of the REIT, the liquidity position that we're holding at the moment is about average, in terms of where we've held liquidity in the past. So, I don't really see us being in a position where we have significant surplus liquidity. We've taken steps over the last 12 months to reduce our liquidity back to a more targeted level or refined level. In terms of appetite for buybacks, look, we're always on the lookout for capital management initiatives. We've not shied back or shied away from doing buybacks in the past. Generally speaking, though, they've been linked to non-core asset sales. Obviously, we haven't made a huge amount of progress on that, in the first half of this year.
We've also got to bear obviously things like our credit rating, all of the parameters around that in context. I'd say, in the absence of significant progress on the non-core asset sales front, there's probably less appetite to do a buyback in terms of where we're currently trading and the way we see the outlook.
Thanks for that. The final one from me is, in the presser, I think you mentioned Melbourne assets have had the biggest cap rate expansion over the last six months. Can you give any more color on what you're seeing in the Melbourne market?
Well, there's just generally negative sentiment there. Buyers are generally negative around the Victorian economy, and that's just flowing through into a lack of transactions. When things do trade, there is a bit of a movement out in terms of cap rates. Sorry, in terms of the yields that buyers are buying on. Probably one thing just to point out, our new valuer has a slightly different approach to Melbourne as well in terms of their view on cap rates for some of the outer areas. So that's fed through into that 22 basis points as well.
Perfect. Thanks for that, guys.
Your next question comes from Leanne Truong with CLSA. Please go ahead.
Good morning, Aditya and Hadyn. Just a question, I mean obviously, Ampol and Viva have been increasing a number of unmanned site. Just wondering if any of your sites would be converted to unmanned? Does that do anything with your evaluation?
Hi, Leanne. Welcome back. Good to hear your voice.
Thank you.
Yeah. We've been given the heads-up on nine of our sites that would be converted to that unattended self-service format. To be honest, we're still working our way through the implications of that. We do have some consent rights around that in the works. This is all pretty new to us as well, so we're just trying to get our head around the valuation side of things. Both what it might mean for the market rent that is applied on valuations and also how those assets might trade in the market. There's not a lot of market evidence out there around these sort of assets trading, given it's a relatively new, I guess, format in the sector. So, it's something that we're still working our way through, Leanne, is the answer.
Yeah, thank you. I don't know, it might be too early to speak, but obviously you have a few financial year 2027 expiries. I guess, yeah, expectations on some of those sites. Obviously, you probably have an understanding of how they're performing, so expectations on renewals.
Yeah. Look, in terms of performance, they're broadly similar to our FY 2026 expiries. I don't want to put a sort of retention probability or anything out there because we still need to go through that process with Viva. If we look back at the 2026 expiries, there were some sites where we thought they were maybe a risk of leaving, and they stayed. There were others, Slacks Creek in particular, where we were surprised that they left. It's just a process we need to go through with Viva. I think what I would say is we're still encouraged by the level of appetite from other operators in the event that tenants did leave any of our sites. A number of operators out there are looking for sites, and that's both for the leasehold, i.e.
Leasing it from us, but also operators buying vacant sites in the direct market. Speaking to a couple of the agents last week, there's still a lot of appetite there from operators to buy sites. I think we'll obviously try and retain Viva on as many of those sites as we can. It's not just for Viva Energy, it's Ampol and Chevron as well. We'll obviously try and retain the tenant on those sites, but we're pretty encouraged by the level of appetite from other operators.
Just my last question. I mean, the OTR family have been selling sites. Have you looked at this? I guess the second follow-up question to that is why are they selling sites? Are they worried about the market? I guess they would have a better understanding of the market than anyone else.
Yeah. I don't know their rationale for selling, Leanne. It could just be a reallocation of their resources and investments. I don't know the answer to that. You would have to ask them. In terms of do we look at them, yes, we look at all assets that sort of fit our criteria. But as we have mentioned before, it is just hard finding anything that meets our cost of capital. That is really what restricts us from buying things at the moment.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Once again, if you wish to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced. There are no further phone questions at this time. I will now hand back to Hadyn Stephens for the closing remarks.
Just to say thank you everyone for joining us this morning. We will be talking to a number of you over the next few days. Anyone that would like to schedule a meeting, a follow-up meeting, please let us know. We are very happy to jump on a call or meet in person. Thank you once again, and have a good day.
That does conclude our conference for today. Thank you for participating, and you may now disconnect.