Highwoods Properties, Inc. (HIW)
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Earnings Call: Q3 2021

Oct 27, 2021

Operator

Good morning, and welcome to the Highwoods Properties Earnings Call. During the presentation, all participants will be in a listen-only mode. Afterwards, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. At that time, if you have a question, please press one followed by four on your telephone. If at any time during the conference you need to reach an operator, please press star zero. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded Wednesday, October 27, 2021 . I would now like to turn the conference over to Mark Mulhern. Please go ahead, Mr. Mulhern.

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

Thank you. This is Brendan Maiorana. Thank you, operator and good morning everyone. Joining me on the call this morning are Ted Klinck, our Chief Executive Officer, Brian Leary, our Chief Operating Officer and Mark Mulhern, our Chief Financial Officer. As is our custom, today's prepared remarks have been posted on the web. If any of you have not received yesterday's earnings release or supplemental, they're both available on the Investors section of our website at highwoods.com. On today's call, our review will include non-GAAP measures such as FFO, NOI, and EBITDARE. The release and supplemental include a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Forward-looking statements made during today's calls are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the ongoing adverse effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on our financial condition and operating results.

These risks and uncertainties are discussed at length in our press releases as well as our SEC filings. As you know, actual events and results can differ materially from these forward-looking statements and the company does not undertake a duty to update any forward-looking statements. With that, I'll now turn the call over to Ted.

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Thanks, Brendan. Good morning. We are pleased with our solid financial and operational results in the third quarter. Given the emergence of the Delta variant, utilization across our portfolio did not increase as much in the third quarter as we anticipated, leveling off around 40%. We now do not expect usage to meaningfully increase until the new year. While the progression of the pandemic and the resulting impact on office utilization remain difficult to predict, customers and prospects fortunately continue to sign leases and our parking revenues continue to recover nicely. As I mentioned on our last call, leasing activity has been healthy, particularly for new deals. We signed 672,000 sq ft of second leases, including 245,000 sq ft of new deals. In total, we signed 96 leases during the quarter, including 46 new deals, consistent with our long-term average.

So far this year, we have signed 140 new deals which puts us on pace to eclipse our annual high water mark. Plus, we signed 83,000 sq ft of first gen leases on the development pipeline. In addition to healthy volume, rents on signed leases increased 19.3% on a GAAP basis and 4.3% on a cash basis. The weighted average term was also solid at 6.3 years, reflecting growing confidence in the long-term value of the office for our customers. Leasing CapEx increased but this was offset by higher face rents and longer terms. We're often asked about the effect of the pandemic on net effective rents. We don't track apples to apples net effective rent spreads.

However, if you look solely at the change in second gen net effective rents on signed deals from 2019 to 2021 year to date, the decline is roughly at the midpoint of the 5%-10% average decline across our markets we've mentioned previously which in our experience is also consistent with a typical recessionary pattern. As we noted last quarter, we continue to believe net effective rents have stabilized. As you may have seen from local media reports, two customers in our top 20 announced this quarter plans to move out upon expiration and relocate to new developments. In both cases, we have at least three years of lease term remaining. In-place rents are substantially below market and these buildings are among the best in their BBDs.

As the war for talent accelerates, we are strong believers that well-located office space in highly amenitized best business districts will become a competitive recruiting advantage for employers. This flight to higher quality buildings in the best locations and with capitalized owners plays to our strengths. Our markets and our portfolio continue to generate activity and growth, further demonstrating their resilience and quality. Turning to our results, we delivered strong FFO of $0.96 per share in the third quarter. Our same property cash NOI growth was also strong at 6.4%, including the repayment of temporary rent deferrals agreed to during the first months of the pandemic. Excluding these repayments, same property cash NOI growth would still have been a healthy 5.2%, consistent with last quarter.

In last night's release, we updated our 2021 FFO outlook to $3.73-$3.76 per share, up $0.07 At the midpoint from our prior outlook and up $16.50 From our initial 2021 FFO outlook provided in February. We also raised our same property cash NOI growth outlook to 6%-7%, up more than 150 basis points at the midpoint from our prior outlook. Moving to investments. As we previously disclosed, we acquired the office portfolio from PAC in late July for a total investment of $680 including planned near-term building improvements.

We've already signed leases ahead of schedule at healthy rents and are seeing strong interest across the portfolio in Charlotte and Raleigh, as well as for the development parcel in the Cumberland Galleria BBD of Atlanta, around the corner from where the Braves are hosting the World Series at Truist Park. As you know, we plan to bring our balance sheet back to pre-acquisition levels by accelerating the sale of $500 million-$600 million of non-core assets by mid-2022. We closed two dispositions for $120 million in the third quarter, bringing our total to $163 million since we first announced the acquisitions. We are confident we'll end the year towards the high end of our outlook of $250 million-$300 million. Turning to development.

We delivered our $285 million build to suit for Asurion in Nashville, the largest development project in Highwoods history. Completing this project ahead of schedule and on budget in the midst of a pandemic is a true testament to the strength of our development teams and our partners at Brasfield & Gorrie and HASTINGS Architecture. We delivered the keys of this incredible workplace to our new customer three months early. Following the delivery of Asurion build to suit, our $109 million development pipeline consists of Virginia Springs II in the Brentwood BBD of Nashville and Midtown West in the Westshore BBD of Tampa. We signed 83,000 sq ft of leases on these developments during the quarter, bringing leasing to 59% for both buildings.

We have a pipeline of strong prospects to bring these properties to stabilization by the second half of next year. We increased the low end of our development announcement outlook from $0 - $100 million, demonstrating the growing confidence we have in potential announcements before year end. The high end remains at $250 million. We continue to see strong interest from prospective build to suit and anchor customers. We believe companies planning significant investments in physical workplaces is yet another sign of a return to healthy fundamentals across our markets. Our well-located land bank, which can support more than $2 billion of future development is a true differentiator for Highwoods and will drive value creation over the long term.

We are thrilled to have acquired the remaining 77 acres of development land at Ovation in the Cool Springs district of Franklin, Tennessee, one of Nashville's BBDs, for a total purchase price of $57.8 million. We will partner with the City of Franklin to reimagine ovation as one of the premier mixed-use addresses in the country and anticipate working with high quality retail, multi-family and hotel developers to realize the tremendous potential of this live, work, play property while retaining full control of the development, office development sites. Before I turn the call over to Brian, I'd like to reiterate the strong financial and operating performance we've delivered so far in 2021. We delivered the $285 million Asurion project on budget and ahead of schedule. We acquired a $683 million portfolio of office properties with attractive long-term returns.

Since announcing the acquisition, we have sold $163 million of non-core properties at accretive valuations. We raised our quarterly dividend over 4%. We increased the midpoint of our FFO outlook $0.165 per share since the beginning of the year. We did all this while maintaining a strong and flexible balance sheet with a debt to EBITDA ratio of 5.6 x. Brian.

Brian Leary
EVP and COO, Highwoods Properties

Thanks, Ted and good morning, everyone. While the economy bore the brunt of the Delta variant's impact in the third quarter, we believe our positive results for the period are a product of the clear and consistent BBD strategy Highwoods has been focused on for a long time. Developing, operating and BBD located in talent-centric workplaces has proved our portfolio's resiliency in the face of unprecedented times and provides a strong foundation for future growth. Customers are returning to the office, some sooner than others but the common chorus we hear is that place matters and that while many see a more flexible workplace and perhaps more accurately work week ahead, most have told us that they are at their very best when they are together versus being remote. This sentiment is inherent in the healthy quarterly leasing volume and metrics our team posted.

This is also consistent with our markets being highlighted in the most recent edition of ULI and PwC's Emerging Trends in Real Estate and where we have a significant best in class workplace options across 11.8 million sq ft in the BBDs of Nashville and Raleigh which ranked number one and number two respectively and where 44% of our third quarter NOI was generated. The great migration continues to accelerate as talented companies and individuals migrate to the Sun Belt where cities and states are open for business, housing is affordable and commute times and modes more manageable. At 90.4%, occupancy increased 90 basis points from last quarter and we foresee occupancy holding steady for the balance of the year.

Tour and RFP activity is getting back to pre-pandemic levels as many organizations that delayed decision-making of any scope or scale since the spring of 2020 are now ready to discuss their long-term office plans. With 140 new customers signing on to join the portfolio so far this year, led by engineering and healthcare life science customers, we're enthusiastic about where their plans may take them with many new to the market and with plans for growth. Now to our markets which are increasingly being discovered by individuals, organizations and investors based on the prevalence of out-of-state license plates at the grocery store and the unending stream of housing sales above listing, sometimes sight unseen.

There continue to be more data points supporting open for business and let's get back to work mentality, such as JLL noting Atlanta, Charlotte and Nashville pushed above 2019 leasing levels and the Atlanta market posting a positive net absorption of 478,000 sq ft for the quarter. In Raleigh, we signed 135,000 sq ft of leases for the quarter and activity there is off to a quick start in the fourth quarter. Market vacancy decreased slightly year-over-year, and market rents are up nearly 4%. We expect Raleigh to be at or near the top of many lists for years to come with several additional new job announcements this quarter, including three new headquarters relocations, adding to the strong list of relocations from the first half of 2021.

In Nashville, we signed 76,000 sq ft of second-generation leases and achieved quarter-end occupancy of 95.3%. Our development team completed the new 553,000 sq ft Asurion headquarters anchoring our Gulch Central mixed-use development that stretches the better part of three city blocks and is adjacent to Nashville's Amazon HQ2. We had a strong leasing quarter in our development pipeline. We signed 83,000 sq ft of first-generation leases at Virginia Springs II and Midtown West, bringing the lease rate up to 59% from 24% last quarter. We continue to see strong interest in both projects and are tracking well towards their projected stabilizations in the latter half of 2022. Ted mentioned we have a sizable land bank that can support over $2 billion of future development.

Having completed nearly $1 billion of successful development since 2016, we're confident development will continue to drive future growth and value creation. To this end, we're extremely excited about our purchase of the remaining acreage at Ovation in Nashville's suburban Williamson County, listed by Kiplinger as the 10th most affluent in the nation. These 145 acres are already home to Mars Petcare's U.S. headquarters that we developed in 2019, represent one of the premier mixed-use opportunities in the nation and is where we can build an additional 1.2 million sq ft of class A office amid significant densities of complementary residential, retail and hotel uses. In conclusion, we're fortunate to be weathering the storm well.

With our high-quality portfolio and our unmatched all-under-one-roof team to develop, lease, operate and maintain it, we are supporting our customers' ability to achieve together what they cannot apart. Because of this, our customers are growing more than they're not. They're investing in new space and they see their workplaces as competitive currency to retain and recruit the very best talent available. Our development team has delivered the very best examples of our workplace placemaking and is busy reloading the pipeline for the next generation of commute-worthy buildings. Our exceptional people and portfolio have produced results we're proud of this quarter and throughout the pandemic. It truly is a team effort and each and every member of the Highwoods family plays a meaningful role in our success. Mark.

Mark Mulhern
EVP and CFO, Highwoods Properties

Thanks, Brian. In the third quarter, we delivered net income of $72.1 million or $0.69 per share, an FFO of $102.8 million or $0.96 per share, an increase from $0.93 in the second quarter. As Ted mentioned, we closed on the acquisition from PAC in late July, delivered the $285 million Asurion development in September and sold $120 million of non-core assets at the end of the quarter. While there were a lot of moving parts from investment activity in the quarter, there weren't a lot of unusual operational items that impacted our financial results. Turning to the balance sheet, our leverage obviously ticked up temporarily due to this quarter's acquisition.

However, we are very pleased that our debt to EBITDA was 5.6 x in the third quarter, less than half a turn increase at 0.2 x in the prior quarter. We are making solid progress on our non-core disposition plan, having sold $163 million of the planned $500 million-$600 million, and are on track to return our balance sheet to pre-acquisition metrics by mid-2022. Further, we have ample liquidity with $615 million currently available on our revolving credit facility, limited debt maturities until late 2022 and expected disposition proceeds over the next several quarters. During the quarter, we issued a modest amount of shares on the ATM at an average price of $45.81 per share for net proceeds of $6.8 million, consistent with the ATM activity in the second quarter.

ATM issuances remain one of many arrows in our quiver and we continue to believe are an efficient and measured way to fund incremental investments, particularly our development pipeline on a leverage neutral basis. As Ted mentioned, we increased the low end of our development announcement outlook to $100 million, signifying our growing confidence in future development starts. The modest ATM issuance so far in 2021 gives us a head start on funding these future investments. Regarding our expectations for the rest of the year, we've updated our 2021 FFO outlook to $3.73-$3.76 per share, with the midpoint up $0.07 Since July and up $0.165 cents from our original 2021 outlook provided in February.

Rolling forward from our prior outlook in July, the rationale for the increase was $0.01 higher per share impact from the combination of the acquisition and corresponding non-core dispositions. $0.01-$0.02 higher per share impact due to earlier than expected delivery of the Asurion build to suit and $0.04-$0.05 higher per share impact from core operations due to our robust third quarter results and the outlook for the remainder of the year. Compared to our original FFO outlook provided in February, here are the major moving parts. $0.05-$0.07 higher per share impact from acquisition and disposition activity on a net basis. $0.03-$0.05 from the early delivery of Asurion and faster than expected lease up of the remainder of the development pipeline.

Approximately $0.02 from rising parking revenues, particularly transient parking and $0.04-$0.05 from better than expected core operations. In addition to our improved 2021 FFO outlook, we also increased our same property cash NOI growth outlook to a range of 6%-7%, up more than 150 basis points at the midpoint from our July outlook. Since the onset of the pandemic, we've regularly commented on parking revenues and operating expenses given the reduced utilization rates. We're still tracking below normal on both OpEx and parking revenues but recently we've seen a notable increase in transient parking revenue. The trajectory of OpEx and parking revenues continues to be challenging to forecast. With that said, we do expect an increase in both line items in the fourth quarter compared to our quarterly averages so far in 2021.

In addition to our solid FFO, our cash flows continue to strengthen. Since 2016, we've sold nearly $1.8 billion of non-core properties. We've acquired $1.3 billion of high quality assets in the BBDs of our Sun Belt markets and delivered $940 million of development. We are very proud to have consistently grown our FFO per share while simultaneously making meaningful improvements to the quality of our portfolio. The strengthening of our cash flows since 2016 is evidenced by a 22% increase in average in place of cash rents, an 18% increase in our dividend and a steadily declining payout ratio over that same time frame.

Our strengthening cash flows and continuous portfolio improvements, combined with a land bank that can support $2 billion of future development and our proven track record as a developer makes us confident about our long term outlook. Finally, this is my 28th and last quarterly earnings call at Highwoods. I really appreciate all your interest in Highwoods and the great questions over the years. As you know, Brendan is well qualified for the CFO role and will do a great job helping to continue Highwoods' strong track record of success. Operator, we are now ready for your questions.

Operator

Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, if you'd like to register a phone question, please press one four on your telephone keypad. You will hear a three-tone prompt to acknowledge your request. If your question has already been answered and you'd like to withdraw, you may press one three to remove yourself from the queue. Once again, if you would like to register a phone question, please press one four on your telephone keypads now. One moment please for the first question. Our first question comes from Manny Korchman with Citi. Please go ahead.

Parker Dekranian
Analyst, Citi

Hey, good morning, guys. This is Parker Dekranian for Manny. My first question is just about the Ovation site. You know, if there's been any changes since, you know, what you guys were initially entitled to, you know, the several years ago, if there's been any changes since then.

Brian Leary
EVP and COO, Highwoods Properties

Hey, Parker. Good morning. It's Brian here. Thanks for the question on Ovation. Couldn't be more excited to now have the full site under control, specifically to your question regarding entitlements. Let me just remind everyone what we've got out there right now on the 145 acres, of which about 138 are developable. Two are the roads and curb that are actually already in place out there. So there's been the better part of $20 million already put in the ground into part of the grading and sewer system. So we're entitled to 1.4 million sq ft of office, of which about 200,000 sq ft's already been built as part of Mars Petcare's U.S. headquarters which is just a fantastic customer and a truly innovative building.

It's our first full pet building too. If you're ever out there, you should come see it. 950 residential units and approximately 400,000 sq ft of retail. We would argue that it's probably more retail than the site needs or could support at the moment but to having that flexibility, we're bullish about. Then 450 hotel rooms. That's a existing entitlement and we think that's kind of plenty to say grace over at the moment. We will probably reimagine the master plan into a more integrated mixed-use development, so we can really get the benefit of all of those complementary uses being adjacent to each other. We'll be partnering with the city of Franklin to kind of go through an expedited repositioning of that.

We don't necessarily see the need for much more density. The city of Franklin would be supportive of more office density. We're That's kind of the plan right now. What we're gonna be doing since now that we've closed on it, we're gonna be spending the next few weeks identifying and inviting a select group of high-class developers and operators in these other uses to come in and be part of the reimagination of the master plan to work with the city of Franklin, and then ideally hit the ground running early next year. Is that helpful?

Parker Dekranian
Analyst, Citi

Yeah. Absolutely. Thanks. And then just my second is just around concessions. You know, concessions and TIs are still pretty high overall for your leasing volumes right now. I think you guys mentioned that, how it's offset by some of the base rent stuff and in turn. You know, as you guys are mentioning in your opening remarks, this growing, you know, back to work mentality and some of the strong leasing volumes that are in a few of your markets, when are you starting to think that you may see concessions start to tick back down towards a more normalized, sort of, arguably pre-COVID level, I would say?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Hey, Parker. I can start and if Brian or Brendan want to jump in. Look, things are still competitive. I do think concessions have been starting to level off in most of our markets but it's still competitive. You know, companies. We're thankful that we've signed 245,000 sq ft of new leases, new customers to Highwoods this past quarter, and which is sort of on par with our first couple of quarters. It's still competitive out there and we're gonna try and meet the market. We've been able to hold base rates and as you alluded to, you know, TIs have been higher. Rents, free rent has been a little bit higher. We think net effective rents are hopefully stabilizing now.

Parker Dekranian
Analyst, Citi

All right. Thanks, guys. That's all for me.

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Thank you.

Operator

Our next question is from Rob Stevenson with Janney. Please go ahead.

Rob Stevenson
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst, Janney

Good morning, guys. Ted, when you talked earlier about the 40% utilization rate, when you look at your key card data, is it the same people day in and day out that constitute that 40% or are you having more people starting to rotate in on a regular basis?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Yeah, that's a great question. You know, the really, the only real data point we have is Bank of America in Charlotte that is really bringing their folks back. You know, most of our pre-pand or as the return to work started, most of that 40% is our smaller customers, right? It's those are the ones that have come back to the office early. Our larger customers have continued sort of push out their return to either later this year or early 2022. The one exception is really Bank of America. They started bringing their people back right after Labor Day. I think they brought roughly 700 people back in the first wave. They've got a few more increments coming back between now and the end of the year.

Really don't have any real data on the different people within each company or not but the smaller companies are generally back.

Brian Leary
EVP and COO, Highwoods Properties

Hey, Rob. Brian here. One thing maybe to add to that is b ecause, I think, you kind of sensed it in maybe some of the other things you've seen is that those card swipes, say there's 100 card swipes from a company, we are still seeing something we kind of saw last summer when companies are doing these kind of waves or, you know, this team in and this team out. So you might get 200 different people with 100 card swipes over a period of time. So I think we are seeing that. You know, they are planning to kind of ramp that back up to have both of those people in at the same time early next year.

Rob Stevenson
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst, Janney

Okay. Because I wonder how that's altering how tenants thinking about space, for the future. There's a big difference between having, you know, people where everybody's in two days a week but that's only sort of, call it 40% utilization, versus the same people in five days a week only and the other people remote and what they're looking at in terms of, you know, both, you know, exterior office space, conference rooms, cubicles and things of that nature and just overall space needs. That's interesting. I guess the other question from me is, any push on the part of buyers to get any of your acquisitions or dispositions, I guess I should say from your end, done by year-end? Is the disposition pace expected to accelerate into November, December here?

Are we likely to be more ratable, you know, to close the remaining, whatever it is, $340-$440 million of dispositions through mid-2022? With what you're marketing, how does that sort of pace look like today?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Sure. Rob, as we stated on the remarks, we've closed thus far about $163 million of transactions. Our initial guidance was $500-$600 of which half of that or $250-$300 we thought would get done by year-end and then the other $250-$300 by mid-2022. We're over halfway there to our initial $250-$300. We feel very confident we're gonna be at the upper end of that range of that $250-$300 range by the end of this year or so. That should give you some indication. We do have several deals that are under contracts with hard money that should close by year-end.

The remaining, again, we've actually got a few of the second half already in the market as well. I think you'll see a continual cadence of dispositions into the first and second quarter next year.

Rob Stevenson
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst, Janney

How is pricing coming in on the stuff that's under contract, today? Is it where you expected, a little bit better, a little bit softer? How would you characterize that?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Sure. Of the $163 million we've closed, it's been roughly a GAAP cap rate of 6%, cash cap rate of the low 5s. What we have remaining to sell, call it GAAP in the mid- to high-6s, cash, low- to mid-6s. In total, when you put it all together, that $500-$600 million, we think it's gonna be a mid-6s GAAP, low-6s cap, which is better than we had indicated initially.

Rob Stevenson
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst, Janney

Okay.

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

Rob, I just wanted to just follow up on your timing question. You know, unlike our normal practice, we have layered in the expected dilution from the dispositions into the guidance for the outlook for the remainder of 2021. Really at sort of the midpoint for the sales that we expect to close in the remainder of 2021, I think it's fair to assume that that's a mid-quarter, fourth quarter close on balance on average for all of those. It's not all at the end of the year. It's gonna be roughly, call it, in the middle of November on for an average.

Rob Stevenson
Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst, Janney

Okay. That's very helpful, Brendan. Thank you. Lastly for me, I just want to say you'll be missed. Thanks for everything.

Mark Mulhern
EVP and CFO, Highwoods Properties

Hey, thanks, Rob. I appreciate it. Very nice of you.

Operator

Our next question is from Dave Rodgers with Baird. Please go ahead.

Dave Rodgers
Senior Research Analyst, Baird

Yeah, Mark, echo those sentiments. Thanks for all the help over the years and best of luck. You left us in good hands. I wanted to ask Brian. I'll start with you, two questions maybe on leasing. First is it's obviously clear across the market, across obviously your developments, there's this demand for really high quality brand new space. So the two questions I guess would be, can you talk about the second generation leasing you did in the quarter and was there anything consistent, a trend through any of that, certain types of buildings, CBD, suburban, et cetera, that you can kind of decipher for us?

The second question is, as you talked to Pinnacle and Bass Berry , was there anything in their conversations that you could have done to keep them in that space and or are they just kind of moving on to even better space? Just any color around that'd be helpful.

Brian Leary
EVP and COO, Highwoods Properties

Dave, great question. Let me hit the second one first. Pinnacle Bass Berry, they're basically still staying in the same kind of BBD in town, Nashville. They have the need to, you know, kind of update their space, and it's hard to do when you're in it. In some cases they're growing and we couldn't accommodate growing. That's really, you know, part of it. I think the Pinnacle one is it's even been kind of written about in the local press. It's even a bigger play or partnership than leasing space. It's a bigger partnership on the performing events venue that's there. We're super excited for them and staying in the neighborhood and keeping that occupancy in the BBD and being a civic citizen.

Like, Pinnacle's less than 100,000 sq ft, so not that big of a one. The other thing is we've never really had the ability to mark this building to market and lease it in the middle of, you know, the booming kind of SoBro micro market of the BBD right next to the four seasons that is selling out. Our leasing team's chomping at the bit so they're pretty excited about that one. Now, to your global question on the second gen leases, I'd have to say it's a little bit of suburban and urban in that regard depending on the different markets.

We have a lot of work underway on sort of repositioning and amenitizing our suburban assets to make sure that they have some of those same kind of amenities, walkability, access to kind of food and beverage that you might have if you walked right out of a CBD location. As we start laying out the vision for those renderings, plans, timelines, they're being received very warmly by the market. I don't know if Brendan or Ted had any more specifically but it felt like it was kind of across the board on those second gen renewals and leasing.

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

No, I think that's right. You know, the only thing I would add on Bass, Berry and Pinnacle, and could even throw Novelis in there, is we've got plenty of time, right? We've got a minimum of three years, three and a half, almost four years on maybe Pinnacle, just shy of four years. They're in great buildings in the best CBDs in our best markets. Just to reiterate, they're well below market from a rent standpoint so we feel like we're in pretty good, you know, we'll be in pretty good shape.

Dave Rodgers
Senior Research Analyst, Baird

One more on leasing, if I could. The activity at Midtown and in Nashville at the new developments, I mean, were those meeting prior expectations? Any level of discounts that we should take note of?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

No, we've, you know, the activity's been fantastic. I mean, I think we get a little more TI, not too dissimilar to our second-gen leasing. We've been able to hold face rates, maybe a little bit more free rent, a little bit more TI. Net effect is maybe they're down a little bit but in terms of the lease-up timing, you know, we are on sort of track on both of those. We're very pleased with Virginia Springs too. We took it from 50%-59% during the quarter and then Midtown Tampa went from 11% last quarter to 59% in our pipeline with strong prospects, is very, very good. We're encouraged.

Dave Rodgers
Senior Research Analyst, Baird

Great. Last one, maybe Ted, just specifically for you. You guys obviously saw the opportunity to double down on some existing markets with the PAC transaction and exit some others. I guess as you continue to move through this year, is there anything additional that is causing you to think about what the bottom of the portfolio is today or what the bottom markets are? Or are you still pretty confident that as leasing comes back, you've got the right set?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Look, I think that's just part of our normal business, right? We're constantly evaluating what's core, what's non-core, looking at our markets, looking at what customers want. We look at demand and we're trying to meet demand and make sure we have that portfolio that we can do, we can meet the demand with. It's a constant process for us. We're all about capital recycling and upgrading the portfolio. It's something I think you're gonna see us continue to do over time.

Brian Leary
EVP and COO, Highwoods Properties

Dave, Brian here, just to clip onto Ted's statement. One of the things we're laser focused on is whether these assets are becoming tools that our customers use to retain and recruit their talent, not just against who they're competing with day in and day out for their own business but even against the couch. We're laser focused on this and we'll be doing that for the coming years.

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

Yeah. Dave, just to maybe pile on again. I mean, as Mark mentioned in the prepared remarks, we've sold $1.8 billion of assets since 2016 so really just over the past five or six years. Then as Ted mentioned on the sales to help fund the PAC acquisition, I mean, those are coming in at, you know, at a GAAP cap rate in the mid-6s%, a cash cap rate in the low-6s. You know, the non-core that we have currently, I think, is a lot higher quality than what the non-core was, you know, five or 10 years ago. I think we'll continue to do that but I think we feel very good about where the portfolio has gone to over the past several years.

Dave Rodgers
Senior Research Analyst, Baird

All great points. Thanks for all the time, guys.

Operator

Our next question is from Ronald Kamdem with Morgan Stanley. Please go ahead.

Ronald Kamdem
Executive Director and Head of US REITs and CRE Research, Morgan Stanley

Hey, just a couple quick ones from me. Just one, we're hearing clearly a lot about sort of supply chain delays and so forth. You know, when you're thinking about the $1 billion you've delivered successfully since 2016 and then looking forward thinking about, you know, the $2 billion pipeline, is there. How should we think about what are you thinking about differently? Should we expect more delays? Should we expect, you know, what's gonna be the differences sort of looking forward versus looking back, given what we're hearing about supply chains? Thanks.

Brian Leary
EVP and COO, Highwoods Properties

Hey, Ronald. Brian Leary. Let me take a first shot at this one. Two things about supply chain and, you know, and there's plenty of people talking about this, right, from Janet Yellen to, you know, construction leaders. There's hard kind of commodity supply chain issues, then there's labor supply chain issues. I think we all feel pretty bullish that the commodity raw material supply chain issues will work its way out. I mean, you just need to look at the satellite photo of the hundreds of boats off the Long Beach or L.A. ports to know that at some point, those boats are all gonna be getting in, get unloaded and stuff. On the labor side, it's forcing the industry into more efficient delivery of construction through pre-construction work, through pre-cast work, through prefab work.

I actually think it, you know, we're gonna get through this and I think it's gonna add a dose of innovation to that b ut we've got to plan that in right now, the longer timetables and potential costs for supply chain disruption. The good thing is that most of the customers we're talking to about new development, new construction, believe that that investment in rent to cover that is more than worth it when they focus on the much larger investment they make year in and year out on their talent. It is not necessarily slowing us down in terms of starting new construction, particularly for those customers that value their workforce.

Ronald Kamdem
Executive Director and Head of US REITs and CRE Research, Morgan Stanley

Great. Then my second question was just gonna be, sort of piggybacking on one of the other questions. Clearly, there's the $500-$600 million of disposition, and that seems to be on track and on target. Once those are completed, when you take a step back and you look at the portfolio, is it fair to say that you have the portfolio you want or is there still some sort of lower quality, but sort of bottom of the portfolio, lower growth that you would wanna cull just thinking about where are we in sort of this portfolio recycling? Are we mostly done after that or should we expect more? Thanks.

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Sure. You know, we're always recycling, as I mentioned a minute ago. We always rank our assets 1-10. It's just a process we go through each year. If you look at our capital recycling over the last 15 years, we're always selling, you know, $50 million-$150 million a year on average. I would expect that's gonna continue over time as we continue to upgrade the portfolio and

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

Yeah, Rod.

Ronald Kamdem
Executive Director and Head of US REITs and CRE Research, Morgan Stanley

That's all my questions.

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

Hey, this is Brendan, just to add on to that. I mean, as Ted mentioned, we have been active recyclers of capital. We will continue to be active recyclers of capital b ut that has not detracted from our track record of earnings and cash flow growth over the past, you know, decade plus. I think we've proven that we're able to recycle capital while still growing earnings per share, dividend per share and cash flow. I think we feel like we have the ingredients to be able to continue that formula going forward.

Ronald Kamdem
Executive Director and Head of US REITs and CRE Research, Morgan Stanley

Helpful. Many thanks.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder, if you'd like to register a question, please press the one followed by the four on your telephone keypad, one-four for questions. Our next question is from Jamie Feldman with Bank of America. Please go ahead.

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

Great. Thank you. Good morning. I know you made the comment about some of your larger tenant move-outs coming. Can you just walk us through the largest expirations through the end of 2022? I know some of those might not be on the top tenant list or is there really not much there?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Sure, Jamie. Through 2022, our largest is a 62,000 sq ft customer that expires December 2022. There are actually gonna be some known vacates gonna be vacating. We've got a 50,000 footer and then a 44. Those are our top three. Below that we've got a couple 30s, and then it falls into the 20s. Not a lot of large customer exposures through 2022.

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

Okay. The 50 and the 40, are those? Do you think those will renew or too early?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

50 we're not sure about and the 44 is a known vacate.

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

Okay. What about the potential to backfill?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

That one's in September 2022. I don't think we have any prospects for that space yet.

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

But in the-

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

Okay.

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

In a set on the 44, though, it's arguably one of our best buildings in that market. With what's going on in, you know, with improvements in amenities, I think we do have some folks looking at something good about that.

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

Where is that one?

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

In Pittsburgh.

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

In Pittsburgh. Where is the 50? The 62?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

The 62 and the 50 are both in Tampa and we have a prospect for a lot of that space.

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

Okay. Thank you. I guess just taking a step back and thinking about your markets, kind of assuming we're coming out of the pandemic here, I mean, which would you say, whether it's markets or even sub-markets have the most kind of structural change from the pandemic in terms of, you know, a change in tenant sentiment around whether it's hybrid work or wanting to be downtown versus the suburbs? I mean, is there anything that you can read from at this point?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

I think it's just too early, Jamie. I mean, we've got to get everybody back in the office. You know, EY just came out with a study the other day that said three out of five companies haven't decided what their workplace is gonna look like post-pandemic. I think that's sort of what we're seeing as well. I think the customers have got to get in, get their own folks back to work and before they figure out what their workplace is gonna be. I think it's still pretty early to figure that out.

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

Okay. I see that you increased the development guidance at the low end to $100 million. You have the $250 million at the high end. Can you just provide more color on what's the start there and what would get you to the $250 million?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Sure. We've still got several discussions ongoing for both, you know, build to suit and what would be a pre-lease on a spec building. Multiple conversations. Don't know exactly what's gonna hit yet. Just given where those discussions are, it just gives us confidence that we're gonna have, you know, a start or two before the end of the year.

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

Okay. Sorry, just to go back. Like the 62,000 expiration and the 44, like what percentage of NOI would you say that is or occupancy?

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Revenue-wise, they're all, you know, not higher. It's $1 million-$1.5 million.

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

Yeah.

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Each.

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

Yeah.

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

On an annual basis. Yeah.

Brendan Maiorana
EVP of Finance and Treasurer, Highwoods Properties

Yeah, that's on an annual basis and that's on a base of, call it $730 million of annual revenue. It's a pretty small percentage of annual revenue.

Jamie Feldman
Director and Senior REIT Research Analyst, Bank of America

Okay. All right. Great. Thank you.

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Thanks, Jamie.

Operator

Those are all the questions we have at this time. I'll turn the call back over to Mr. Klinck for any closing remarks.

Ted Klinck
CEO, Highwoods Properties

Thank you. Before we conclude the call, I just wanna thank Mark again for his significant contributions to Highwoods, first as a member of our board of directors and then as our CFO since 2014. On behalf of the entire Highwoods family, we wish Mark well as he transitions into a well-deserved retirement, and we look forward to seeing him around town. Thanks everybody for joining the call and thank you for your interest in Highwoods. We look forward to seeing many of you at Nareit in a couple of weeks.

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude our call for today. We thank you all for your participation. Have a great rest of your day. You may disconnect your line.

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