11 Dupont Circle was one of First Potomac's last major acquisitions. It bought the iconic property in 2014 for $89 million. Form S-3 created A 33% Decline In Stock Value Since 2013 abrupt resignation A Huge Net Asset Value Discount just took a stake Land and Buildings Cites First Potomac as a “Must Own”

First Potomac trades at among the largest discounts to net asset value in the entire public REIT universe with 50% upside to Land and Buildings' estimated NAV of approximately $16. A weak Washington DC office market, high leverage and perceived capital allocation missteps have weighed on the stock, with the stock now at a greater than 8% implied cap rate.

…are well above the implied valuation of the stock suggesting strong investor demand for their properties. Same-store occupancy is strong with leased percent up to 91.8% as the portfolio is of higher quality than we believe investors perceive.

…suggest an improved capital allocation discipline, beginning with the recent authorization of a stock buyback program up to 5 million shares. To further unlock value we would expect to hear from management that they will stop acquiring assets and instead sell assets to facilitate share repurchases and deleveraging, including a pay down of the company's high cost preferred stock.

If after these steps are pursued the shares continue to trade at a steep discount to NAV, we would like to hear from management that they will consider all options to maximize shareholder value, including a sale of the company.

2015 Proceeds to Unfold First Potomac sold Cedar Hill I and III for $27.3 million to help fund its share repurchase plan. handful asset sales Next Week's Earnings and Strategic Plan

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.

Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Erika Morphy

Erika Morphy has been writing about commercial real estate at GlobeSt.com for more than ten years, covering the capital markets, the Mid-Atlantic region and national topics. She's a nerd so favorite examples of the former include accounting standards, Basel III and what Congress is brewing.