Ascott REIT's New York acquisition lifts 1Q 2017 revenue by 5% to S$111.3 million
Singapore, 21 April 2017 – Ascott Residence Trust’s (Ascott Reit) revenue for 1Q 2017 grew 5% to S$111.3 million, mainly contributed by its acquisition of Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel in 2016. Revenue per available unit (RevPAU) notched up 2% to S$128, due to higher average daily rate from Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel.
Unitholders’ distribution for 1Q 2017 was S$25.1 million and distribution per unit (DPU) was 1.51 cents. For a same-store comparison, DPU for 1Q 2017 would be 1.64 cents if it is adjusted to exclude Ascott Reit’s equity placement in March 2016
Mr Bob Tan, Ascott Residence Trust Management Limited’s (
“When the acquisitions of the German and Singapore properties are completed, they will increase Ascott Reit’s asset size to S$5.3 billion, reinforcing its position as the largest hospitality REIT in Singapore. We continue to actively seek accretive acquisitions in gateway cities in markets such as Australia, Japan, Europe and the U.S.”
Mr Tan said: “As part of our ongoing active management of Ascott Reit’s portfolio, we recently divested 18 rental housing properties with limited growth potential for JPY12 billion (S$153.6 million1). The net divestment proceeds may be used to enhance Ascott Reit’s assets or fund potential acquisitions.”
Mr Ronald Tay, ARTML’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Ascott Reit’s properties in several markets achieved stronger operational performance. Vietnam was the top performer with RevPAU rising 10%2 mainly because of higher demand for the refurbished apartments at Somerset Ho Chi Minh City. Besides
RevPAU for Spain grew 7%2 as Citadines Ramblas Barcelona had more leisure travellers and higher retail income. RevPAU for Indonesia and the United Kingdom climbed 6%2 and 4%2 respectively due to stronger demand from corporate accounts.”
“To enhance
Mr Tay added: “We continue to be proactive in capital management and have maintained 82% of our total borrowings on fixed interest rates to mitigate interest rate volatility. We will also tap the debt capital market to diversify our funding sources and secure longer term financing at an optimal cost.”
Summary of Results
1Q 2017 vs. 1Q 2016
1Q 2017 |
1Q 2016 | Change (%) |
|
Revenue (S$ million) |
111.3 |
105.5 |
+5 |
Gross Profilt (S$ million) |
47.2 |
48.6 |
-3 |
Unitholders’ Distribution (S$ million) |
25.1 | 27.3 |
-8 |
DPU (S cents) |
1.51 |
1.75 |
-14 |
DPU (S cents) |
1.64 |
1.57 |
+4 |
Revenue Per Available Unit (RevPAU) S$/day |
128 | 125 | +2 |
- Revenue for 1Q 2017 increased mainly due to the additional revenue of S$7.6 million from Ascott Reit’s acquisition of Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel in 2016. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in revenue of S$1.8 million from the existing properties, mainly in Singapore and United Kingdom (arising from
depreciation of Sterling Pound against Singapore dollar).
- On 23 March 2016, 94,787,000 new units were issued on SGX-ST in relation to Ascott Reit’s equity placement. The gross proceeds of S$100 million were used to fund the acquisition of Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel.
- Unitholders’ distribution for 1Q 2016 included a one-off net realised exchange gain of S$3.0 million. This resulted from the repayment of foreign currency bank loans.
- DPU would increase by 4% from 1.57 cents in 1Q 2016 to 1.64 cents in 1Q 2017 if the
oneoff item, equity placement and acquisition of Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel were excluded. - RevPAU grew 2% because of the higher average daily rate from Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel as compared to the existing properties.
For Ascott Reit’s 1Q 2017 financial statement and presentation slides, please visit www.ascottreit.com.
1 Based on exchange rate of JPY1 = S$0.0128.
2 Based on RevPAU in local currencies.