First Quarter 2020 Operating Results Announced By National Retail Properties, Inc.

ORLANDO, Fla., May 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- National Retail Properties, Inc. (NYSE: NNN), a real estate investment trust, today announced its operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.  Highlights include:

Operating Results:

• Revenues and net earnings, FFO, Core FFO and AFFO available to common stockholders and diluted per share amounts:

First Quarter 2020 Highlights:

• Core FFO per common share increased 4.5% over prior year results
• AFFO per common share increased 4.4% over prior year results
• Portfolio occupancy was 98.8% at March 31, 2020 as compared to 99.0% on December 31, 2019 and 98.2% on March 31, 2019
• Invested $67.2 million in property investments, including the acquisition of 21 properties with an aggregate 217,000 square feet of gross leasable area at an initial cash yield of 6.9%
• Sold 14 properties for $36.3 million producing $12.8 million of gains on sales
• Issued $400 million principal amount of 2.50% senior unsecured notes due 2030 generating net proceeds of $395.1 million
• Issued $300 million principal amount of 3.10% senior unsecured notes due 2050 generating net proceeds of $290.5 million
• Paid off $325 million principal amount of 3.800% senior unsecured notes due 2022
• Ended the quarter with $217.4 million of cash and no amounts drawn on $900 million credit bank facility

In light of the rapidly evolving and uncertain impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic environment, National Retail Properties has determined to withdraw its previously issued 2020 earnings guidance. NNN is actively working with its tenants that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  As of April 29, 2020, NNN has collected approximately 52% of rent originally due in April 2020 and certain tenants, representing approximately 37% of annualized base rent, have requested short-term rent deferrals of usually 30 to 90 days. NNN is negotiating terms with these tenants that would require deferred rental payments to be paid in late 2020 through late 2021.

Jay Whitehurst, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "The first quarter reflected another solid, consistent performance by National Retail Properties, highlighted by fortifying our balance sheet with $700 million of well-priced long term unsecured debt and repayment of our 2022 debt maturities. Although the sudden and unexpected impact of the coronavirus pandemic and related economic turmoil has recently affected many of our tenants, we are continuing to focus on the long-term as we maintain our strong liquidity position, work with our tenants to address the reality of their business interruption, and plan ahead for the time when this turmoil is behind us."

National Retail Properties invests primarily in high-quality retail properties subject generally to long-term, net leases.  As of March 31, 2020, the company owned 3,125 properties in 48 states with a gross leasable area of approximately 32.5 million square feet and with a weighted average remaining lease term of 11.1 years.  For more information on the company, visit www.nnnreit.com.

Management will hold a conference call on May 4, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. ET to review these results.  The call can be accessed on the National Retail Properties web site live at http://www.nnnreit.com.  For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available on the company's web site.  In addition, a summary of any earnings guidance given on the call will be posted to the company's web site.

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" statements.  These statements generally are characterized by the use of terms such as "believe," "expect," "intend," "may," "estimated," or other similar words or expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, which may cause the company's actual future results to differ materially from expected results.  These risks include, among others, the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company's business operations, financial results and financial position and on the world economy, general economic conditions, local real estate conditions, changes in interest rates, increases in operating costs, the preferences and financial condition of the company's tenants, the availability of capital, and, risks related to the company's status as a REIT.  Additional information concerning these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") filings, including, but not limited to, the company's (i) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and (ii) the company's quarterly report on form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.  Copies of each filing may be obtained from the company or the Commission.  Such forward-looking statements should be regarded solely as reflections of the company's current operating plans and estimates.  Actual operating results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in this press release.  National Retail Properties, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date these statements were made.

Funds From Operations, commonly referred to as FFO, is a relative non-GAAP financial measure of operating performance of an equity REIT in order to recognize that income-producing real estate historically has not depreciated on the basis determined under GAAP.  FFO is defined by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT") and is used by the company as follows:  net earnings (computed in accordance with GAAP) plus depreciation and amortization of assets unique to the real estate industry, excluding gains (or including losses), any applicable taxes and noncontrolling interests on the disposition of certain assets, the company's share of these items from the company's unconsolidated partnerships and any impairment charges on a depreciable real estate asset.

FFO is generally considered by industry analysts to be the most appropriate measure of performance of real estate companies.  FFO does not necessarily represent cash provided by operating activities in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered an alternative to net earnings as an indication of the company's performance or to cash flow as a measure of liquidity or ability to make distributions.  Management considers FFO an appropriate measure of performance of an equity REIT because it primarily excludes the assumption that the value of the real estate assets diminishes predictably over time, and because industry analysts have accepted it as a performance measure.  The company's computation of FFO may differ from the methodology for calculating FFO used by other equity REITs, and therefore, may not be comparable to such other REITs.  A reconciliation of net earnings (computed in accordance with GAAP) to FFO, as defined by NAREIT, is included in the financial information accompanying this release.

Core Funds From Operations ("Core FFO") is a non-GAAP measure of operating performance that adjusts FFO to eliminate the impact of certain GAAP income and expense amounts that the company believes are infrequent and unusual in nature and/or not related to its core real estate operations.  Exclusion of these items from similar FFO-type metrics is common within the REIT industry, and management believes that presentation of Core FFO provides investors with a potential metric to assist in their evaluation of the company's operating performance across multiple periods and in comparison to the operating performance of its peers because it removes the effect of unusual items that are not expected to impact the company's operating performance on an ongoing basis.  Core FFO is used by management in evaluating the performance of the company's core business operations and is a factor in determining management compensation.  Items included in calculating FFO that may be excluded in calculating Core FFO may include items like transaction related gains, income or expense, impairments on land or commercial mortgage residual interests, preferred stock redemption costs or other non-core amounts as they occur.   The company's computation of Core FFO may differ from the methodology for calculating Core FFO used by other equity REITs, and therefore, may not be comparable to such other REITs. A reconciliation of net earnings (computed in accordance with GAAP) to Core FFO is included in the financial information accompanying this release.

Adjusted Funds From Operations ("AFFO") is a non-GAAP financial measure of operating performance used by many companies in the REIT industry. AFFO adjusts FFO for certain non-cash items that reduce or increase net income in accordance with GAAP.  AFFO should not be considered an alternative to net earnings, as an indication of the company's performance or to cash flow as a measure of liquidity or ability to make distributions. Management considers AFFO a useful supplemental measure of the company's performance.  The company's computation of AFFO may differ from the methodology for calculating AFFO used by other equity REITs, and therefore, may not be comparable to such other REITs.  A reconciliation of net earnings (computed in accordance with GAAP) to AFFO is included in the financial information accompanying this release.

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SOURCE National Retail Properties, Inc.