DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc. Revises Guidance on 2009 Results of Operations and Dividend, and Issues Guidance on 2010 Dividend
December 11 2009 - 1:21PM
PR Newswire (US)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DuPont Fabros
(NYSE:DFT) announced today that it has revised its guidance related
to its fourth quarter and full year 2009 results of operations and
dividends and issued guidance on 2010 dividends. The revised
guidance takes into account the anticipated closing and use of
proceeds of the $550 million offering of unsecured senior notes due
2017 by its subsidiary, DuPont Fabros Technology, L.P., which was
priced earlier today and separately announced, and the completion
and use of proceeds of its $150 million term loan previously
announced. DuPont Fabros revised its full year 2009 dividend
guidance and now anticipates paying a dividend of $0.08 per share
for 2009 and issued 2010 dividend guidance and now anticipates
paying a 2010 quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share. On December 3,
2009, DuPont Fabros announced that it has completed a $150 million
term loan secured by its newly constructed ACC5 data center asset
located in Ashburn, Virginia. A portion of the proceeds from the
ACC5 term loan and the sale of senior notes will be used to repay
secured debt, including its Safari line of credit and term loan. In
connection with the repayment of this term loan, DuPont Fabros
intends to terminate a related interest swap agreement, which is
expected to result in an estimated $14 million payment by DuPont
Fabros to the swap counterparty and an associated charge against
net income. The remaining proceeds from the ACC5 loan and sale of
senior notes will be used to construct Phase II of ACC5 and
complete the development of Phase I of the Company's NJ1 data
center asset located in Piscataway, New Jersey, with the expected
completion of each facility in the second half of 2010. These two
financing transactions will enable DuPont Fabros to recapitalize
its balance sheet and position the Company for future long-term
growth. 2009 Guidance Taking into account the completion of the
ACC5 term loan, and assuming the completion of the sale of senior
notes, repayment of the indebtedness described above and
termination of the interest rate swap agreement and related $14
million payment, DuPont Fabros has revised its fourth quarter and
full year 2009 guidance as follows: -- Funds from operations
("FFO") for the fourth quarter of 2009 will be between $0.00 and
$0.03 per fully diluted share; -- FFO for the full year 2009 will
be between $0.83 and $0.86 per fully diluted share. The decrease
from previously announced guidance primarily relates to the
estimated cost to terminate the interest rate swap agreement of
approximately $0.21 per share and the write-off of unamortized loan
costs relating to the loans to be repaid of approximately $0.04 per
share. 2009 Dividend Based on the revised guidance related to FFO
discussed above, DuPont Fabros expects that its annual 2009 REIT
dividend requirement will be approximately $0.08 per share, and it
anticipates that its Board of Directors will declare its 2009
dividend shortly after the closing of the senior notes offering
with payment prior to the end of the calendar year. About DuPont
Fabros Technology, Inc. DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc. (NYSE:DFT)
is a real estate investment trust (REIT) and leading owner,
developer, operator and manager of wholesale data centers. The
Company's data centers are highly specialized, secure facilities
used primarily by national and international technology companies
to house, power and cool the computer servers that support many of
their most critical business processes. DuPont Fabros Technology,
Inc. is headquartered in Washington, DC. For more information,
please visit http://www.dft.com/. Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may be deemed to
be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The matters described in
these forward-looking statements include expectations regarding
future events, results and trends and are subject to known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many
of which are beyond the Company's control. The Company faces many
risks that could cause its actual performance to differ materially
from the results contemplated by its forward-looking statements,
including, without limitation, the risk that the Company may be
unable to complete the offering of senior notes, the risk that the
Company may be unable to obtain financing on favorable terms or
pre-leasing on its development properties sufficient to enable it
to resume construction, the risk that the Company is unable to
satisfy the conditions required to exercise the extension options
for its line of credit and loans, the risks commonly associated
with construction and development of new facilities, risks relating
to compliance with permitting, zoning, land-use and environmental
requirements, the risks related to the leasing of space to
third-party tenants, including the ability of the Company to
negotiate leases on terms that will enable it to achieve its
expected returns, the risk that the Company may be unable to
acquire additional properties on favorable terms or at all, the
risk that the Company will not declare and pay dividends as
anticipated for 2009 and 2010 and the risk that the Company may not
be able to maintain its qualification as a REIT for federal tax
purposes. The periodic reports that the Company files with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, contain detailed
descriptions of these and many other risks to which the Company is
subject. These reports are available on our website at
http://www.dft.com/. Because of the risks described above and other
unknown risks, the Company's actual results, performance or
achievements may differ materially from the results, performance or
achievements contemplated by its forward-looking statements. The
information set forth in this news release represents management's
expectations and intentions only as of the date of this press
release. The Company assumes no responsibility to issue updates to
the forward-looking matters discussed in this press release. DUPONT
FABROS TECHNOLOGY, INC. 2009 Updated Guidance The earnings guidance
provided below are based on current expectations and are
forward-looking. Expected Q4 2009 Expected 2009 per share per share
--------- --------- Earnings (loss) per share and unit - diluted
$(0.22) to $(0.19) $(0.01) to $0.01 Depreciation and amortization,
net 0.22 0.84 to 0.85 FFO per share and unit - diluted (1) $0.00 to
$0.03 $0.83 to $0.86 (1) Funds from operations, or FFO, is used by
industry analysts and investors as a supplemental operating
performance measure for REITs. We calculate FFO in accordance with
the definition that was adopted by the Board of Governors of the
National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or NAREIT.
FFO, as defined by NAREIT, represents net income determined in
accordance with GAAP, excluding extraordinary items as defined
under GAAP and gains or losses from sales of previously depreciated
operating real estate assets, plus specified non-cash items, such
as real estate asset depreciation and amortization, and after
adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. We
use FFO as a supplemental performance measure because, in excluding
real estate related depreciation and amortization and gains and
losses from property dispositions, it provides a performance
measure that, when compared year over year, captures trends in
occupancy rates, rental rates and operating expenses. We also
believe that, as a widely recognized measure of the performance of
equity REITs, FFO will be used by investors as a basis to compare
our operating performance with that of other REITs. However,
because FFO excludes real estate related depreciation and
amortization and captures neither the changes in the value of our
properties that result from use or market conditions nor the level
of capital expenditures and leasing commissions necessary to
maintain the operating performance of our properties, all of which
have real economic effects and could materially impact our results
from operations, the utility of FFO as a measure of our performance
is limited. While FFO is a relevant and widely used measure of
operating performance of equity REITs, other equity REITs may use
different methodologies for calculating FFO and, accordingly, FFO
as disclosed by such other REITs may not be comparable to our FFO.
Therefore, we believe that in order to facilitate a clear
understanding of our historical operating results, FFO should be
examined in conjunction with net income as presented in the
consolidated statements of operations. FFO should not be considered
as an alternative to net income or to cash flow from operating
activities (each as computed in accordance with GAAP) or as an
indicator of our liquidity, nor is it indicative of funds available
to fund our cash needs, including our ability to pay dividends or
make distributions. DATASOURCE: DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc.
CONTACT: Christopher Warnke, Manager, Investor Relations of DuPont
Fabros Technology, Inc., +1-202-478-2330 Web Site:
http://www.dft.com/
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