Rayonier Declares Special Dividend of $1.80 Per Share Payable 25% in Cash and 75% in Common Shares
December 02 2024 - 4:15PM
Business Wire
Rayonier Inc. (the “Company” or “Rayonier”) (NYSE:RYN) announced
today that the Company’s board of directors has declared a
one-time, special dividend of $1.80 per common share, consisting of
a combination of cash and the Company's common shares. The dividend
is payable on January 30, 2025 to shareholders of record on
December 12, 2024.
The special dividend is being made in connection with the
taxable gains arising from the $495 million of timberland
dispositions the Company completed during the fourth quarter as
part of its previously announced asset disposition and capital
structure realignment plan.
The cash component of the special dividend (other than cash paid
in lieu of fractional shares) will not exceed 25% in the aggregate,
with the balance payable in the Company’s common shares. The
Company expects the dividend will be a taxable dividend, regardless
of whether received in the form of cash or common shares.
“The substantial progress we made on our disposition plan this
year is allowing us to return cash to our shareholders while also
providing us with considerable capital allocation capacity to act
opportunistically to enhance long-term shareholder value going
forward,” said Mark McHugh, President and Chief Executive Officer.
“By using both cash and shares to comply with our REIT taxable
income distribution requirements, we will retain significant
flexibility to further reduce leverage, execute on share
repurchases, or fund other future capital allocation
priorities.”
Shareholders will be asked to make an election to receive the
dividend all in cash or all in common shares. To the extent that
more than 25% of cash is elected in the aggregate, the cash portion
will be prorated among the shareholders electing to receive cash.
Shareholders who elect to receive the dividend in cash will receive
a cash payment of at least $0.45 per common share. Shareholders who
do not make an election will receive the dividend 25% in cash and
75% in common shares. The number of common shares issued as a
result of the dividend will be calculated based on the volume
weighted average trading prices of the Company's common shares on
the New York Stock Exchange on January 17, January 21, and January
22, 2025.
An information letter and election form will be mailed to
shareholders of record after the record date. The properly
completed election form to receive cash or common shares must be
received by Computershare Trust Company, N.A., the Company's
transfer agent, prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 16,
2025. Registered shareholders with questions regarding the dividend
election may call Computershare Trust Company, N.A. at (800)
659-0158, or (201) 680-6578 for international callers. Shareholders
who hold their shares through a bank, broker or nominee and have
questions regarding the dividend election should contact such bank,
broker or nominee, who will also be responsible for distributing to
them the letter and election form and submitting the election form
on their behalf.
The Company also announced today that the Company’s board of
directors, in its capacity as the board of directors of the general
partner of Rayonier, L.P., has declared a one-time, special
distribution to holders of operating partnership units of (i) an
aggregate number of operating partnership units that would result
in the Company receiving a number of operating partnership units
corresponding to the aggregate number of the Company’s common
shares issued to shareholders in the special dividend and (ii) an
aggregate amount of cash equal to an amount that would result in
the Company receiving the aggregate amount of cash payable to
shareholders in the special dividend.
Additional details regarding the special dividend can be found
in a supplemental presentation posted to Rayonier’s website.
About Rayonier
Rayonier is a leading timberland real estate investment trust
with assets located in some of the most productive softwood timber
growing regions in the United States and New Zealand. As of
September 30, 2024, Rayonier owned or leased under long-term
agreements approximately 2.7 million acres of timberlands located
in the U.S. South (1.84 million acres), U.S. Pacific Northwest
(417,000 acres) and New Zealand (411,000 acres). On November 6,
2024, the Company announced dispositions comprising approximately
91,000 acres in the U.S. South and 109,000 acres in the U.S.
Pacific Northwest. More information is available at
www.rayonier.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release regarding anticipated
events, including the amount, timing and form of expected payment
of dividends on the Company's common shares, are “forward-looking
statements” made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal
securities laws.
Factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from
those expressed in forward-looking statements include, among other
things, the factors set forth in Item 1A - Risk Factors in the
Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and similar
discussion included in other reports that we subsequently file with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and
are only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes
no duty to update its forward-looking statements except as required
by law. You are advised, however, to review any further disclosures
we make on related subjects in our subsequent reports filed with
the SEC.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241202823263/en/
Investors: Collin Mings, investorrelations@rayonier.com,
904-357-9100 Media: Alejandro Barbero,
alejandro.barbero@rayonier.com
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