Retail Opportunity Investments Corp (ROIC) Q1 2019 Earnings Call Transcript
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Logo of jester cap with thought bubble.

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Retail Opportunity Investments Corp (NASDAQ: ROIC)
Q1 2019 Earnings Call
April 25, 2019, 9:00 a.m. ET

Contents:

  • Prepared Remarks

  • Questions and Answers

  • Call Participants

Prepared Remarks:

Operator

Welcome to the Retail Opportunity Investments 2019 First Quarter Conference Call. Participants are currently in listen-only mode. Following the Company's prepared comments, the call will be opened up for questions.

Please note that certain matters discussed in this call today constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. Although, the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, the Company can give no assurance that these expectations will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and expectations.

Information regarding such risks and factors is described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K. Participants are encouraged to refer to the Company's filings with the SEC regarding such risks and factors, as well as for more information regarding the Company's financial and operational results. The Company's filings can be found on its website.

Now, I would like to introduce Stuart Tanz, the Company's Chief Executive Officer.

Stuart Tanz -- Chief Executive Officer

Thank you and good morning, everyone. Here with me today is, Michael Haines, our Chief Financial Officer and Rich Schoebel, our Chief Operating Officer.

We are pleased to report that the Company had another active and productive quarter. Similar to our record-setting leasing in the first quarter of last year, we again had a very busy and successful first quarter this year as demand for space continues to be strong. We signed a record number of leases in terms of first quarter activity. We also achieved very strong releasing spreads. In fact, the largest first quarter releasing spreads on record for ROIC. Additionally, in step with our strong leasing, same-center cash NOI growth was a solid 2.9% for the first quarter. Safe to say, we are off to a very good start in 2019 with property operations.

We are also off to a good start in terms of our strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing the long-term competitive strength and intrinsic value of our business. Specifically, in terms of our initiative to dispose of certain non-core properties, during the first quarter we sold one property for $17 million. It was a property up in the Portland market that was one of the first properties that we acquired back in 2010 as a value-add reposition play. Since acquiring the property, we fully retenanted and remerchandised the center increasing the NOI substantially along the way. While the center was a stable property, it was not grocery anchored and had limited growth potential from here, given its lease expiration profile going forward. So we believe the time was right to sell the center.