Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Urban Edge Properties
Market Information and Dividends
Our common shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “UE”. Our common shares began “regular way” trading on January 15, 2015. As of January 29, 2021, there were approximately 1,353 holders of record of our common shares.
The Company elected to be taxed as a REIT under sections 856-860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), commencing with the filing of its 2015 tax return for its tax year ended December 31, 2015. With the exception of the Company’s taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”), to the extent the Company meets certain requirements under the Code, the Company will not be taxed on its federal taxable income. If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year, we will be subject to federal income taxes at regular corporate rates (including any alternative minimum tax, which, for corporations, was repealed under the TCJA (defined above) for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017) and may not be able to qualify as a REIT for the four subsequent taxable years.
Future distributions will be declared and paid at the discretion of the Board of Trustees and will depend upon cash generated by operating activities, our financial condition, capital requirements, annual dividend requirements under the REIT provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and such other factors as our Board of Trustees deems relevant.
O ur Board of Trustees declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per common share and OP unit for the first quarter of 2020, the same quarterly rate as in 2019. As a result of COVID-19 and the uncertainties it generated, the Company temporarily suspended quarterly dividend distributions for the second and third quarters of 2020 and declared a special cash dividend of $0.46 per common share and OP unit in December 2020, which resulted in a total annual dividend per common share and OP unit of $0.68 for 2020. The annual dividend amount may differ from dividends as calculated for federal income tax purposes. Distributions to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for federal income tax purposes generally will be taxable to a shareholder as ordinary dividend income. However, the TCJA provides a deduction of up to 20% of a non-corporate taxpayer’s ordinary REIT dividends with such deduction scheduled to expire for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a nontaxable reduction of the shareholder’s basis in such shareholder’s shares, to the extent thereof, and thereafter as taxable capital gains. Distributions that are treated as a reduction of the shareholder’s basis in its shares will have the effect of increasing the amount of gain, or reducing the amount of loss, recognized upon the sale of the shareholder’s shares. No assurances can be given regarding what portion, if any, of distributions in 2020 or subsequent years will constitute a return of capital for federal income tax purposes. During a year in which a REIT earns a net long-term capital gain, the REIT can elect under Section 857(b)(3) of the Code to designate a portion of dividends paid to shareholders as capital gain dividends. If this election is made, the capital gain dividends are generally taxable to the shareholder as long-term capital gains.
We have determined the dividends paid on our common shares during 2020 and 2019 qualify for the following tax treatment:
Total Distribution per Share Ordinary Dividends Long Term Capital Gains Return of Capital
2020 $ 0.68 $ 0.68 $ — $ —
2019 0.88 0.73 0.15 —
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Total Shareholder Return Performance
The following performance graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return of our common shares with the Russell 2000 Index, the S&P 500 Index, SNL U.S. REIT Equity Index and the SNL REIT Retail Shopping Center Index as provided by SNL Financial LC, for the five fiscal years commencing December 31, 2015 and ending December 31, 2020, assuming an investment of $100 and the reinvestment of all dividends into additional common shares during the holding period. Historical stock performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
The performance graph shall not be deemed incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating by reference this annual report into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act except to the extent we specifically incorporate this information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under such acts.
COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN (1)
(1) $100 invested on December 31, 2015 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends.
Cumulative (1)
Total Return %
Total Return $ as of
Stock/Index 12/31/2015 12/31/2016 12/31/2017 12/31/2018 12/31/2019 12/31/2020
UE (32.3) 100 120.9 116.0 78.9 95.4 67.7
S&P 500 103.0 100 112.0 136.4 130.4 171.5 203.0
Russell 2000 86.4 100 121.3 139.1 123.8 155.4 186.4
SNL U.S. REIT Equity 37.1 100 108.9 118.0 112.5 144.5 137.1
SNL U.S. REIT Retail Shopping Center (29.0) 100 103.5 92.0 77.2 98.1 71.0
(1) Cumulative total return is for the five fiscal years commencing December 31, 2015 and ending December 31, 2020.
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Operating Partnership
Market Information and Distributions
There is no established public market for our general and common limited partnership interests in the operating partnership (“OP Units”). As of January 29, 2021, there were 117,019,013 general partnership units outstanding and 4,729,010 common limited partnership units outstanding, held by approximately 1,353 and 34 holders of record, respectively.
Under the limited partnership agreement of UELP, unitholders may present their common units for redemption at any time (subject to restrictions agreed upon at the time of issuance of the units that may restrict such right for a period of time). Upon presentation of a common unit for redemption, UELP must redeem the unit for cash equal to the then value of a share of UE’s common shares, as defined by the limited partnership agreement. In lieu of cash redemption by UELP, however, UE may elect to acquire any common units so tendered by issuing common shares of UE in exchange for the common units. If UE so elects, its common shares will be exchanged for common units on a one-for-one basis. During the year ended December 31, 2020, 1,355,836 units were redeemed for common shares and no units were redeemed for cash.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Shares
During the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company issued an aggregate of 300,000 common shares in exchange for 300,000 common limited partnership units held by certain limited partners of the Operating Partnership. All common shares were issued in reliance on an exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. We relied on the exemption under Section 4(a)(2) based upon factual representations received from the limited partner who received the common shares.
Each time the Company issues common shares (other than in exchange for common limited partnership units when such units are presented for redemption), it contributes the proceeds of such issuance to the Operating Partnership in return for an equivalent number of partnership units with rights and preferences analogous to the shares issued. During the three months ended, December 31, 2020, in connection with issuances of common shares by the Company pursuant to the Urban Edge Properties 2015 Employee Share Purchase Plan, the Operating Partnership issued an aggregate of 16,322 common limited partnership units to the Company in exchange for approximately $0.2 million, the aggregate proceeds of such common share issuances to the Company. Such units were issued in reliance on an exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
During 2020, 2,927 restricted common shares were forfeited by former employees in connection with their departure from the Company. We did not repurchase any of our equity securities during the three months ended December 31, 2020. Our employees will at times surrender common shares owned by them to satisfy statutory minimum federal, state and local tax obligations associated with the vesting of their restricted common shares. During the three months ended December 31, 2020, no restricted common shares were surrendered.
In March 2020, our Board of Trustees authorized a share repurchase program for up to $200 million of the Company’s common shares. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we repurchased 5,873,923 shares at a weighted average share price of $9.22 amounting to $54.1 million. During the three months ended December 31, 2020, no shares were repurchased.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
Information regarding equity compensation plans is presented in Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 6. RESERVED
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