Realty Income (O) Risk Factors

At the closing of the Merger, we issued approximately 108.0 million additional shares of common stock. Consequently, as a result of this dilution, our common stockholders as of immediately prior to the Merger have less voting control and influence over our management and policies after the effective time of the Merger than they previously exercised over our management and policies.

Our charter contains restrictions on ownership and transfer of our common stock intended to, among other purposes, assist us in maintaining our status as a REIT for U.S. federal and/or state income tax purposes. For example, our charter restricts any person from acquiring beneficial or constructive ownership of more than 9.8% (by value or by number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of our outstanding shares of common stock. These restrictions could have anti-takeover effects and could reduce the possibility that a third party will attempt to acquire control of us, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

We intend to incur additional indebtedness in the future, including borrowings under our $4.25 billion unsecured revolving credit facility and our $3.0 billion commercial paper programs. Our revolving credit facility grants us the option, subject to obtaining lender commitments and other customary conditions, to expand the borrowing limits thereunder to up to $5.25 billion. The credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility also governs our $250.0 million unsecured term loan facility due March 2024 and, on January 6, 2023, we entered into the term loan agreement (the "2023 term loan agreement") governing our 2023 term loans, pursuant to which we borrowed an aggregate of approximately $1.0 billion in multicurrency borrowings. The 2023 term loan agreement also permits us to incur additional term loans, up to an aggregate of $1.5 billion in total borrowings, pursuant to an accordion expansion feature, which is subject to obtaining lender commitments and other customary conditions. The term loans pursuant to our 2023 term loan agreement mature in January 2025 with one remaining 12-month maturity extension available at our option. At December 31, 2023, we also had a total of $18.6 billion of outstanding unsecured senior debt securities (excluding unamortized net original issuance premiums, deferred financing costs and basis adjustments on interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges), including approximately $4.2 billion denominated in Sterling (of which $1.2 billion is related to our privately placed Sterling notes), $1.2 billion denominated in Euro thereunder, and approximately $822.4 million of outstanding mortgage debt (excluding unamortized net discounts and deferred financing costs). In connection with the consummation of the closing of the Merger on January 23, 2024, we effectively assumed Spirit's existing term loans with various lenders. Specifically, on January 22, 2024, we entered into an amended and restated term loan agreement, pursuant to which we borrowed $800 million in aggregate total borrowings, $300 million of which matures on August 22, 2025 and $500 million of which matures on August 20, 2027 (the "$800 million term loan agreement"), and an amended and restated term loan agreement pursuant to which we borrowed $500 million in aggregate total borrowings which matures on June 16, 2025. The $800 million term loan agreement and the $500 million term loan agreement became effective upon the closing of the Merger on January 23, 2024. Our A3/A- credit ratings provide for a borrowing rate of 80 basis points over the applicable benchmark rate, which includes adjusted Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") for US Dollar-denominated loans, adjusted Sterling Overnight Indexed Average ("SONIA") for Sterling-denominated loans, and Euro Interbank Offered Rate ("EURIBOR") for Euro-denominated loans. In conjunction with closing, we executed one-year variable-to-fixed interest rate swaps which fix our per annum interest rate at 5.0% over the initial term. In addition, as a result of the Merger, all outstanding secured indebtedness, liabilities, and other indebtedness of Spirit and its subsidiaries, including $2.75 billion of additional senior unsecured notes that were originally issued by Spirit Realty Capital, L.P., substantially all of which were exchanged for senior unsecured notes issued by us, became indebtedness and liabilities of ours or our subsidiaries, as the case may be, which substantially increased the total secured indebtedness and the total liabilities and other indebtedness of us and our subsidiaries. Pursuant to our unsecured commercial paper programs we may offer and sell up to $3.0 billion of commercial paper at any time. We use our revolving credit facility as a liquidity backstop for the repayment of notes issued under the commercial paper programs. Specifically, we maintain unused borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility equal to the aggregate principal amount of borrowings outstanding under our commercial paper programs from time to time. We may in the future enter into amendments and restatements of our revolving credit facility and term loan facilities, or enter into new revolving credit facilities or term loan facilities, and any such amended, restated or replacement revolving credit facilities or term loan facilities may increase the amounts we are entitled to borrow, subject to customary conditions, compared to our current revolving credit facility and term loan facilities, or we may incur other indebtedness. We may also in the future increase the size of our commercial paper programs or establish new commercial paper programs. We expect that we will continue to use our current and any new revolving credit facilities we may enter into (in each case as the same may be expanded, amended or restated, if applicable, from time to time), as a liquidity backstop for the repayment of notes issued under our current or any new commercial paper programs that we may maintain from time to time. To the extent that new indebtedness is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face would increase. As a result, we are and will be subject to risks associated with debt financing, including the risk that our cash flow could be insufficient to make required payments on our debt or to pay dividends on our common stock. We also face variable interest rate risk as the interest rates on our revolving credit facility, term loan facilities, and commercial paper programs are variable (subject to our interest rate swaps on our term loan facilities, in effect from time to time), and the interest rates on any credit facilities and term loan facilities we may enter into in the future may be variable, and could therefore increase over time. In addition, commercial paper borrowings are short-term obligations and the interest rate on newly issued commercial paper varies according to market conditions at the time of issuance. Similarly, some of the indebtedness to which we have become subject to subsequent to the Merger may also bear interest at variable rates. In addition, while we may enter into hedging and other derivatives instruments to mitigate our exposure to fluctuations in borrowing and currency rates, we may not realize the anticipated benefits from these arrangements or they may be insufficient to mitigate our exposure. We also face the risk that we may be unable to refinance or repay our debt as it comes due. Given past disruptions in the financial markets and ongoing global financial uncertainties, we also face the risk that one or more of the participants in our revolving credit facility may be unwilling or unable to lend us money. We have incurred and may continue to incur indebtedness that is denominated in local currencies to fund our international investments and operations. However, it is possible that such indebtedness may be insufficient or may be on unacceptable terms requiring us to use non-local currency indebtedness. In such event, we may be subject to foreign exchange rate volatility. While we may enter into hedging and other derivatives instruments to mitigate our exposure to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, we may not realize the anticipated benefits from these arrangements or these arrangements may be insufficient to mitigate our exposure. Our revolving credit facility, our term loan facilities, and our mortgage loan documents contain provisions that could limit or, in certain cases, prohibit the payment of dividends and other distributions to holders of our common stock and any outstanding preferred stock. The credit agreements governing our revolving credit facility and term loan facilities provide that, if an event of default (as defined in the credit agreements, as applicable) exists, we may not pay any dividends or make other distributions on (except distributions payable in shares of a given class of our stock to the stockholders of that class), or repurchase or redeem, among other things, any shares of our common stock or any outstanding preferred stock, during any period of four consecutive fiscal quarters in an aggregate amount in excess of the greater of (i) the sum of 95% of our adjusted funds from operations (as defined in the credit agreements, as applicable) for that period plus the aggregate amount of cash distributions made to holders of our outstanding preferred stock for that period, and (ii) the minimum amount of cash distributions required to be made to our stockholders in order to maintain our status as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and to avoid the payment of income or excise taxes that would otherwise be imposed under specified sections of the Code on income we do not distribute to our stockholders, except we may repurchase or redeem shares of our outstanding preferred stock, if any, with net proceeds from the issuance of shares of our common stock or preferred stock. The credit agreements each provide that, in the event of a failure to pay principal, interest, or any other amount payable thereunder when due or upon the occurrence of certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization with respect to us or with respect to one or more of our subsidiaries that in the aggregate meet a significance test set forth in the credit agreements, we and our subsidiaries (other than our wholly-owned subsidiaries) may not pay dividends or make other distributions on (except for (a) distributions payable in shares of a given class of our stock to the stockholders of that class and (b) dividends and distributions described in (ii) above), or repurchase or redeem, among other things, any shares of our common stock or preferred stock. If any such event of default under the applicable credit agreements (or under any other credit agreement or debt instrument with similar terms that we may in the future enter into or be subject to) were to occur, it would likely have a material adverse effect on the market price of our outstanding common stock and any outstanding preferred stock and on the market value of our debt securities which could limit the amount of dividends or other distributions payable to holders of our common stock and any outstanding preferred stock or the amount of interest and principal we are able to pay on our indebtedness, or prevent us from paying those dividends, other distributions, interest or principal altogether, and may adversely affect our ability to qualify, or prevent us from qualifying, as a REIT. Our indebtedness could also have other important consequences to holders of our common stock, outstanding preferred stock, and our debt securities, including: increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions; limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, acquisitions, capital expenditures and other general corporate requirements; requiring the use of a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations for the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, thereby reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund working capital, acquisitions, capital expenditures, and general corporate requirements; limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry; and putting us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors with less indebtedness. If we default under a credit facility, loan agreement, or other debt instrument, the lenders will generally have the right to demand immediate repayment of the principal and interest on all of their loans and, in the case of secured indebtedness, to exercise their rights to seize and sell the collateral. Moreover, a default under a single loan or debt instrument may trigger cross-default or cross-acceleration provisions in other indebtedness and debt instruments, giving the holders of such other indebtedness and debt instruments similar rights to demand immediate repayment and to seize and sell any collateral.

We have in the past and may in the future acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions in exchange for partnership units in an operating partnership, which could result in stockholder dilution through the issuance of operating partnership units that, under certain circumstances, may be exchanged for shares of our common stock. This acquisition structure may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the amount of tax depreciation we could deduct over the tax life of the acquired properties, and may require that we agree to restrictions on our ability to dispose of, or refinance the debt on, the acquired properties in order to protect the contributors' ability to defer recognition of taxable gain. Similarly, we may be required to incur or maintain debt we would otherwise not incur so we can allocate the debt to the contributors to maintain their tax bases. In the event we take any action that incurs taxable gain allocated to these contributors, we may be required to make them whole under tax protection agreements. These restrictions could limit our ability to manage, control, sell or refinance an asset at a time, or on terms, that would be favorable absent such restrictions.