Stag Industrial (STAG) Risk Factors

From time to time, we may generate taxable income greater than our income for financial reporting purposes, or our taxable income may be greater than our cash available for distribution to stockholders. If we do not have other funds available in these situations, we could be required to borrow or raise equity on unfavorable terms, sell investments at disadvantageous prices, make taxable distributions of our stock or debt securities or find another alternative source of funds to distribute enough of our taxable income to satisfy the REIT distribution requirement and to avoid corporate income tax and the 4% excise tax in a particular year. These alternatives could increase our costs or reduce the value of our equity. In addition, to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must satisfy certain tests on an ongoing basis concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, nature of our assets and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. We may be required to make distributions to stockholders at times when it would be more advantageous to reinvest cash in our business or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits and the value of our stockholders' investment.

Even if we maintain our qualification as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to some federal, state and local taxes. For example, (i) we will be subject to federal corporate income tax on the undistributed income to the extent that we satisfy the REIT distribution requirements but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, (ii) we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which distributions we pay in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years, (iii) we will be subject to the highest corporate income tax rate if we have net income from the sale of foreclosure property that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business or other non-qualifying income from foreclosure property, (iv) we will be subject to a 100% "prohibited transaction" tax on our gain from an asset sale, other than foreclosure property, that we hold primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, unless such sale were made by our taxable REIT subsidiary ("TRS") or if we qualify for a safe harbor; and (v) our TRS will be subject to federal, state and local income tax at regular corporate rates on any income that it earns.

Our qualification as a REIT will depend upon our ability to meet requirements regarding our organization and ownership, distributions of our income, the nature and diversification of our income and assets and other tests imposed by the Code. If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year after electing REIT status, we will be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. In addition, we would generally be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year in which we failed to qualify as a REIT. Losing our REIT status would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution to stockholders because of the additional tax liability. In addition, dividends to stockholders would no longer qualify for the dividends-paid deduction and we would no longer be required to make distributions. If this occurs, we might be required to borrow funds or liquidate some investments in order to pay the applicable tax.

Federal income taxation rules are constantly under review by the IRS, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and persons involved in the legislative process. Changes to tax laws, with or without retroactive application, through new legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could adversely affect us or our stockholders, including by negatively affecting our ability to qualify as a REIT or the federal income tax consequences of such qualification, or reducing the relative attractiveness of an investment in a REIT compared to a corporation not qualified as a REIT. We cannot predict the long-term effect of future law changes on us or our stockholders.

As of December 31, 2023, the majority of our buildings were industrial properties. This concentration may expose us to the risk of economic downturns in the industrial real estate sector to a greater extent than if our properties were more diversified across other sectors of the real estate industry.

Beginning in 2021 and continuing into the year ended December 31, 2023, inflation in the United States accelerated and, while moderating compared to year-over-year increases in 2021 and 2022, may continue at a relatively elevated level in the near-term. Beginning in 2022, in an effort to combat inflation and restore price stability, the Federal Reserve significantly raised its benchmark federal funds rate, which led to increases in interest rates in the credit markets. The Federal Reserve may continue to raise the federal funds rate, which will likely lead to higher interest rates in the credit markets and the possibility of slowing economic growth and/or a recession. Additionally, U.S. government policies implemented to address inflation, including actions by the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates, could negatively impact consumer spending, our tenants' businesses, and/or future demand for industrial space. Rising inflation could also have an adverse impact on our financing costs (either through near-term borrowings on our variable rate debt, including our unsecured credit facility, or refinancing of existing debt at higher interest rates), and general and administrative expenses and property operating expenses, as these costs could increase at a rate higher than our rental and other revenue. To the extent our exposure to increases in interest rates is not eliminated through interest rate swaps or other protection agreements, such increases may also result in higher debt service costs, which will adversely affect our cash flows. Historically, during periods of increasing interest rates, real estate valuations have generally decreased due to rising capitalization rates, which tend to move directionally with interest rates. Consequently, prolonged periods of higher interest rates may negatively impact the valuation of our real estate assets and could result in the decline of the market price of our common stock, which may adversely impact our ability and willingness to raise equity capital on favorable terms, including through our at-the-market ("ATM") common stock offering program. Although the extent of any prolonged periods of higher interest rates remains unknown at this time, negative impacts to our cost of capital may adversely affect our future business plans and growth, at least in the near term. Actual events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the FDIC as receiver. Similarly, on March 12, 2023, Signature Bank and Silvergate Capital Corp. were each swept into receivership. In addition, if any parties with whom we conduct business are unable to access funds pursuant to such instruments or lending arrangements with such a financial institution, such parties' ability to pay their obligations to us or to enter into new commercial arrangements requiring additional payments to us could be adversely affected. Although we assess our banking relationships as we believe necessary or appropriate, our access to funding sources and other credit arrangements in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our current and projected future business operations could be significantly impaired by factors that affect us, the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry.

We currently own and may acquire additional properties subject to ground leases, or leasehold interests in the land underlying the building. As lessee under a ground lease, we are exposed to the possibility of losing the property upon expiration, or an earlier breach by us, of the ground lease. Our ground leases may also contain provisions that limit our ability to sell the property or require us to obtain the consent of the landlord in order to assign or transfer our rights and obligations under the ground lease in connection with a sale of the property, which could adversely impact the price realized from any such sale. We also own properties that benefit from payment in lieu of tax ("PILOT") programs or similar programs through leasehold interests with the relevant municipality serving as lessor. While we have the right to purchase the fee interests in these properties for a nominal purchase price, in the event of such a conversion, any preferential tax treatment offered by the PILOT programs will be lost.

Our operating results, cash flows, cash available for distribution, and the market price of our securities would be adversely affected if we are unable to lease, on economically favorable terms, a significant amount of space in our properties. Our properties may have some level of vacancy at the time of our acquisition and may incur a vacancy either by the continued default of a tenant under its lease or the expiration of one of our leases. As of December 31, 2023, leases with respect to approximately 18.9% (excluding month-to-month leases) of our total annualized base rental revenue will expire before December 31, 2025. We cannot assure you that expiring leases will be renewed or that our properties will be re-leased at base rental rates equal to or above the current market rental rates. In addition, our ability to release space at attractive rental rates will depend on (i) whether the property is specifically suited to the particular needs of a tenant, and (ii) the number of vacant or partially vacant industrial properties in a market or sub-market. In connection with a vacancy at one of our properties, we may face difficulty obtaining, or be unable to obtain, a new tenant for the vacant space. If the vacancy continues for a long period of time, we may suffer reduced revenue resulting in less cash available for distribution to stockholders and the resale value of the property could be diminished.

Many of our tenants rely on external sources of financing to operate their businesses. The U.S. financial and credit markets have recently experienced liquidity disruptions, resulting in volatility in the markets and the unavailability of financing for many businesses. If such disruptions worsen or continue for a prolonged period of time, any of these tenants may be unable to obtain financing necessary to continue to operate its business, unable to meet its rental obligations, unable to enter into new leases or forced to declare bankruptcy and reject our leases, which could materially and adversely affect us.