WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Elme Communities (the “Company”) (NYSE: ELME), a multifamily REIT with properties in the Washington DC metro area and the Sunbelt, reported financial and operating results today for the quarter ended March 31, 2023:
Financial Results
Net loss was $3.6 million, or $0.04 per diluted shareNAREIT FFO was $17.9 million, or $0.20 per diluted shareCore FFO was $21.5 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, up 20% from the prior year period driven by rental rate growth and the full deployment of our commercial sale proceedsNet Operating Income (NOI) was $36.3 million up 18% from the prior year period due primarily to the same factors as Core FFO growth
Operational Highlights
Same-store multifamily NOI increased by 10.7% compared to the prior year periodEffective blended Lease Rate Growth was 4.5% during the quarter for our same-store portfolio, comprised of Effective new Lease Rate Growth of 0.7% and Effective renewal Lease Rate Growth of 8.0%Average Effective Monthly Rent per Home increased 9.7% compared to the prior year periodSame-store retention was 64% while achieving strong renewal lease rate growthSame-store multifamily Average Occupancy was 95.5% during the quarter, up 50 basis points from the prior quarter
Liquidity Position
Available liquidity was more than $670 million as of March 31, 2023, consisting of availability under the Company's revolving credit facility and cash on handAnnualized first quarter net debt to EBITDA was 4.8xThe Company has no maturities until 2025 and no secured debtIn March, the Company executed swaps that will convert the interest rate on its $125 million term loan to a fixed 4.73% rate starting in July 2023 through maturity in January 2025.