PLANO, TEXAS — After announcing on Monday, June 18, it had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Vintage Capital Management, Rent-A-Center Inc. (NASDAQ/NGS: RCII) has seen its stock price increase steadily throughout the week. The company’s stock price opened at $14.78 per share on Thursday, June 21. This figure represents a nearly 23 percent increase in the span of just one week, but remains a far cry from the peak price of $40 per share in summer 2013. Vintage Capital agreed to acquire Rent-A-Center for $15 per share in a transaction that is valued at approximately $1.4 billion and which will take the Plano-based retailer private. The deal is expected to close before year’s end. The price represents a premium of approximately 49 percent over Rent-A-Center’s closing stock price of $10.07 per share on Oct. 30, 2017. According to one retail analyst, Rent-A-Center’s struggles stemmed from several factors, including a high number of new competitors in the home goods sector and the lack of financial resources to establish robust online sales. “Rent-A-Center is an interesting case because it kind of bleeds into that personal services category, yet it’s not especially resistant to e-commerce because of the physical goods …
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Lending intermediaries are not seeing any slowdown in the availability of capital for the student housing sector in 2018. Many report that the sector is a favorite and a well-known quantity among lenders, one that they want to count among their specialties. “Historically, student housing was viewed only as a subset of multifamily, but we have seen a distinct departure from that mindset throughout the current cycle,” says Benjamin Roelke, senior vice president, debt and structured finance, CBRE Capital Markets. “Lenders are getting smarter about student housing and are asking the right questions more often than not.” “Our high volume construction lending relationships view student housing as a stand-alone product type and understand that each market should be evaluated on its own merits, but in uncertain times there are macro forces that can alter risk evaluation standards generally, with the effects trickling down to specialized product types,” says Tim Bradley, founder and CEO of TSB Capital Advisors. Student Housing — On Its Own Lenders increasingly view student housing as an attractive stand-alone asset class. Its strong performance during the Great Recession prompted many lenders to closely study and understand the sector, with many growing their lending platforms alongside strong developer …
When hearing the names Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook, one’s mind might automatically shift to the Silicon Valley: the West Coast mecca of technology and computing. But you can find those same companies in the corn and soybean fields of Iowa. The state has become synonymous with state-of-the-art data centers for these familiar technology companies and others. When I recently attended a Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) conference in Austin, Texas, I was asked by many of my peers what is happening in Iowa. I casually referenced this impressive list of technology companies and I began to field questions from inquisitive industry professionals. Why Iowa, they ask? “Simple,” I say. “Affordable, renewable energy and lower cost, abundant water.” In August 2017, Apple announced its plans to purchase 2,000-plus acres in Waukee, a western suburb of Des Moines. The technology giant will construct the first phase of its 400,000-square-foot, cloud-based data center and the center’s power consumption will be 100 percent fed by renewable fuels, primarily wind energy provided by Mid-American Energy. The announcement of this landmark project drew so much attention that Apple CEO Tim Cook joined Governor Kim Reynolds for the announcement, stating his excitement for the …
OLD OCEAN, TEXAS — Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) will undertake a $1.5 billion expansion of its Sweeny Hub natural gas plant in Old Ocean, about 65 miles southeast of Houston. The project will include the construction of two fractionators capable of producing 150,000 barrels of natural gas per day, as well as additional storage facilities for the fossil fuel and various infrastructural upgrades to pipelines. The new facilities are expected to begin commercial operations in late 2020. Upon completion, the Sweeny Hub will have a fractionator capacity of 400,000 barrels per day and the capacity to store 15 million barrels.
DALLAS — The Legacy Senior Communities, a not-for-profit organization based in Plano, has broken ground on The Legacy Midtown Park, a $175 million seniors housing community in Dallas. Situated on 10 acres just off North Central Expressway, the property will consist of 184 independent living apartments, 50 assisted living units, 36 memory care residences and 54 suites for short-term rehabilitation or long-term care. Amenities will include multiple dining options and a fitness, aerobics and aquatic center. The project is expected to create approximately 350 jobs upon completion. The developer expects the community to begin opening for some services in fall 2019 with other levels of care becoming available in 2020. SunTrust Bank served as the lead lender for the project with Frost Bank as a participating lender.
ALICE, TEXAS — Cravey Real Estate Services Inc. has arranged the sale of a 103,338-square-foot industrial development located at 850 Commerce St. in Alice, about 45 miles west of Corpus Christi. The 17-building development is situated on 19.2 acres and features 22-foot clear heights. Matthew Cravey of Cravey Real Estate Services and Rafik Ibrahim of JLL represented the seller, Halliburton Energy Services Inc., in the transaction. Richard Perry, also of Cravey, represented the buyer, Alice Management Co. LLC.
OKLAHOMA CITY — A partnership between Denver-based developer Confluent Senior Living and Florida-based management firm Harbor Retirement Associates has broken ground on a 112-unit seniors housing community, HarborChase of South Oklahoma City. The property will be situated on six acres and feature 80 assisted living units and 32 memory care units. Amenities will include a full-service bistro, chapel, clubrooms, beauty salon, library and a fitness and wellness center. The community is scheduled to open in fall 2019.
HOUSTON — The J. Beard Real Estate Co. has brokered the sale of three flex buildings totaling 13,850 square feet of office and warehouse space in Houston. Ryan Hutson of J. Beard represented the seller, Continuum Investments, in the transaction. Vicky Kuczbel-Rogers of Walzel Properties represented the buyer, G. Ramirez, which will also occupy the buildings.
NKF Capital Markets, Cooper-Horowitz Secure $342M Refinancing for Office Tower in Midtown Manhattan
by David Cohen
NEW YORK CITY — NKF Capital Markets and Cooper-Horowitz have secured a $342 million refinancing for 850 Third Ave., a 21-story, 617,322-square-foot office building in Midtown Manhattan. The owner is a partnership between HNA Property Holdings, ATCO Properties & Management, and MHP Real Estate Services. NKF Capital Markets and Cooper-Horowitz arranged the short term, floating-rate loan through Natixis and Paramount Group. The NKF Capital Markets’ team was led by Jordan Roeschlaub, Dustin Stolly, Nick Scribani and Chris Kramer. Spanning a full block with continuous frontage along Third Avenue between East 51st and 52nd Streets, the building is currently 91 percent occupied by tenants in the media, legal, real estate, entertainment, healthcare and financial sectors. Discovery Communications is currently the building’s largest tenant at 189,470 square feet.
Meridian Capital Arranges $68M in Acquisition Financing for Mixed-Use Building in Brooklyn
by David Cohen
NEW YORK CITY — Meridian Capital Group has arranged $68 million in acquisition financing for a 12-story mixed-use building in Brooklyn. Drew Anderman, Grant Carlson and Josh Berman of Meridian represented the borrower, Trinity Place Holdings, in the transaction. The 24-month loan, which an undisclosed lender provided, features a floating rate of 3.72 percent over the 30-day LIBOR and full-term interest-only payments. Located at 237 11th St. in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, the newly built property contains 105 residential units and 6,200 square feet of retail space, which is partially leased to Starbucks. Amenities include washers and dryers in all units, tenant-controlled HVAC systems, a doorman, rooftop terrace, fitness center and parking garage.