INDIANAPOLIS — Duke Realty Corp. (NYSE: DRE) has agreed to sell its entire portfolio of medical office properties to Healthcare Trust of America (NYSE: HTA) for roughly $2.8 billion. The transaction is expected to close in stages by year’s end. The portfolio totals approximately 6.6 million square feet of gross leasable space across 78 properties. Of those, 71 are in-service buildings, five are under construction and two are holdings of unconsolidated joint ventures in which Duke has interests. The sale also includes two parcels of land totaling 16.5 acres. Collectively, the assets were 94 percent leased at the time of sale. According to Duke CEO Jim Connor, the transaction signifies the company’s effort to focus exclusively on industrial properties. “Monetizing our medical office business is accretive to our net asset value per share and creates a more simplified business model with improved transparency,” says Connor. “This represents a long-term benefit to our stakeholders while we position the company as a leading, pure-play industrial REIT.” Proceeds of the sale will be used to pay off $1.2 billion in existing debt, fund new industrial projects and to pay dividends to shareholders. The terms of sale call for Duke to provide $50 million …
