Non-Traded REITs

Published on: June 5, 2020

Phillips Edison & Company (PECO) Suspends Distributions and Redemptions

Investors in Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (“PECO”) may have FINRA arbitration claims, if their investment was recommended by a financial advisor who lacked a reasonable basis for the recommendation, or if the nature of the investment was misrepresented by the stockbroker or advisor.

Money Maze
PECO was formed in Maryland in October 2009 as a non-traded real estate investment trust (or “REIT”), to acquire grocery-anchored shopping centers. In November 2018, PECO officially merged with Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT II (“Phillips Edison II), a move that caused significant loss to its investors. Investors who purchased shares in PECO at the initial offering acquired shares at $10.00 per share, and while PECO’s sponsor has said that it currently has an estimated net asset value (“NAV”) of $8.75 per share, shares on the limited private secondary market have reportedly traded between $4.50 and $5.50 per share in recent months.

Making matters worse, in March 2020 PECO announced that it would suspended monthly distributions, as well as share repurchases or redemptions, albeit indicating that these suspensions will be temporary. As measures to guard against liquidity issues, PECO also reportedly borrowed $200 million from a revolving credit facility and announced plans to reduce expenses.

Published on: April 24, 2020

Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, Inc. Suspends Redemptions and Distributions

by InvestorLawyers

Investors in Strategic Student & Senior Housing Trust, Inc. (“SSSHT REIT” or “the REIT”) may have FINRA arbitration claims, if their investment was recommended by a financial advisor who lacked a reasonable basis for the recommendation, or if the nature of the investment was misrepresented by the stockbroker or advisor.

money whirlpool
SSSHT REIT, a publicly registered non-traded real estate investment trust (or “REIT”) sponsored by SmartStop Asset Management LLC, has reportedly suspended its distributions to shareholders, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic’s possible adverse financial impact on the Company.

The REIT’s Board has also suspended its share redemption program (SRP), effective May 3, 2020. No redemption requests made for the first quarter of 2020 will be honored. SSSHT indicates that it does not intend to honor investor redemption requests, until further notice.

Published on: April 22, 2020

Healthcare Trust, Inc. Lowers Estimated NAV to $15.75

by InvestorLawyers

Investors in Healthcare Trust, Inc. may have FINRA arbitration claims, if their investment was recommended by a financial advisor who lacked a reasonable basis for the recommendation, or if the nature of the investment was misrepresented by the stockbroker or advisor.

Money Bags
According to filings with the SEC, on April 3, 2020, Healthcare Trust announced that its board of directors announced an estimated NAV per share of $15.75 as of December 31, 2019. This marks a 10% decline from the previous estimated NAV per share of $17.50 per share as of December 31, 2018. Previously, Healthcare Trust lowered its annual distribution rate from $1.45 to $0.85 per share on March 1, 2018, after lowering distributions and previously from $1.70 per share to $1.45 per share in 2017.

But shares of Healthcare Trust, which initially sold for $25.00/share, may be worth even less, and have reportedly changed hands in the limited and illiquid secondary market at prices of between $7.75 and $8.25 a share as of the date of this writing. Unfortunately for many investors in Healthcare Trust, it would appear that investors who attempt to exit their illiquid investment will incur a substantial loss.

Published on: April 21, 2020

Hospitality Investors Trust Investors May Have FINRA Arbitration Claims

by InvestorLawyers

Investors in Hospitality Investors Trust Inc. (“HIT”), a publicly registered non-traded REIT formerly known as American Realty Capital Hospitality Trust, may have FINRA arbitration claims, if their investment was recommended by a financial advisor who lacked a reasonable basis for the recommendation, or if the nature of the investment was misrepresented by the broker or financial advisor.

Wastebasket Filled with Crumpled Dollar Bills
HIT owns a portfolio of hotel properties throughout North America, including various Hilton-, Marriott- and Hyatt- branded hotels, within the select service and full-service markets. As of December 31, 2018, HIT reportedly owned 144 hotels. The REIT’s offering was declared effective in January 2014 and suspended sales activities in November 2015 after raising $903 million in investor equity, according to Summit Investment Research.

In April 2017, HIT changed its name from American Realty Capital Hospitality Trust to HIT after restructuring to become a standalone self-managed REIT as well as a partnership with Brookfield Strategic Real Estate Partners II. Prior to the restructure and name change, HIT had an agreement with American Realty Capital Hospitality Advisors LLC, and affiliate of AR Global Trust II.

Published on: April 17, 2020

Strategy Realty Trust Subject of $1.00/Share Tender Offer- Investors May Face Losses

by InvestorLawyers

Investors in Strategic Realty Trust (“SRT”) may have FINRA arbitration claims, if their investment was recommended by a financial advisor who lacked a reasonable basis for the recommendation, or if the nature of the investment was misrepresented by the stockbroker. SRT, formerly known as TNP Strategic Retail Trust, is a non-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) which owns a portfolio of shopping centers that are anchored by such grocers as Publix, Kroger, and Wal-Mart. It is a non-traded REIT sponsored by Thompson National Properties, LLC.

Money Bags
A company known as Mackenzie Realty Capital has just extended a tender offer to purchase shares of the REIT for just $1.00 per share. According to Mackenzie’s letter to investors, SRT has given no indication when it might liquidate, and its charter does not require it to do so on any particular schedule.

Further, although SRT redeems shares on a quarterly basis, repurchases are limited to death or disability of a stockholder. SRT estimated the REIT’s net asset value per share as $5.86 as of April 2019, a 41.4% decline of from the original offering price of $10 per share. Shares of SRT have reportedly changed hands at even lower prices of between $2.30 and $2.50 a share in the limited secondary market.

Published on: April 14, 2020

Phillips Edison & Co. Suspends Distributions and Share Repurchases

by InvestorLawyers

Investors in Phillips Edison & Co. (“PECO”, formerly known as Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT I) got bad news when PECO announced its plans to suspend monthly distributions, share repurchases, and its distribution reinvestment plan, indicating that the suspensions will be temporary. PECO also reportedly borrowed $200 million on its $500 million revolving credit facility in order to increase its liquidity.

Money Maze
Monthly distributions and the distribution reinvestment plan were suspended after the March 2020 distribution, which PECO paid in cash on April 1, 2020. The share repurchase program, including death, qualifying disability or determination of incompetence (DDI) requests, was also suspended.

PECO began selling shares in or about August 2010 as a publicly registered, non-traded REIT. and raised approximately $1.8 billion from investors. PECO owns grocery store-based shopping centers and oversees a portfolio of 317 properties.

Published on: April 13, 2020

American Finance Trust (AFIN) Announces “Stockholder Rights Plan” as Share Price Languishes

by InvestorLawyers

As previously reported, American Finance Trust, Inc. (“AFIN” or the “Company”), formerly known as American Realty Capital Trust V, Inc., listed its shares on Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”), under the symbol AFIN effective July 19, 2018. The Company publicly estimated its net asset value as $23.56 a share during 2018, yet shares have traded below $5.00 a share during 2020, and closed at $6.76 a share on April 13, 2020.

Building Demolished
AFIN announced on April 13, 2020 that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has approved a “short-term stockholder rights plan” to protect the long-term interests of the Company, citing volatile in its share price that has resulted from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. AFIN says that the plan is designed to reduce the likelihood that any person or group (including a group of persons that are acting in concert with each other) would gain control of AFIN through open market accumulation of stock by imposing significant penalties upon any person or group that acquires 4.9% or more of the outstanding shares of the AFIN’s common stock without the approval of the Board.

Shares of the former non-traded REIT originally sold for $25.00 each, and the company terminated its share repurchase program at the end of June prior to listing on Nasdaq.

Published on: April 6, 2020

Griffin-American Healthcare REIT III Halves Distribution, Suspends Share Repurchases

by InvestorLawyers

Investors in Griffin-American Healthcare REIT III (“GAH REIT III”), may have FINRA arbitration claims, if their investment was recommended by a financial advisor who lacked a reasonable basis for the recommendation, or if the nature of the investment was misrepresented by the broker or financial advisor.

Money Maze
GAH REIT III recently announced that it will cut its annual distribution rate in half to $0.30 a share, from $0.60 a share, citing the possible impact of the COVID 19 epidemic on its operations GAH REIT III also suspended its share repurchase plan.

GAH REIT III is a publicly registered non-traded real estate investment trust (“REIT”) incorporated in January 2013 as a Maryland REIT and is registered with the SEC. As such. GAH REIT III was permitted to sell securities to the investing public at large, including retail investors who bought shares on the recommendation of a broker or money manager.

Published on: January 24, 2020

Investors in Hospitality Investors Trust (ARC Hospitality) Face Principal Losses

by InvestorLawyers

Investors in Hospitality Investors Trust (“HIT”), also known as American Realty Capital Hospitality Trust or ARC Hospitality, may have FINRA arbitration claims, if their investment was recommended by a financial advisor who lacked a reasonable basis for the recommendation, or if the nature of the investment was misrepresented by the stockbroker or advisor.

Money Maze
HIT, a public, non-traded real estate investment trust (“REIT”) with a focus on hospitality properties in the United States, announced a 33.6% decrease in its net asset value (“NAV”) to $9.21 per share, following a share repurchase program in October, 2018 in which shares were purchased at $9.00 per share.

As a publicly registered non-traded REIT, HIT was permitted to sell securities to the investing public at large, including numerous unsophisticated retail investors who bought shares upon the recommendation of a broker or money manager. Original investors of HIT could purchase shares at $25.00 per share. However, the REIT’s estimated NAV is currently $9.21, and even worse, shares on the secondary market have reportedly been sold at prices between $3.75 and $3.99 a share.

Published on: January 17, 2020

Lightstone Value Plus REIT V (Lightstone V) Investors Face Principal Losses

by InvestorLawyers

Investors in Lightstone Value Plus REIT V (“Lightstone V”) may have FINRA arbitration claims, if their investment was recommended by a financial advisor who lacked a reasonable basis for the recommendation, or if the nature of the investment was misrepresented by the stockbroker or advisor.

Money Maze
Lightstone V (originally named Behringer Harvard Opportunity REIT II until July 2017) was formed as a non-traded real estate investment trust in January 2008, also known as a REIT, to invest in retail and other types of commercial properties. Investors who purchased shares in Lightstone V at the initial offering acquired shares at $10 per share, but currently has a net asset value (“NAV”) of $9.10 per share. Even worse, shares on the limited secondary market have reportedly traded at prices as low as between $5.95 and $6.25 per share.

Non-traded REITs pose many risks that are often not readily apparent to retail investors, or adequately explained by the financial advisors and stockbrokers who recommend these complex investments. One significant risk associated with non-traded REITs has to do with their high up-front commissions, typically between 7-10%. In addition to high commissions, non-traded REITs like Lightstone V generally charge investors for certain due diligence and administrative fees, ranging anywhere from 1-3%.