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Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation

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FY2020 Annual Report · Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation
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Monmouth 2018 Annual Report 

  022297 

  MNR_AR20_Cover_v2 

  01/11/21 

  page 3

Monmouth Real Estate  
Investment Corporation
2020 Annual Report

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Monmouth 2018 Annual Report 

  022297 

  MNR_AR20_Cover_v2 

  01/11/21 

  page 4

The COVID-19 Pandemic has resulted in 
soaring ecommerce demand. Pictured here 
is our 311,000 square foot FedEx Ground 
distribution center situated right in-between 
two giant Walmart ecommerce fulfillment 
centers that total over 2 million square feet.  
The Walmart buildings were built after our 

FedEx building. Walmart flocked to this location 
in order to distribute goods more efficiently 
from our facility. Situated just off the I-4 Tampa/
Orlando corridor, in very close proximity to 
Disney World, our facility is now running 24/7 
and is processing the peak season like demand 
that has been occurring since March 2020. 

It was estimated that total US daily package 
volume would reach 100 million packages by 
2026. As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, 
this estimate has been pulled forward to 
2023. As the photo above clearly illustrates, 
our mission-critical assets are integral to 

the ecommerce ecosystem. Monmouth has 
consistently delivered the best occupancy rates 
and rent collection results in the industrial 
sector, and as one of the oldest REITs in the 
world, our resilience is self-evident.

– 1 –

2020 Annual ReportInterlocking Fragility:  
The Year the Earth Stood Still

“ Globalization creates interlocking fragility, while 
reducing volatility and giving the appearance of stability. 
In other words, it creates devastating Black Swans.” 

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Writer

January 2021
Dear Fellow Shareholders,

Globalization is now in retreat. People are being 
socially distant out of mandate and out of fear. We 
are isolated in lockdown mode with no ability to 
venture out and so much as enjoy a live concert. The 
performing arts are non-performing. Looking up, 
we see an empty sky that hasn’t been this devoid 
of plane travel since the early 1970s. Thanksgiving 
and Christmas were cancelled this year. We are 
experiencing life during wartime. 

Global trade is essential for human progress 
to advance further. However, an over-reliance 
on hostile foreign sources for critically needed 
resources is a recipe for disaster. For many 
decades, living conditions for the world’s seven 
billion inhabitants have steadily improved. 

Even the poorest people can now enjoy modern 
technologies such as cell phones, the internet and 
television. Unfortunately, 2020 was a year in which 
the substantial advances we have made gave way 
to rapid declines. If we seek to advance the human 
condition further, people and goods will need to 
travel freely as before. For in the eternal continuum 
of time, a world standing still is really falling behind. 

Heading into the new year, there is promising news 
on the vaccine front from several companies. Our 
largest tenant FedEx is extremely busy distributing 
millions of doses of these urgently needed vaccines 
globally. Hopefully, this war will be coming to an 
end soon and the new year will bring new reasons 
to be thankful.

– 2 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment CorporationDuring Fiscal 2020, our Company’s many 
accomplishments included the following:

Increased our  
Gross Revenue  
by 4.9% to  
$178.3 million

Increased our  
Net Operating Income  
by 7.3% to 
$140.7 million

Increased our Occupancy  
Rate by 50 bps to 
99.4%, representing our  
fifth consecutive year 
with 98.9% occupancy 
or above

Achieved 99.8% 
Rent Collection 
Results throughout 
the COVID-19 
Pandemic

Increased our Gross  
Leasable Area 
to 23.4msf and 
subsequent to fiscal 
yearend to 24.5msf, 
representing a total 
increase of 10.3%

Achieved $2.7 billion  
in Total Market 
Capitalization at  
fiscal yearend

 • Maintained our Net Debt to 
Adjusted EBITDA at 6.0x 
versus 5.9x as of the prior 
year period, 

 • Maintained a well-covered 

AFFO dividend payout ratio 
of 87%,

 • Reduced our General and 

Administrative expenses as a 
percentage of gross revenue 
to 5.0% from 5.3%, 

 • Acquired 1.2 million 

square feet of high-quality 
industrial space for $175.1 
million, comprising five 
brand-new Class A, built-
to-suit properties, all leased 
long-term to investment-
grade tenants,

 • Entered into commitments 
to acquire six new Class 
A, build-to-suit properties 

containing 2.4 million total 
square feet, all leased long-
term to investment-grade 
tenants, for a total cost of 
$339.3 million and with a 
weighted-average lease term 
of 15.3 years,

 • Achieved 87% tenant 
retention through the 
renewal of four leases 
comprising 355,000 square 
feet for a weighted-average 
lease term of 4.2 years. 
These lease renewals 
resulted in an increase in the 
weighted-average lease rate 
of 12.0% on a GAAP basis 
and an increase of 4.4% on a 
cash basis,

 • Achieved a weighted-average 
lease maturity of 7.1 years, 
which increased to 7.5 years 
subsequent to fiscal yearend,

– 3 –

 • Increased our annualized 
average base rent per 
occupied square foot by 3% 
to $6.36 from the prior year,

 • Raised $122.4 million in net 
proceeds through our 6.125% 
Series C Perpetual Preferred 
Stock ATM Program, 

 • Raised $26.4 million, 
including dividend 
reinvestments of $7.6 million, 
through our Dividend 
Reinvestment and Stock 
Purchase Plan, representing 
an 11% participation rate,

 • Maintained the weighted-

average debt maturity on our 
fixed-rate debt at 11.1 years,

 • Reduced the weighted-

average interest rate on our 
total debt to 3.89% from 
4.00% at prior fiscal yearend.

2020 Annual ReportFounded and publicly held since 1968, Monmouth 
is one of the oldest REITs in the world. We have 
assembled a best-in-class industrial property 
portfolio with an all-star tenant roster that includes 
Amazon, Anheuser-Busch, Beam Suntory, Coca-
Cola, FedEx, Home Depot, International Paper, 
Milwaukee Tool, National Oilwell Varco, PP&G, 
Sherwin-Williams, Siemens, Toyota, Ulta Beauty, 
United Technologies, UPS, and other high-quality 
companies. With over 81% of our rental revenue 
derived from investment-grade tenants and the 
remainder generated from strong non-rated 
companies, our earnings quality is among the  
best in the entire REIT industry. 

Having grown by 5.2% this fiscal year and an 
additional 4.9% subsequent to fiscal yearend, 
our property portfolio now contains 24.5 million 
rentable square feet. We currently own 
121 properties geographically diversified across 
31 states. The weighted-average age of our portfolio 
is currently 9.5 years, making it the youngest in the 
industrial REIT sector. Our land-to-building ratio 
is 5.4:1 which provides us with ample capacity for 
building and parking expansions, of which we have 
several taking place currently. Despite the severe 
financial pressures plaguing other sectors as a result 
of the global pandemic, our tenants have continued 
to grow their strong and essential businesses.

Estimated Net Flows into US Stock  
Mutual Funds and ETFs, quarterly

Passively managed

Actively managed

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100

75

50

25

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-25

-50

-75

2017

2018

2019

– 4 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation 
 
Riding the tsunami wave of passive investing, 
growth stocks have been handily outperforming 
value stocks for many years. Bulking up in size 
has proven to be a winning strategy, as a larger 
index weighting provides companies with a higher 
multiple and a cost of capital advantage. Investors 
today move money around much more rapidly than 
in the past. With the advent of computer-driven 
funds, the average holding period for a public 
equity investment has gone from many years to a 
few short months. Just as the simple act of shaking 
hands is now recognized as a risky proposition, 
people will one day realize that moving enormous 
amounts of money passively throughout the entire 
market creates interlocking fragilities. 

At Monmouth, we have remained true to our 
qualitative focus. We are content letting other 
companies bulk up indiscriminately. We invest 
in single tenant, net-leased industrial properties, 
secured with long-term leases of ten or more years, 
to investment-grade tenants. It is a very selective 
and long-term focused strategy. It would be 
very difficult for a larger entity to adhere to this 
strategy if it were not their focus right from the 
outset. Our goal is simply to own great real estate 
and in so doing, we have created substantial value 
for our shareholders. 

Prior to the Black Swan event of COVID-19, quality 
of earnings took a back seat to leasing spreads 
for many public market participants. Some 
management teams even went so far as to say they 
were intentionally trying to reduce their occupancy 
rates in order to be sure that they were boosting 
their rental rates as aggressively as possible. 
At Monmouth, we take a completely different 
approach. We firmly believe that in the long run, a 

$6 per square foot rent can be more valuable than 
a $7 per square foot rent depending upon who is 
writing the check. Unfortunately, the computer-
driven algorithms still do not process this sort of 
qualitative analysis very well. With the onset of the 
Pandemic, rent collection results and tenant credit 
quality quickly regained prominence. As was the 
case during the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, 
our steadfast commitment to owning high-quality 
real estate leased to high-grade tenants enabled 
Monmouth to deliver the most resilient results 
throughout this challenging period. Looking at 
our current occupancy rate of 99.7%, as well as our 
99.8% rent collection results, one is hard pressed to 
see even the faintest signs of a crisis event having 
taken place.

Kevin Miller, our Chief Financial Officer, has been 
integral to Monmouth for many years. Even though 
we are both left-handed, I consider him to be my 
right-hand man. Kevin happens to laugh heartily 
at all of my jokes, with the exception of the really 
good ones. I am not sure how he will feel about this 
one but, 

here it goes:

Two robo-advisors walk into a bar. The bartender 
says, “I didn’t know that computer-driven 
algorithms could drink but, what will it be?” The 
first robot says, “I’ll have whatever your most 
expensive drink is.” The bartender turns to the 
other robot and asks, “And what would you like?” 
To which the second robo-advisor proclaims,  
“I’ll have the same thing, only charge me more!”

Thus is the interlocking, pro-cyclical fragility of 
passive investing…

– 5 –

2020 Annual ReportCOVID Winners and Losers: 
Commercial Property Price Indexes

8.0%

6.8%

4.2%

Change From Pre-COVID Levels

3.0%

-2.0%

-7.0%

-12.0%

-17.0%

-22.0%

-27.0%

-5.2%

-6.7%

-7.2%

-8.3%

-11.0%

-14.5%

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-24.5%

-25.1%

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From a real estate standpoint, the COVID Pandemic 
has caused much value destruction. Occupancy 
rates have plummeted in many sectors, causing 
the average REIT dividend to fall by 20% this 
year. Many REITs have suspended their dividend 
payments entirely. However, there are two defensive 
property types that have actually experienced value 
appreciation during the Pandemic. They are the 
industrial and manufactured housing sectors. 

It is no coincidence that our Founder and Chairman, 
Eugene Landy has spent his entire professional career 
building two very successful public companies that 
specialize in each of these two resilient property 
types. Monmouth Real Estate and UMH Properties 
have risen above the interlocking fragility and clearly 
stand out as The COVID Winners!!! 

For this, we cannot thank him enough.

– 6 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation 
 
 
 
Ecommerce Sales Growth

$900

$800

$700

$600

$500

$400

$300

$200

$100

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CAGR:
17%

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

The COVID-19 Pandemic greatly accelerated the 
already strong ecommerce growth trajectory. This 
year ecommerce sales as a percentage of total retail 
sales nearly doubled from approximately 15% to 
27%. This has resulted in FedEx, Amazon, and 
UPS all experiencing peak season like demand 
all-year-round. It has literally been Christmas 
in July for these companies. This holiday season 
has been referred to as “The Peak of all Peaks,” 
as demand has eclipsed total shipping capacity. 
Current total shipping capacity in the US allows for 
approximately 80 million packages-per-day. Peak 
season demand this year has exceeded capacity 
by over 10%. This is despite logistics operations 
now running 24/7 all-year-round. For the year, 
pre-Pandemic average daily package shipments 
in the US totaled 50 million packages and it 
was estimated that it would grow to 100 million 

packages-per-day by 2026. Because the Pandemic 
has rapidly pulled forward demand by several years, 
the average daily package shipments in the US 
will now reach the 100 million packages-per-day 
milestone much sooner. 

We are working closely with our tenants to increase 
their throughput and we will be doing numerous 
parking expansion projects during the new year for 
our largest tenant, FedEx. Increasing the amount 
of parking at many of our properties will likely be 
a multi-year endeavor. These expansion projects 
will be very beneficial to Monmouth, as they will 
result in increased lease terms, increased rental 
rates, and increased property values. We are very 
fortunate to have worked alongside FedEx since 
1994. They have been a great partner and their 
future prospects have never been better.

– 7 –

2020 Annual Report 
 
98.9%

99.4%

99.7%

Occupancy

100.0%

99.6%

99.3%

99.6%

99.0%

98.0%

97.0%

96.0%

95.0%

94.0%

93.0%

92.0%

91.0%

90.0%

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2018

FY 2019

FY 2020

Current

For every dollar of goods that is consumed via 
ecommerce, three times the warehouse space 
is needed compared to that needed for goods 
purchased in traditional retail settings. A new 
world order in consumer spending has resulted, 
as traditional brick-and-mortar store sales have 
increasingly migrated to the digital economy. This 
has resulted in unprecedented growth in demand 
for industrial real estate. The US industrial real 
estate market has now experienced 42 consecutive 
quarters of positive net absorption. That is 10.5 
consecutive years of increased demand at a rate 
of over 100 million square feet annually. The US 
industrial vacancy rate is now at record lows of 
4.7%, causing rents to continue to rise higher. 
For Monmouth, we are nearly fully occupied, as 
our vacancy rate is currently only 0.3%. Tight 
occupancy translates into increased bargaining 
power when negotiating lease renewals.  We are 
entering our sixth consecutive year with a 98.9% 
occupancy rate or better. Our lease renewals this 

year resulted in a 12% increase in GAAP straight-
line rent, and a 4.4% increase in cash rent. Tenant 
retention was 87% this year, which is in line with 
our long-term average of approximately 90%. We 
are shooting for 100% tenant retention in the new 
year, as renewal requests are coming in strong. 
In addition, our numerous property expansion 
projects will take our leases out even further. Once 
again, no collateral damage from the Black Swan 
event or even signs of interlocking fragility.

Naturally, the industrial sector’s outperformance 
during this difficult period has resulted in intense 
competition. Investor demand for other property 
types has diminished, causing the lanes of 
opportunity to narrow. From a real estate investor 
perspective, everyone now wants exposure to 
the industrial REIT sector. Whether foreign 
or domestic, large or small, the US industrial 
real estate market is by far the most dominant 
attraction for capital these days.

– 8 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment CorporationInside one of Monmouth’s Digital Buildings: Amazon, Indianapolis 

“ Real Estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried 
away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, 
and managed with reasonable care, it is about the safest 
investment in the world.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd US President

One misconception is that all industrial real 
estate provides a linkage to the digital economy. 
The truth is that there is a new type of industrial 
real estate that has been designed specifically 
to serve the digital economy. These are smart, 
highly-automated facilities, with sophisticated 
infrastructures that utilize artificial intelligence, 
robotics, high-speed conveyor systems, and large 
climate-controlled information technology rooms. 
For lack of a better term, let us call these: “Digital 
Buildings.” The older “Analog Buildings” served the 
wholesale distribution supply chain very well, with 
just stocking racks and forklifts being the extent of 
the technology needed. Today’s Digital Buildings 
are designed to serve both ecommerce sales and 
wholesale distribution, or what is referred to as 
“omni-channel distribution.” Digital Buildings 
utilize much more land, as large amounts of trailer, 
van, and car parking is required. Therefore, when 
calculating prices and rents on a per-square-foot 
basis, the costs will necessarily be higher. 

At Monmouth, we own a very modern portfolio of 
Digital Buildings. Our weighted-average building 
age is under 10 years, representing one of the 
youngest and most state-of-the-art portfolios in 
the industrial REIT sector. As you can see from the 
picture above, our tenants have made substantial 
investments in the automated infrastructure inside 
of our buildings to serve the digital economy.

Monmouth’s rental and reimbursement revenues 
for the year were $167.8 million compared to 
$154.8 million, or an increase of 8.4% from the prior 
year. Net Operating Income increased $9.5 million 
to $140.7 million, reflecting a 7.3% increase from 
a year ago. Funds from Operations (FFO) were 
$78.5 million or $0.80 per diluted share, as compared 
to $81.2 million or $0.87 per diluted share for the 
same period a year ago, representing an 8% per share 
decrease. Adjusted Funds from Operations or AFFO, 
excludes gains or losses on the sale of real estate or 
REIT securities, as well as lease termination income 

– 9 –

2020 Annual Reportand the effects of straight-lined rent adjustments. 
This year our AFFO per diluted share decreased to  
$0.78 from $0.85, representing an 8% decrease. The  
main reason for the decrease in FFO and AFFO was a  
$4.7 million reduction in dividend income from our  
REIT securities portfolio as many REITs have reduced  
or eliminated their dividends in response to the  
COVID-19 Pandemic. We have been allocating capital 
solely to our core business for the past year-and-a-half 
and have reduced our securities portfolio to under 
5% of gross assets currently. While the Pandemic did 
cause significant weakness in our securities holdings, 
it also caused unprecedented growth in our core 
business. Because they are negatively correlated, 
no interlocking fragility exists between our core 
business of investing in industrial real estate and  
our liquid real estate securities portfolio. 

Subsequent to fiscal yearend, we have successfully 
grown our portfolio substantially with the acquisition 
of two high-quality properties totaling 1.15 million 
square feet, situated on 230 acres, leased to FedEx 
and Home Depot for $170.0 million. Our current 
acquisition pipeline now totals $169.3 million.  
It is comprised of four digital buildings, totaling 
1.2 million square feet. All four properties are  
leased to investment-grade tenants with a weighted-
average lease term of 12.8 years. These tenants 
include FedEx and Mercedes-Benz. With 185 total 
acres, the land-to-building ratio on our pipeline is 
6.6:1. This amounts to twice the land capacity that 
analog buildings would typically be situated on. We 
expect the combination of our two recent acquisitions 
totaling $170.0 million, our $169.3 million acquisition 
pipeline, our substantial parking expansions, and  
our increased occupancy to meaningfully contribute 
to our per share earnings and cash flow growth in 
fiscal 2021 and beyond.

We have been financing our growth with a 
combination of low-cost, long-term, fixed-rate 
mortgage debt and perpetual preferred equity. 
During fiscal 2020, we raised approximately 
$26.4 million in equity capital through our 
Dividend Reinvestment plan. Of this amount, a 
total of $7.6 million in dividends were reinvested, 
representing an 11% participation rate among our 
shareholders. Throughout the year, we also raised 

$122.4 million in net proceeds from our Preferred 
Stock ATM Program, with the sale of 5.0 million 
shares of our 6.125% Series C Preferred Stock at an 
average price of $25.04 per share. We continue to 
finance our long-term assets with long-term capital. 
Our preferred equity is permanent capital that never 
matures. Towards the end of the fiscal new year, our 
Series C preferred stock will become redeemable, 
in whole or in part, at our discretion. Reducing the 
amount of our 6.125% preferred equity outstanding 
will be considered if it can be prudently done and 
generate increased earnings per common share.  

As of the end of the fiscal year, our capital structure 
consisted of approximately $875 million in debt, of 
which $800 million was property-level fixed-rate 
mortgage debt, with a weighted-average interest rate 
of 3.98%. The weighted-average debt maturity on our 
fixed-rate mortgage debt is 11.1 years representing 
one of the longest debt maturity schedules in the 
REIT sector. We also had a total of $472 million in 
perpetual preferred equity at yearend.  Combined 
with an equity market capitalization of approximately 
$1.4 billion, our total market capitalization was 
approximately $2.7 billion at yearend, representing a 
5% increase from a year ago.  

From a credit standpoint, we continue to be 
conservatively capitalized with our net debt to 
total market capitalization at 31%. Our net debt to 
adjusted EBITDA was 6.0x at fiscal yearend, which 
is unchanged from the prior year period. Further 
enhancing our liquidity, we ended the year with 
$23.5 million in cash and the full availability of 
our $325 million credit facility. In addition, we 
held $108.8 million in marketable REIT securities, 
representing 4.9% of our undepreciated assets. 
The primary function of our securities portfolio 
is to provide additional liquidity while generating 
dividend income. To satisfy short-term capital 
needs, we also have the ability to borrow up to 
approximately $60 million at a current rate of 
0.75% per annum against our securities portfolio. 
We no longer allocate capital to REIT securities, 
and plan to reduce our holdings at the appropriate 
time. Subsequent to fiscal yearend, the value of our 
securities portfolio has improved meaningfully  
with the recent positive news on the vaccine front.

– 10 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment CorporationM2 Money Supply (monthly, 
percent change from prior year)

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

1985

1995

2005

2015

24.0%

“ Cycle by cycle, individual responsibility for financial 
outcomes has given way to collective responsibility, and 
price discovery has yielded to financial repression.” 

— James Grant, Writer 

Once not thought possible, there is currently over 
$18 trillion in negative nominal interest rate debt 
worldwide. In real terms it is considerably more. In 
addition to monetary stimulus, the Pandemic has 
also required massive amounts of fiscal stimulus. The 
US money supply has been growing exponentially. 
The public market has grown dependent upon central 
bank bailouts. With each leg down in the broad 
economy, the Federal Reserve has pumped trillions 

of dollars into the system to prop the economy back 
up. Unfortunately, there is an interlocking fragility 
that results from all of this intervention. We have 
seen clear signs of the structural weaknesses and the 
moral hazard this has caused, as the market quickly 
recoils into taper tantrums whenever the Fed tries to 
unwind its now over $7 trillion balance sheet.  
One cannot help but wonder if the market will ever 
be allowed to function on its own accord again. 

– 11 –

2020 Annual ReportOunces of Gold that One  
US Dollar can Purchase

s
e
c
n
u
O

0.06%

0.05%

0.04%

0.03%

0.02%

0.01%

1913

1923

1933

1943

1953

1963

1973

1983

1993

2003

2013

2020:
0.0005 oz.

While the Digital Revolution unleashed 
widespread deflation for many years, it is now 
becoming increasingly likely that the massive 
increases in our money supply, combined with the 
huge fiscal deficits and record amounts of public 
and private debt, will inevitably result in higher 
levels of inflation in the years ahead. Real estate 
is a total return investment. It generates both 
income and capital appreciation. In recommending 
gold as a hedge against potential large increases 

in the rate of inflation, legendary investor John 
Paulson recently warned that “There are periods 
of time when storing value is the most important 
investment consideration.” Like gold, real estate 
has historically represented a great store of 
value. Real estate has an excellent track record of 
protecting investors from the long-term corrosive 
effects of inflation. Because commercial real estate 
also generates income, we believe that high-quality 
properties can be a superior investment to gold. 

– 12 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation$0.68

$0.64

Dividends Per Share

$0.58

$0.57

$0.60

$0.70

$0.68

$0.66

$0.64

$0.62

$0.60

$0.58

$0.56

$0.54

$0.52

$0.50

1999

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

2019

2020

Speaking of income, having maintained or 
increased our common stock dividend for 
29 consecutive years and counting, Monmouth  
has one of the best dividend track records in  
the entire REIT sector. Our annual dividend yield 
as a multiple of the yield on the 10-year treasury 
note, is currently at historic highs. Normally this 
multiple is approximately 2.5 times. The ability  
to receive several years of treasury note income  
in one year of income from our common stock  
should represent compelling relative value.  

In addition, real estate provides inflation 
protection, while fixed income instruments do 
not. The strong financial position of our tenants, 
together with the mission-critical nature of our 
assets, has provided for high-quality, reliable 
income streams throughout many business cycles. 
Our dividend was one of the very few that was 
maintained throughout the Global Financial Crisis. 
It has been increased by 13% since then, and it has 
the potential to increase further. 

– 13 –

2020 Annual Report 
As destructive as the Pandemic has been, I shudder 
to think about how much worse things would 
be if we were still living in an analog world. The 
Digital Revolution made working remotely not 
only possible, but surprisingly productive. While 
a return to normalcy cannot happen soon enough, 
the Monmouth team truly went above and beyond 
the call of duty this year. 

To the team, I cannot thank you enough for keeping 
everything on track during such difficult times. 
Although we all had personal challenges this year, 
we remained focused on our mission and dedicated 
throughout. Please know that in the midst of so 
much adversity, I found your strength and courage 
to be inspiring. It will not be forgotten.

For you have also successfully guided UMH 
Properties with equal care. Having witnessed your 
commitment and dedication throughout my entire 
life, I couldn’t be more proud of you. 

To our Board of Directors, maintaining a long-term 
focus can become increasingly difficult in the 
high-speed frenetic trading environment in which 
we operate. However, when a Black Swan suddenly 
appears, and everything comes to a screeching halt, 
we once again see why a long-term focus should 
remain our only focus. Thank you for your deep 
understanding of the enduring value we have built. 
Monmouth is one of the oldest and most successful 
REITs in the world. You should all be proud of a job 
well done. 

To our Chairman and Founder, THANK YOU for 
getting us to where we are today. It is never easy as 
this year made abundantly clear. For 53 years your 
guidance has always been steady, your judgement 
has always been sound, and your vision has always 
been clear. Leading a successful public company 
for over five decades is quite a feat. Leading two 
of them is truly an extraordinary accomplishment. 

And to the Doctors, Nurses, Medical Technicians, 
Police, Firemen, Armed Forces, and all the heroic 
people who risk their lives on a daily basis in order 
to protect the people of this great Nation, it is 
especially important that you be recognized this 
year. May our gratitude loudly be heard far and wide, 
and may your nobility never be taken for granted.

– 14 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation“ The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” 

— William Gibson, Writer

Recognizing some of the lessons of the Global 
Pandemic of 2020 is not going to be easy. One 
of the lessons of this Black Swan event is that 
collectively, we fell into the mistaken belief that 
things were stronger than they truly were. Fragility 
is something we often prefer not to recognize, but 
it exists all around us. In fact, I would go so far as 
to say that everything is more fragile than we care 
to admit. 

Presently, America is deeply divided. Perhaps more 
so than at any time since the Civil War. There has 
been much social unrest and violence. Millions of 
people are trying to get by without good prospects 
for gainful employment. The direction things have 
taken is very sad indeed. 

Black Swans are out there, and by definition they 
always show up unannounced. Companies and 
entire industries can be more fragile than we 
would care to see. Because it can endure forever, 
real estate investment should be a long-term 
proposition. Ideally, find a good company that pays 
a safe and growing dividend and hold it forever. 
Monmouth, at its core, is a well-managed owner of 
high-quality American real estate. In a world filled 
with many interlocking fragilities, after 53 years of 
successful operations our resilience should be self-
evident. Besides, if the entire market becomes held 
by passive funds, who is going to read my letters? 

Wishing you all a healthy, happy, and prosperous 
New Year, and an especially bright future.

My observation is that for the most part, people 
will remain inherently optimistic. Optimism fuels 
our desire to be productive and make progress in 
whatever goals we seek. Clinging so dependently 
to our smartphone devices, searching fervently 
for answers, we remain eternally optimistic in our 
core belief, that we can make the future better 
than the past. 

Sincerely,

Michael P. Landy
President and Chief Executive Officer

– 15 –

2020 Annual Report 
Consistent Growth

Gross Assets

$2.122

$2.236 

$1.925

$1.616 

$1.379

$1.041

$2.4

$2.2

$2.0

$1.8

$1.6

$1.4

$1.2

$1.0

$0.8

$0.6

$0.4

$0.2

s
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$

FY 2015

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2018

FY 2019

FY 2020

Gross Revenue

$170

$178

$149

$120

$101

$81

$200

$175

$150

$125

$100

$75

$50

$25

s
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i

M
n

i

$

FY 2015

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2018

FY 2019

FY 2020

– 16 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation 
 
 
 
Capital Structure

Common 
Equity

Perpetual
Preferred
Equity

Debt

$2.548

$2.577

$2.705

$2.182

$1.788

$1.171

$3.0

$2.5

$2.0

$1.5

$1.0

$0.5

)
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T

FY 2015

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2018

FY 2019

FY 2020

Adjusted Funds from Operations

$0.87

$0.85

$0.78

$0.76

$0.70

$0.57

$0.90

$0.80

$0.70

$0.60

$0.50

$0.40

$0.30

$0.20

$0.10

e
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a
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S
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P
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F
F
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FY 2015

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2018

FY 2019

FY 2020

– 17 –

2020 Annual Report 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Property Locations

Monmouth’s property portfolio is 
exclusively located right here in the 
continental US. With over 70% of the 
US population residing east of the 
Mississippi River, Monmouth’s assets 
are clearly on the path of progress.  The 
recently expanded Panama Canal has 
resulted in America’s East Coast and 
Gulf Coast ports experiencing much 
higher growth rates than those on the 
West Coast. Our 24.5 million square 
foot industrial property portfolio is 
strategically very well positioned near 
major rail hubs, major seaports, major 
intermodal ports, international airports, 
interstate highways, and manufacturing 
plants that are integral to our tenants’ 
operations. Because business-friendly 
states tend to have greater population 
growth, better employment rates, and 
higher standards of living, this too is 
factored into our investment decision-
making process.

Number of Properties
121

Number of States 
31

Gross Leasable Area
24.5 million sf

Existing Properties (121): 

Future Acquisitions (4):

– 18 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation 
– 19 –

2020 Annual Report 
Featured Properties

FedEx Ground
Dallas, TX 
352,000 SF

Amazon
Indianapolis, IN 
616,000 SF

Home Depot 
Atlanta, GA 
658,000 SF

Shaw Industries
Savannah, GA 
832,000 SF

– 20 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment CorporationCoca-Cola
Phoenix, AZ 
283,500 SF

FedEx Ground
Charlotte, NC 
331,000 SF

Beam Suntory
Lexington, KY 
600,000 SF

UGN
Cincinnati, OH  
387,000 SF

– 21 –

2020 Annual ReportFeatured Properties (continued)

Ulta Beauty
Indianapolis, IN 
672,000 SF

Milwaukee Tool
Memphis, TN 
862,000 SF

FedEx Ground
Atlanta GA  
374,000 SF

International Paper 
Kansas City, KS 
280,000 SF

– 22 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment CorporationAmazon
Oklahoma City, OK 
300,000 SF

Best Buy
Cleveland, OH 
368,000 SF

B. Braun
Daytona Beach, FL 
400,000 SF

FedEx Ground
Indianapolis, IN 
328,000 SF

– 23 –

2020 Annual ReportLooking ahead at what the next sixty years might 
bring is too far into the future. The next cycle a 
decade away is difficult enough to predict. America 
does not have enough housing. We need better 
infrastructure. Where will we put our elderly and 
infirmed? Our mounting government debts will 
come due. Pensions must be paid. Labor will be in 
short supply. Opportunities will abound, providing 
we can overcome adversity.

Your Chairman has been in your service for fifty-
three years. Our team, headed by Michael Landy 
has created one of the finest industrial REITs 
around. We are very well-positioned to prosper in 
the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Eugene W. Landy
Founder and Chairman of the Board

Message from our Founder 
and Chairman:

This year marked the 60th anniversary of the 
enactment of legislation creating REITs. As one 
of the industry’s longest-active executives, the 
National Association of Real Estate Investment 
Trusts (Nareit), recently asked me to reflect on this 
milestone achievement. Nareit has been integral  
to the REIT industry’s longevity. They have guided  
our progress extremely well and helped the 
industry to evolve into the household brand we 
have become today.

For the first two decades, perhaps even more, most 
investor meetings involved lengthy explanations of 
what a REIT is. The path to our industry’s elevated 
status contained many stumbles. To name just a 
few, the REIT learning curve involved speculative 
construction mortgage REITs, real estate stapled to 
casinos and racetracks, as well as over-diversified 
REITs in which no management team could 
possibly have the various needed skills. A workable 
legal framework took decades to emerge. Yet even 
in the beginning, the industry had sound leadership 
which persevered and created the REIT financial 
enterprise now recognized the world over. 

For the creation of wealth, simply owning real 
estate is as good a method as any. However, every 
aspect can be, and often is, highly complex. People 
are the biggest asset in most situations including 
real estate. The REIT framework has allowed 
Monmouth to build the scale that can afford the 
best organization obtainable. 

Today, I am in awe of the insatiable appetite for 
capital that the US economy demands, and the 
wealth created when these capital demands are 
fulfilled. REITs provide well-managed pools of 
capital, which is always in demand. By turning an 
illiquid asset into a liquid one, the REIT industry 
has fulfilled its original goal of creating wealth for 
the individual investor. Monmouth’s total return 
to shareholders over the past two decades is over 
1,200%, making us one of the best performing 
REITs of all. 

– 24 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment CorporationIn Memory of

Gloria Sadoff  
Landy

August 12, 1933 – April 24, 2020

Social, Environmental, and Governance concerns 
have been our common concern for decades.

Gloria Landy’s public service, recognized by all, 
reflected our core values.

The Years That Bring The Philosophic Mind Are Here

And time’s evaluation is so different from this end

Arrayed to be reviewed, revisited, remembered

Which years left scars, which ones brought joy

Which etched themselves deepest into the soul

and which fleetingly evanesced,

weightless, inconsequential

though at the time they loomed determinant.

How long the past — how short the future

The timeline shrinks

Yet many things to do cry out for doing

Still no small syllabus has been compiled

Like Sysiphus I hauled the stone upon the mountain

so heavy for my slender back

and yet we reached the top and I climb down

unencumbered.

by Gloria Sadoff Landy

– 25 –

2020 Annual ReportFinancial Highlights
Financial 
Highlights

The following is a calendar yearend common stock review:
The following is a calendar yearend common stock review:

Year
Year

2020
2018

2019
2017

2018
2016

2017
2015

2016
2014

Share 
Share 
Volume
Volume

Opening 
Opening 
Price ($)
Price ($)

Closing 
Closing 
Price ($)
Price ($)

Dividend 
Dividend 
Paid ($)
Paid ($)

Appreciation 
Appreciation 
(Depreciation)
(Depreciation)

Total  
Total  
Return
Return

132,406,200 
114,711,400 

14.48
17.80

17.32
12.40

109,021,600
80,472,400

114,711,400
80,440,900

80,472,400
53,003,500

80,440,900
58,753,100

12.40
15.24

14.48
17.80
Final data to come
12.40
15.24

17.80
10.46

15.24
11.07

10.46
9.09

17.80
10.46

15.24
11.07

0.68
0.68

0.68
0.65

0.68
0.64

0.65
0.61

0.64
0.60

19.6%
-30.3%

25.6%
-26.4%

16.8%
16.8%

22.6%
21.9%

-30.3%
45.7%

-26.4%
53.5%

16.8%
-5.5%

45.7%
21.8%

21.9%
0.3%

53.5%
29.2%

The shares of common stock of Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation are traded on the New York 
The shares of common stock of Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation are traded on the New York 
Stock Exchange (NYSE:MNR).
Stock Exchange (NYSE:MNR).

The following is a 5-year dividend payment and Core FFO analysis:
The following is a 5-year dividend payment and Core FFO analysis:
Fiscal Year Ended September 30
Fiscal Year Ended September 30

Core Funds From Operations ($)
Core Funds From Operations ($)

Dividends Per Share ($)
Dividends Per Share ($)

2020
2019

2019
2018

2018
2017

2017
2016

2016
2015

 78,482,752 
 81,196,801 

 81,196,801 
 69,841,849 

 69,841,849 
 57,088,302 

 57,088,302 
 50,270,633 

 50,270,633 
 35,276,535 

0.68
0.68

0.68
0.68

0.68
0.64

0.64
0.64

0.64
0.60

– 26 –

Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation– 27 –

2020 Annual ReportMonmouth 2018 Annual Report 

  022297 

  MNR_AR20_Cover_v2 

  01/11/21 

  page 6

Directors

Kiernan Conway
Principal and Research Director 
of Red-Shoe Economics, LLC and 
Chief Economist for the CCIM Institute

Daniel D. Cronheim
Attorney-at-Law 
President 
David Cronheim Mortgage Corp.

Catherine B. Elflein
Principal of Angus Risk  
Consulting, LLC

Brian H. Haimm
Chief Financial Officer of  
Opal Holdings, LLC

Eugene W. Landy
Founder and Chairman of  
the Board

Neal Herstik
Attorney-at-Law 
Gross, Truss & Herstik, PC

Michael P. Landy
President and Chief Executive  
Officer

Kevin S. Miller
Chief Financial and Accounting  
Officer, and Treasurer

Gregory T. Otto
Chief Strategy Officer 
Seabury Maritime, LLC

Matthew I. Hirsch
Attorney-at-Law 
Law Office of Matthew I. Hirsch

Samuel A. Landy
Attorney-at-Law, President and 
Chief Executive Officer 
UMH Properties, Inc.

Sonal Pande
Assistant Dean for Alumni Relations 
and Fundraising, New York University —
School of Professional Studies

Scott L. Robinson
Managing Director 
Oberon Securities

Officers and Management

Eugene W. Landy
Founder and Chairman of  
the Board

Michael P. Landy
President and  
Chief Executive Officer

Kevin S. Miller
Chief Financial and Accounting Officer, 
and Treasurer

Michael D. Prashad
General Counsel

Richard Molke
Vice President of Asset Management

Becky G. Coleridge
Vice President of Investor Relations

Allison Viscardi
Vice President of  
Property Management

Ashley Tripodi
Property Manager

Katie Rytter
Controller

Laura Teman
Assistant Controller

Matthew R. Santonocito
Information Technology Manager

Ayaris Drouet
Administrative Assistant

Crystal Glas
Executive Assistant

Yulia Hatch
Senior Accountant

Corporate Information

Corporate Office
Bell Works 
101 Crawfords Corner Road 
Suite 1405 
Holmdel, NJ 07733

Independent Auditors
PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP 
665 Fifth Avenue 
New York, NY 10022

Transfer Agent &  
Registrar
American Stock Transfer 
& Trust Company 
6201 15th Avenue 
Brooklyn, NY 11219

Common Stock Listing
NYSE: MNR

www.mreic.reit

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Monmouth 2018 Annual Report 

  022297 

  MNR_AR20_Cover_v2 

  01/11/21 

  page 1

Monmouth Real Estate  
Investment Corporation

A Public REIT Since 1968

NYSE: MNR

www.mreic.reit

Bell Works 
101 Crawfords Corner Road, Suite 1405 
Holmdel, New Jersey 07733 
732.577.9996

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