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Prologis
Annual Report 2016

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FY2016 Annual Report · Prologis
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ANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

SETTING 
THE STANDARD

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CHAIRMAN’S VIDEOANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

IMAGE FPO

SETTING  
THE STANDARD

Prologis is the global leader in logistics  
real estate.

We own, manage and develop high-quality properties in the 
world’s most vibrant centers of commerce. Customers turn 
to us because they know an efficient supply chain will make 
their businesses run better, and that a strategic relationship 

with Prologis will create competitive advantage.

Prologis Torrance Distribution Center, Torrance, California.

97.1%

Portfolio occupancy 
at the end of 2016

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CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

SIMPLIFYING  
THE BUSINESS

The process of streamlining our business  
since our transformative merger six years  
ago is now complete. 

After combining ProLogis and AMB in 2011, we embarked 

on a multi-year plan to lay the foundation of the new 

company. We realigned the portfolio to concentrate on 

fewer, but more strategic, locations. We improved our asset 

utilization and captured the significant recovery in rents 

that began when the Great Recession ended. We reduced 

the size of our land bank, as well as the number of funds 

we manage through our Strategic Capital business. We 

achieved a more efficient organization by leveraging our 

scale to drive earnings and we strengthened our financial 

position. We now have one of the premier balance sheets in 

the REIT industry. 

Prologis team members, San Francisco, California.

Ratings upgrade

A3Moody’s

Baa1

A-
BBB+

S&P

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CHAIRMAN’S VIDEOANNUAL REPORT 2016

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

Prologis Park Osaka 5, Osaka, Japan

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

BUILDING WHERE  
THE ACTION IS

Land in strategic locations + Build-to-last 
development = Superior value creation. 

In the recent recovery phase of the U.S. market, rising tides 

have lifted all boats. In the next phase, location and quality 

will matter much more. Thanks to our purposeful location 

and development strategies, our portfolio has a meaningful 

performance advantage in many global and regional markets. 

The markets in which we operate are where the action  

is today and we are building where it’s going tomorrow.  

We continuously assess markets, locations and facilities 

to ensure that we are in the best position to enable the 

movement of the world’s goods to the world’s consumers. 

Prologis Park Osaka 5, Osaka, Japan.

99%

Of our portfolio  
is in global and 
regional markets

86%

Of our new development 
starts in 2016 were in 
global markets

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CHAIRMAN’S VIDEOANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

LEADING THE  
WAY FORWARD

Through innovation that is relevant to all 
stakeholders, we are leading our industry.

We constantly search out new ways to create value for 
our customers and investors. Yesterday’s results aren’t 
good enough for tomorrow. Through innovation that is 
relevant to stakeholders, we are leading the way forward. 
Our next “first” is around the corner. We gather ideas and 
take inspiration from a wide range of sources, including 
customers, other industries and each other to uncover new 
innovations. In 2016, we announced the construction of 
the first U.S. multi-story distribution centers, in Seattle and 
San Francisco. We are looking at ways to provide analytics 
to make smarter decisions and help our customers move 
faster. We will continue to deliver valuable innovations  
to our industry. 

Solar panel installation at Prologis Rialto I-210 Distribution Center, Rialto, California.

53

Multi-Story Facilities in China and 
Japan with more soon in Seattle 
and San Francisco 

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CHAIRMAN’S VIDEOANNUAL REPORT 2016
ANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER
SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

SHAREHOLDERS 
LETTER

Dear Fellow Shareholders,

At Prologis, 2016 was an extraordinary year by virtually every 
metric we track. A combination of factors worked in our favor. 
The markets in which we operate were healthy, our business 
strategy continued to succeed and our teams executed to 
their objectives. As a result, our operations posted records 
across the board. Core FFO grew 15 percent from 2015, and 
the healthy environment helped push our portfolio occupancy 
above 97 percent at the end of the year and supported global 
rent change on rollover of 17 percent.

We worked hard last year to position our portfolio for 
success. This success can be ascribed in large part to the 
confluence of consumption and the favorable underlying 
dynamics of supply and demand. Rapidly growing 
e-commerce is just one of the many factors driving 
consumption-related logistics. In addition, industries linked 
to the U.S. housing market, like construction and home 
goods, continued to recover in 2016 and we expect more 
growth in 2017.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER
SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

Financial and Operational Achievements 

Our total shareholder return in 2016 was 27.3 percent, including 
dividends, far outpacing the returns of the sector as measured 
by the REIT index (RMZ), at 8.6 percent. In 2016, demand for 
logistics real estate—and more specifically demand for our 
best-in-class properties in high-barrier markets—remained  
high while supply was tight. Of note:

•  For the full year, we leased more than 180 million square feet. 

•  Prologis closed 2016 with its highest-ever occupancy  

of 97.1 percent, up slightly from the 2015 year-end level  
of 96.9 percent.

•  Our primary financial performance metric, core FFO, was 
$2.57 per share for the year—an increase of 15.0 percent  
over 2015 and consistent with our three-year CAGR of  
15.9 percent.

•  With virtually all of our space spoken for, we have focused 
on rent growth as the primary way to increase earnings. In 
2016, global rent change on rollover was 13.8 percent. In the 
Americas, which accounts for 73 percent of our net operating 
income, the increase was 21.5 percent—an all-time high.

•  Growth in same store net operating income was 5.6 percent 

for the full year.

The right space in the right 
location is the key to helping  
our customers simplify the 
complex task of managing the 
flow of goods around the world.

These metrics speak to a healthy, well-designed business  
able to withstand changes in the market and geopolitical 
surprises in our world. We have worked hard to build a 
responsive business that operates effectively at scale, and have 
found new ways to work with our customers in a deeper, more 
strategic way. We know that having the right space in the right 
location is the key to helping our customers meet the demands 
of growing consumption across the globe. 

Portfolio occupancy  
at the end of 2016

97.1%

Prologis Park Basildon, Essex, UK.

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CHAIRMAN’S VIDEOANNUAL REPORT 2016
ANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER
SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

Balance Sheet

We ended 2016 with our balance sheet in the best shape in 
our company’s history and achieved our objective of building 
one of the strongest in the REIT sector. When Moody’s 
and Standard & Poor’s upgraded our debt ratings to A3 and 
A-, respectively, they acknowledged our prudent financial 
management and strong balance sheet. These upgrades, 
which make us one of the few REITs with an A-level credit 
rating, are much more than a symbolic accomplishment.  
They allow us to access capital at a lower cost than 
our competitors.

In 2016, our key balance sheet  
accomplishments included:

• 

In the first quarter, we fully retired the short-term 
borrowings we took on to finance the 2015 acquisition, 
through our joint venture with Norges, of the $5.9 billion 
KTR Capital Partners portfolio. 

•  At the end of the year, Prologis enjoyed its highest-ever 

level of liquidity—$4.0 billion. This liquidity gives us options 
to fund future growth. We are well-positioned to self-fund 
our future capital deployment activities.

•  Leverage fell from 38.4 percent at the end of 2015 to under 
34.6 percent at the end of 2016. The ratio of debt-to-EBITDA 
is at a highly manageable 4.7, down from 5.6 last year.

In 2016, we raised new funds for our Strategic Capital 
business, where we manage targeted real estate investments 
for our private and public investors. Reflecting strong investor 
support for our eleven funds, we raised more than $1.6 billion 
in our Strategic Capital business.

Our ventures are outperforming, well-capitalized and built 
for the long term. More than 95 percent of the assets under 
management in our Strategic Capital business reside in 
long-life vehicles aligned along the common goals we share 
with our partners for achieving strong risk-adjusted returns. 
In 2016, we generated nearly $80 million in net promotes—
another record.

Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s 
upgraded our debt ratings to  
A3 and A-.

Capital Deployment

In 2016, we developed new logistics real estate in our  
target markets and disposed of assets that no longer align 
with our long-term location strategy. Through thoughtful 
capital deployment, we’re deepening our presence in  
key global markets with large populations and high— 
and growing—consumption. 

Overall, development volume remained steady in 2016. We 
stabilized projects valued at $2.2 billion with an estimated 
value creation of $571 million. Of these, 85 percent were 
in global markets and more than 41 percent were build-
to-suits. Three-quarters of the build-to-suit projects were 
constructed for repeat customers like Amazon, BMW and 
Kimberly-Clark. Their desire for multiple engagements with 
us is a testament to our ability to respond to customers’ 
business-critical priorities around the world.

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CHAIRMAN’S VIDEOANNUAL REPORT 2016
ANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER
SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

Sustainability

Looking Ahead

Prologis Park Pharr Bridge, Reynosa, Mexico.

We are accountable—to our customers, shareholders, 
employees and all other stakeholders. At Prologis, we are 
held accountable for operating efficiently and demonstrating 
responsible citizenship toward the environment and the 
communities in which we live and work. 

Efficient buildings cost less to operate, saving money for 
customers and generating value for investors. We are in this 
business for the long term, so building performance matters 
to us. For the ninth straight year, we were named to the 
Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. 

In 2016, we launched an LED standard and continued our 
years-long effort to install energy-efficient lighting in our 
buildings, which can now be found in 78 percent of our global 
operating portfolio. We continued to place solar panels on the 
roofs of our buildings, pushing the total generating capacity  
of our operating portfolio above 165 megawatts. Among  
non-solar companies in the U.S., only Walmart and Target  
have more solar-generating capacity on their rooftops.

We’re proud of our 2016 results—they speak to our  
diligence and focus on operations and to the simplification  
of our balance sheet. Still, it’s natural for investors to ask  
what we will do for an encore in 2017 and beyond. To answer 
this, I’d like to first provide some recent historical context.

It has been almost six years since we closed the merger 
between ProLogis and AMB. Our initial focus was to integrate 
the two companies and deliver on our promised synergies. 
Shortly thereafter, we announced a 10-quarter plan to realign  
our portfolio, monetize our land bank, rationalize our strategic 
capital business, strengthen our balance sheet and invest in 
technology to make our teams more productive. We met or 
exceeded that plan’s objectives almost a year ahead of schedule.

We are at the cusp of yet another 
important market transition.

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CHAIRMAN’S VIDEOANNUAL REPORT 2016
ANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER
SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

Growth in rents will be more 
sustainable in the current cycle 
than in past cycles.

In December 2013, we announced Vision 2016, our strategic 
plan to capitalize on what we saw as a significant recovery 
in rental rates following the sharp decline during the Global 
Financial Crisis. The fourth quarter represented the culmination 
of Vision 2016, and we exceeded most of the goals outlined in 
that plan.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2017 and beyond, I believe we 
are at the cusp of yet another important market transition— 
to a phase for which Prologis is ideally positioned. 

In the next phase of the U.S. market, location and quality will 
matter even more, and there will be meaningful performance 
differentiation within the U.S. logistics markets. 

In continental Europe, the macroeconomic recovery began 
about three years after it began in the U.S. Market rent growth 
is only now gaining momentum in Europe. We believe Europe 
will further extend the growth cycle for our company as its 
recovery picks up steam. What has been a headwind for us 
will become a tailwind for several more years.

There is a significant embedded rental upside in most industrial 
portfolios because in-place leases carry rents below current 
market rates. In our portfolio, the average lease is under the 
market rate by about 12 percent overall, and by 15 percent in 
the Americas. We acknowledge, however, that the easy part of 
the cycle is behind us. Market rental growth going forward will 
moderate, starting this year. Because of the embedded rental 

upside in our portfolio, however, our same store growth will 
remain predictably strong into the foreseeable future—probably 
well beyond 2019—and especially in large markets with high 
barriers to entry.  

The development of new supply remains disciplined. As a 
result, growth in rents will be more sustainable in the current 
cycle than in past cycles. In this environment, it will be more 
important than ever to be closer to key customers and to  
offer them the smartest real estate solutions.

Our heightened focus on customer experience, technology 
designed to streamline operations and advanced data analytics 
application will help to further simplify our business, get us even 
closer to our customers and make us faster, smarter and better. 
We’re already seeing tangible results. I will elaborate more in 
next year’s shareholder letter.

Conclusion

Last year was a landmark year for the industry and Prologis, 
but there is more work to be done to extend our competitive 
advantage. In addition, we acknowledge there is a new 
geopolitical landscape with which to contend. I’m looking 
forward to 2017 and the coming years with optimism.  
As I conclude this letter, I want to mention our employees.  
If not for the diligence and commitment they show every 
day, and across many time zones, our success would not  
be possible. Together with you, our shareholders, all of us  
at Prologis look forward to several years of profitable growth.

Hamid R. Moghadam
 Chairman and CEO

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CHAIRMAN’S VIDEOANNUAL REPORT 2016
ANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

LEADERSHIP

Senior Officers

Standing in order of appearance from left to right:

Michael S. Curless
Chief Investment Officer
Click to read bio

Edward S. Nekritz
Chief Legal Officer and  
General Counsel 
Click to read bio

Seated in order of appearance from left to right:

Diana L. Scott
Chief Human Resources Officer
Click to read bio

Thomas S. Olinger
Chief Financial Officer
Click to read bio

Gary E. Anderson
Chief Executive Officer,  
Europe and Asia
Click to read bio

Hamid R. Moghadam
Chairman of the Board of Directors 
and Chief Executive Officer
Click to read bio

Eugene F. Reilly
Chief Executive Officer,  
The Americas
Click to read bio

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CHAIRMAN’S VIDEOANNUAL REPORT 2016
ANNUAL REPORT 2016

CHAIRMAN’S 
VIDEO

SHAREHOLDERS LETTER

LEADERSHIP

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 

FINANCIAL 
HIGHLIGHTS

Assets Under Management
(in billions)

Revenue Summary
(in millions)

Value Creation
(in millions)

At a Glance

Prologis LAX Cargo Center, Los Angeles, California.

‘16

‘15

$66.0

$59.5

‘14

$52.8

$2,533

$2,197

$1,761

$365

$699

$273

Adjusted EBITDA
(in millions)

Core FFO
(per diluted share)

Dividends per Common Share
(unit)

‘16

$2,223

‘15

$1,936

‘14

$1,630

$2.57

$2.23

$1.88

$1.68

$1.52

$1.32

Loan-to-Value1

Debt-to-EBITDA

Fixed Charge Coverage2

‘16

34.6%

‘15

38.4%

‘14

36.5%

4.72x

6.01x

6.13x

5.75x

4.43x

3.49x

Financial and operating results in 2016 exceeded expectations 
and reflected outstanding execution by the team and favorable 
market conditions. Core FFO grew 15% year-over-year, 
occupancy reached a record 97.1% and rent change on lease 
rollover was 17%. We enter 2017 with a simplified business, 
record occupancy levels and an “A-” rated balance sheet. We 
are positioned better than ever to navigate a broad spectrum 
of economic scenarios.

Please see Prologis’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, and our 
4Q16 earnings supplemental for additional detail regarding the financial information presented in this 
annual report and definitions and reconciliations of non-GAAP measurements, such as Core FFO, GAAP 
same store NOI and adjusted EBITDA. Regarding securities ratings presented, such ratings are not 
recommendations to buy, sell or hold securities and are subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by 
the rating organizations.

 1 LTV is defined as the mortgage value of a property divided by the appraised value of the property.

 2   This figure essentially represents how many times our interest payments (Fixed Charges) could be 

paid (or “covered”) from our cash flow. Fixed Charge Coverage is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided 
by total fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of net interest expense adjusted for amortization of 
finance costs and debt discount (premium), capitalized interest and preferred stock dividends.

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