PGIM Real Estate completed more than €11.3bn ($14bn) in transactions worldwide in 2017 on behalf of institutional investors, including investments in real estate equity and debt and property dispositions.
Highlights include:
· More than €6.5bn ($8bn) through 115 U.S. transactions
· More than €2.4 ($3bn) through 61 Europe transactions
· More than €1.6bn ($2bn) through 17 transactions across Asia Pacific, primarily in Japan, Singapore and Australia
· More than €566.6m ($700m) through 19 Latin America transactions, primarily in Mexico
· More than €404.7m ($500m) invested through debt strategies, primarily across the U.K. and the U.S.
“PGIM Real Estate’s 2017 transactions reflect our ability to look beyond the cycle to assess value in a long-term context. We successfully identified attractive income streams and areas of market dislocation to deliver target returns for our clients via growth-driven, value-driven and cyclical opportunities around the world,” said Eric Adler, Chief Executive Officer of PGIM Real Estate.“While the investment environment remains favourable, real estate performance continues to vary considerably across sectors, regions and markets. As investors move cautiously up the risk curve in search of more compelling risk-adjusted returns, we will employ our disciplined investment approach to capitalize on the resulting global opportunities. These include supply-constrained markets and non-traditional real estate sectors with structural growth potential, as well as debt investments that can offer some protection behind a first loss position. We will also continue to selectively sell stabilized, non-strategic properties.”
Americas
In the United States, PGIM Real Estate continued to focus primarily on high-barrier markets, as well as higher-yielding secondary assets and markets, to reach nearly €3.2bn ($4bn) of acquisitions. About two-thirds of its acquisitions activity targeted the multifamily sector, consistent with the company’s expectations that job growth and demographic trends will continue to fuel growth in apartment rentals. PGIM Real Estate was a net seller of office assets, with more than €1.6bn ($2bn) in dispositions. In addition, PGIM Real Estate provided more than €80.9m ($100m) in financing, including preferred equity, core plus and mezzanine debt.
In Latin America, transactions were mostly industrial acquisitions in the central area of Mexico, the Bajío region, Monterrey and the northern state of Chihuahua.
Europe
In Europe, the U.K. and Germany accounted for the majority of transactions activity, which was 15% higher than in 2016. Most of the 61 European acquisitions targeted the office and hospitality sectors, as PGIM Real Estate continued to focus on value-add opportunities in major markets, along with capitalizing on major structural trends in alternative sectors.
In addition, PGIM Real Estate provided approximately €291.4m ($360m) in financing across 11 transactions, primarily in the U.K. Transactions included whole and junior loans, and mezzanine and preferred equity positions in development and existing assets. Sectors included traditional residential, student housing, office, retail, industrial, mixed-use schemes and hotels.
Asia Pacific
In Asia-Pacific, transactions doubled compared with 2016, with a clear focus on major cities in Japan, followed by Singapore and Australia. The office, retail and industrial sectors accounted for the majority of transactions as PGIM Real Estate focused on enhanced-return opportunities in smaller markets and sought to capitalize on limited supply in previously underperforming markets.
