Item 8.01 Other Events
Letter to Stockholders
On January 31, 2020, RW Holdings NNN REIT, Inc. (the “Company”) sent a letter to its stockholders announcing an estimated per share net asset value (“NAV”) of the Company’s common stock of
$10.27, discussed in greater detail below. A copy of the letter is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
Determination of Estimated Per Share Value
Overview
On January 31, 2020, the audit committee of the Company’s board of directors recommended, and the board of directors unanimously approved and established, an estimated per
share NAV of the Company’s Class C and Class S common stock of $10.27 based on an estimated market value of the Company’s assets less the estimated market value of the Company’s liabilities, divided by the number of fully-diluted Class C and Class
S shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019. There have been no material changes between December 31, 2019 and the date of this filing that would impact the overall estimated per share NAV. The estimated per share NAV as of December 31, 2019 will
first appear on investor dashboards on February 1, 2020. This is the third time that the board of directors has determined an estimated per share NAV of the Company’s common stock. The board of directors previously determined an estimated per share
NAV of the Company’s common stock of $10.16 as of December 31, 2018 and $10.05 as of December 31, 2017. The Company intends to continue to publish an updated estimated per share NAV on at least an annual basis.
Process
The audit committee of our board of directors, composed solely of three of our non-employee directors, is responsible for the oversight of the valuation process used to
determine the estimated NAV per share of our common stock, including oversight of the valuation processes and methodologies used to determine our estimated NAV per share, the consistency of the valuation methodologies with real estate industry
standards and practices and the reasonableness of the assumptions used in the valuations and appraisals. In determining the estimated NAV of our shares, our audit committee and board of directors considered information and analysis, including
valuation materials that were provided by Cushman & Wakefield Western, Inc. (“Cushman & Wakefield”) and information provided by management. Cushman & Wakefield is an independent third-party real estate advisory and consulting firm that
was engaged by us to develop an estimate of the fair value of the Company. Cushman & Wakefield developed an opinion of fair value of the real estate assets and real estate related liabilities associated with the Company’s properties. The
valuation was performed in accordance with the provisions of the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives Practice Guideline 2013-01, Valuations of Publicly Registered Non-Listed REITs.
Cushman & Wakefield’s scope of work was conducted in conformity with the requirements of the Code of Professional Ethics and Standards of Professional Practice of the
Appraisal Institute. Several members of the Cushman & Wakefield engagement team who certified the methodologies and assumptions applied by us hold a Member of Appraisal Institute (“MAI”) designation. Other than its engagement as described
herein and its previous engagements with the Company and Rich Uncles Real Estate Investment Trust I (“REIT I”) in connection with the determination of the estimated per share NAV of the Company’s and REIT I’s common stock as of December 31, 2017
and December 31, 2018, Cushman & Wakefield does not have any direct interests in any transaction with us and has not performed any services for us other than Asset Allocation services pursuant to Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business (ASU No. 2017-01) and Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 805, Business Combinations (ASC Topic 805) and the Real Estate
Financial Advisor Services they provided on behalf of REIT I in connection with REIT I’s merger with the Company on December 31, 2019.
The materials provided by Cushman & Wakefield included a range of NAV of our shares, and the audit committee of our board of directors believes that the use of the
“Valuation Methodology,” as discussed below, as the primary or sole indicator of value has become widely accepted as a best practice in the valuation of non-listed REIT shares, and therefore the audit committee and our board of directors determined
to use the Valuation Methodology in establishing the estimated per share NAV. This Valuation Methodology is consistent with the Net Asset Value Calculation and Valuation Procedures adopted by the board of directors, including a majority of our
independent directors. Based on these considerations, the audit committee recommended that our board of directors establish an estimated value of our Class C and Class S common stock, as of December 31, 2019, of $10.27 per share, which estimated
value was within the $9.76 to $11.12 per share valuation range calculated by Cushman & Wakefield using the Valuation Methodology. The board of directors unanimously agreed to accept the recommendation of the audit committee and approved $10.27
as the estimated NAV per share of our Class C and Class S common stock. Our board of directors is ultimately and solely responsible for the establishment of the per share estimated value.
Valuation Methodology
In preparing its valuation materials and in reaching its conclusions as to the reasonableness of the methodologies and assumptions used by the Company to value its assets,
Cushman & Wakefield, among other things:
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investigated numerous sales in the properties’ relevant markets, analyzed rental data and considered the input of buyers, sellers, brokers, property developers and public officials;
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reviewed and relied upon Company-provided data regarding the size, year built, construction quality and construction type of the properties in order to understand the characteristics of the existing improvements and
underlying land;
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reviewed and relied upon Company-provided balance sheet items such as cash and other assets, as well as debt and other liabilities;
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relied upon a third-party valuation of the advisory business that the Company acquired from BrixInvest, LLC on December 31, 2019, including the valuation of goodwill and intangibles;
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researched the market by means of publications, public and private databases and other resources to measure current market conditions, supply and demand factors, and growth patterns and their effect on the properties;
and
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performed such other analyses and studies, and considered such other factors, as Cushman & Wakefield considered appropriate.
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Cushman & Wakefield utilized two approaches in valuing the Company’s real estate assets that are commonly used in the commercial real estate industry. The following is
a summary of the NAV Methodology and the valuation approaches used by Cushman & Wakefield:
NAV Methodology - The NAV Methodology determines the value of the Company by determining the estimated market value of the
Company’s entity level assets, including real estate assets, and subtracting the market value of its entity level liabilities, including its debt. The materials provided by Cushman & Wakefield to estimate the value of the real estate assets
were prepared using discrete estimations of “as is” market valuations for each of the properties in the Company’s portfolio using the income capitalization approach as the primary indicator of value and the sales comparison approach as a secondary
approach to value, as discussed in greater detail below. Cushman & Wakefield also estimated the fair value of the Company’s real estate related debt. Cushman & Wakefield then added the non-real estate related assets and subtracted non-real
estate related liabilities. The resulting amount, which is the estimated NAV of the portfolio, is divided by the number of fully-diluted shares of Class C and Class S common stock outstanding to determine the estimated per share NAV.
Determination of Estimated Market Value of the Company’s Real Estate Assets Under the NAV Methodology
Income Capitalization Approach - The income capitalization approach first determines the income-producing capacity of a property by
using contract rents on existing leases and by estimating market rent from rental activity at competing properties for the vacant space. Deductions are then made for vacancy and collection loss and operating expenses. The net operating income
(“NOI”) developed in Cushman & Wakefield’s analysis is the balance of potential income remaining after vacancy and collection loss and operating expenses. This NOI was then capitalized at an appropriate rate to derive an estimate of value (the
“Direct Capitalization Method”) or discounted by an appropriate yield rate over a typical projection period in a discounted cash flow analysis (the “DCF Method”). Thus, two key steps were involved: (1) estimating the NOI applicable to the subject
property and (2) choosing appropriate capitalization rates and discount rates.
The following summarizes the range of capitalization rates Cushman & Wakefield used to arrive at the estimated market values of our properties valued using the DCF
Method:
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Range
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Weighted-Average
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Capitalization Rate
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5.50% to 8.00%
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6.92%
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The capitalization rate was weighted based on NOI. An increase in the selected capitalization rate of 0.25% would result in a decrease in net asset value of approximately $15,400,000.
A decrease in the selected capitalization rate of 0.25% would result in an increase in net asset value of approximately $16,700,000.
Sales Comparison Approach - The sales comparison approach estimates value based on what other purchasers and sellers in the market
have agreed to as the price for comparable improved properties. This approach is based upon the principle of substitution, which states that the limits of prices, rents, and rates tend to be set by the prevailing prices, rents, and rates of equally
desirable substitutes.
Utilizing the NAV Methodology, including use of the two approaches to value the Company’s real estate assets noted above, when divided by the 27.4 million fully-diluted
shares of the Company’s Class C and Class S common stock outstanding on December 31, 2019, Cushman & Wakefield determined a valuation range of $9.76 to $11.12 per share.
Cushman & Wakefield prepared and provided to the Company a report containing, among other information, the range of net asset values for the Company’s Class C and Class
S common stock as of December 31, 2019 (the “Valuation Report”). On January 28, 2020, the audit committee of our board of directors and all of the other members of the board of directors conferred with Cushman & Wakefield regarding the
methodologies and assumptions used in the Valuation Report. On January 31, 2020, the audit committee of our board of directors recommended, and our board of directors unanimously approved, an estimated per share NAV of the Company’s Class C and
Class S common stock, as of December 31, 2019, of $10.27 per share.
The table below sets forth the calculation of the Company’s estimated per share NAV as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:
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December 31, 2019
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December 31, 2018
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Estimated
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Estimated
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Estimated Value
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Per Share NAV
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Estimated Value
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Per Share NAV
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Real estate properties
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$
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420,455,905
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$
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15.34
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$
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241,541,137
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$
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18.64
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Investment in unconsolidated entities:
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Santa Clara property tenant-in-common interest
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13,912,063
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0.51
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13,125,847
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1.01
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REIT I
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—
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—
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4,347,510
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0.34
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Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
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6,681,151
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0.24
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8,584,335
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0.66
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Goodwill
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50,588,000
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1.85
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—
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—
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Intangibles
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7,700,000
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0.28
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—
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—
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Other assets
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7,357,889
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0.27
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1,925,802
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0.15
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Total assets
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506,695,008
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18.49
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269,524,631
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20.80
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Mortgage notes payable
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200,535,334
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7.32
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121,503,181
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9.38
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Unsecured credit facility
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7,740,000
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0.28
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9,000,000
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0.69
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Other notes payable
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5,430,819
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0.20
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—
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—
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Accrued interest payable
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1,690,104
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0.06
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445,181
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0.03
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Other liabilities
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9,904,914
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0.36
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6,863,722
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0.54
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Total liabilities
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225,301,171
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8.22
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137,812,084
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10.64
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Total estimated net asset value
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$
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281,393,837
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$
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10.27
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$
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131,712,547
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$
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10.16
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Fully-diluted shares outstanding
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27,403,964
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(a)
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12,960,889
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(a) Fully-diluted shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019 includes 3,569,893 shares that would result from conversion of 657,949.5 units of Class M limited partnership interests of RW
Holdings NNN REIT Operating Partnership, LP (“Class M OP Units”) and 56,029 units of Class P limited partnership interests of RW Holdings NNN REIT Operating Partnership, LP (“Class P OP Units”) assuming a conversion ratio of five shares of the
Company’s Class C common stock for each Class M OP Unit and Class P OP Unit outstanding.
Exclusions from Estimated NAV
The estimated share value approved by the board of directors does not reflect any “portfolio premium,” nor does it reflect an enterprise value of the Company, which may
include a premium or discount to NAV for:
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the size of the Company’s portfolio as some buyers may pay more for a portfolio compared to prices for individual investments;
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the overall geographic and tenant diversity of the portfolio as a whole;
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the characteristics of the Company’s working capital, leverage, credit facilities and other financial structures where some buyers may ascribe different values based on synergies, cost savings or other attributes;
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certain third-party transaction or other expenses that would be necessary to realize the value; or
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the potential difference in per share value if the Company were to list its shares of common stock on a national securities exchange.
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Limitations of the Estimated Share Value
As with any valuation methodology, the NAV Methodology used by the board of directors in reaching an estimate of the value of the Company’s shares is based upon a number of
estimates, assumptions, judgments and opinions that may, or may not, prove to be correct. The use of different valuation methods, estimates, assumptions, judgments or opinions may have resulted in significantly different estimates of the value of
the Company’s shares. In addition, the board of directors’ estimate of share value is not based on the book values of the Company’s real estate, as determined by generally accepted accounting principles, as the Company’s book value for most real
estate is based on the amortized cost of the property, subject to certain adjustments.