Highwoods Properties - 10-K annual report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

FORM 10-K

HIGHWOODS PROPERTIES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

HIGHWOODS REALTY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

3100 Smoketree Court, Suite 600

Raleigh, NC 27604

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

919-872-4924

(Registrants’ telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of ‘large accelerated filer,’ ‘accelerated filer’ and ‘smaller reporting company’ in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act.

Highwoods Properties, Inc.

 

Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act).

There is no public trading market for the Common Units of Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership. As a result, an aggregate market value of the Common Units of Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership cannot be determined.

We refer to Highwoods Properties, Inc. as the “Company,” Highwoods Realty Limited Partnership as the “Operating Partnership,” the Company’s common stock as “Common Stock” or “Common Shares,” the Company’s preferred stock as “Preferred Stock” or “Preferred Shares,” the Operating Partnership’s common partnership interests as “Common Units” and the Operating Partnership’s preferred partnership interests as “Preferred Units." References to “we” and “our” mean the Company and the Operating Partnership, collectively, unless the context indicates otherwise.

The Company conducts its activities through the Operating Partnership and is its sole general partner. The partnership agreement provides that the Operating Partnership will assume and pay when due, or reimburse the Company for payment of, all costs and expenses relating to the ownership and operations of, or for the benefit of, the Operating Partnership. The partnership agreement further provides that all expenses of the Company are deemed to be incurred for the benefit of the Operating Partnership.

To help investors understand the significant differences between the Company and the Operating Partnership, this report presents the following separate sections for each of the Company and the Operating Partnership:

General

Highwoods Properties, Inc., headquartered in Raleigh, is a publicly-traded real estate investment trust ("REIT"). The Company is a fully integrated office REIT that owns, develops, acquires, leases and manages properties primarily in the best business districts (BBDs) of Atlanta, Greensboro, Memphis, Nashville, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Richmond and Tampa. Our Common Stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "HIW."

 

The Company was incorporated in Maryland in 1994. The Operating Partnership was formed in North Carolina in 1994. Our executive offices are located at 3100 Smoketree Court, Suite 600, Raleigh, NC 27604, and our telephone number is (919) 872-4924.

 

Our website is www.highwoods.com. In addition to this Annual Report, all quarterly and current reports, proxy statements, interactive data and other information are made available, without charge, on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed or furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The information on our website does not constitute part of this Annual Report. Reports filed or furnished with the SEC may also be viewed at www.sec.gov or obtained at the SEC's public reference facilities. Please call the SEC at (800) 732-0330 for further information about the public reference facilities.

 

 

Our Strategic Plan focuses on:

 

 

 

 

Our properties compete for customers with similar properties located in our markets primarily on the basis of location, rent, services provided and the design, quality and condition of the facilities. We also compete with other domestic and foreign REITs, financial institutions, pension funds, partnerships, individual investors and others when attempting to acquire, develop and operate properties.

 

 

An investment in our securities involves various risks. Investors should carefully consider the following risk factors in conjunction with the other information contained in this Annual Report before trading in our securities. If any of these risks actually occur, our business, results of operations, prospects and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Key components affecting our rental and other revenues include average occupancy, rental rates, cost recovery income, new developments placed in service, acquisitions and dispositions. Average occupancy generally increases during times of improving economic growth, as our ability to lease space outpaces vacancies that occur upon the expirations of existing leases. Average occupancy generally declines during times of slower economic growth and decreasing office employment because new vacancies tend to outpace our ability to lease space. In addition, the timing of changes in occupancy levels tends to lag the timing of changes in overall economic activity and employment levels. For additional information regarding our average occupancy and rental rate trends over the past five years, see “Item 2. Properties.” Lower rental revenues that result from lower average occupancy or lower rental rates with respect to our same property portfolio will adversely affect our results of operations unless offset by the impact of any newly acquired or developed properties or lower variable operating expenses, general and administrative expenses and/or interest expense.

If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates or below the rental rates we currently charge our customers, we may lose existing and potential customers, and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates below those we currently charge in order to retain customers upon expiration of their existing leases. Even if our customers renew their leases or we are able to re-let the space, the terms and other costs of renewal or re-letting, including the cost of required renovations, increased tenant improvement allowances, leasing commissions, reduced rental rates and other potential concessions, may be less favorable than the terms of our current leases and could require significant capital expenditures. From time to time, we may also agree to modify the terms of existing leases to incentivize customers to renew their leases. If we are unable to renew leases or re-let space in a reasonable time, or if our rental rates decline or our tenant improvement costs, leasing commissions or other costs increase, our financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Compliance with new laws or regulations or stricter interpretation of existing laws may require us to incur significant expenditures. Future laws or regulations may impose significant environmental liability. Additionally, our customers' operations, operations in the vicinity of our properties, such as the presence of underground storage tanks, or activities of unrelated third parties may affect our properties. In addition, there are various local, state and federal fire, health, life-safety and similar regulations with which we may be required to comply and that may subject us to liability in the form of fines or damages for noncompliance. Any expenditures, fines or damages we must pay would adversely affect our results of operations. Proposed legislation to address climate change could increase utility and other costs of operating our properties.

Further, we face significant competition for attractive investment opportunities from an indeterminate number of other real estate investors, including investors with significantly greater capital resources and access to capital than we have, such as domestic and foreign corporations and financial institutions, publicly-traded and privately-held REITs, private institutional investment funds, investment banking firms, life insurance companies and pension funds. Moreover, owners of office properties may be reluctant to sell, resulting in fewer acquisition opportunities. As a result of such increased competition and limited opportunities, we may be unable to acquire additional properties or the purchase price of such properties may be significantly elevated, which would reduce our expected return from making any such acquisitions.

In addition to acquisitions, we periodically consider developing or re-developing properties. Risks associated with development and re-development activities include:

Development and re-development activities are also subject to risks relating to our ability to obtain, or delays in obtaining, any necessary zoning, land-use, building, occupancy and other required governmental and utility company authorizations.

Certain of our properties have low tax bases relative to their estimated current market values, and accordingly, the sale of such assets would generate significant taxable gains unless we sold such properties in a tax-deferred exchange under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code or another tax-free or tax-deferred transaction. For an exchange to qualify for tax-deferred treatment under Section 1031, the net proceeds from the sale of a property must be held by an escrow agent until applied toward the purchase of real estate qualifying for gain deferral. Given the competition for properties meeting our investment criteria, there could be a delay in reinvesting such proceeds or we may be unable to reinvest such proceeds at all. Any delay or limitation in using the reinvestment proceeds to acquire additional income producing assets could adversely affect our near-term results of operations. Additionally, in connection with tax-deferred 1031 transactions, our restricted cash balances may be commingled with other funds being held by any such escrow agent, which subjects our balance to the credit risk of the institution. If we sell properties outright in taxable transactions, we may elect to distribute some or all of the taxable gain to our stockholders under the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code for REITs, which in turn could negatively affect our future results of operations and may increase our leverage.

We have obtained title insurance policies for each of our properties, typically in an amount equal to its original purchase price.  However, these policies may be for amounts less than the current or future values of our properties, particularly for land parcels on which we subsequently construct a building. In such event, if there is a title defect relating to any of our properties, we could lose some of the capital invested in and anticipated profits from such property.

Further, we obtain credit ratings from Moody's Investors Service and Standard and Poor's Rating Services based on their evaluation of our creditworthiness. These agencies' ratings are based on a number of factors, some of which are not within our control. In addition to factors specific to our financial strength and performance, the rating agencies also consider conditions affecting REITs generally. We cannot assure you that our credit ratings will not be downgraded. If our credit ratings are downgraded or other negative action is taken, we could be required, among other things, to pay additional interest and fees on outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility and bank term loans.

We generally do not intend to reserve funds to retire existing debt upon maturity, which includes $379.7 million principal amount of unsecured notes due March 15, 2017 and a $109.1 million secured loan due November 1, 2017. We may not be able to repay, refinance or extend any or all of our debt at maturity or upon any acceleration. If any refinancing is done at higher interest rates, the increased interest expense could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Any such refinancing could also impose tighter financial ratios and other covenants that restrict our ability to take actions that could otherwise be in our best interest, such as funding new development activity, making opportunistic acquisitions, repurchasing our securities or paying distributions. While we do not currently have significant amounts of mortgage debt, we may in the future mortgage additional properties, which could also restrict our ability to sell any such underlying assets. If we do not meet any such mortgage financing obligations, any properties securing such indebtedness could be foreclosed on.

We depend on our revolving credit facility for working capital purposes and for the short-term funding of our development and acquisition activity and, in certain instances, the repayment of other debt upon maturity. Our ability to borrow under the revolving credit facility also allows us to quickly capitalize on opportunities at short-term interest rates. If our lenders default under their obligations under the revolving credit facility or we become unable to borrow additional funds under the facility for any reason, we would be required to seek alternative equity or debt capital, which could be more costly and adversely impact our financial condition. If such alternative capital were unavailable, we may not be able to make new investments and could have difficulty repaying other debt.

Our efforts to manage these exposures may not be successful. Our use of interest rate hedge contracts to manage risk associated with interest rate volatility may expose us to additional risks, including a risk that a counterparty to a hedge contract may fail to honor its obligations. Developing an effective interest rate risk strategy is complex and no strategy can completely insulate us from risks associated with interest rate fluctuations. There can be no assurance that our hedging activities will have the desired beneficial impact on our results of operations or financial condition. Termination of interest rate hedge contracts typically involves costs, such as transaction fees or breakage costs.

A security breach or other significant disruption involving our IT networks and related systems could:

 

In particular, we must ensure that at the end of each calendar quarter, at least 75% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified real estate assets. The remainder of our investment in securities (other than government securities, securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries and qualified real estate assets) generally cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the value of our assets (other than government securities, securities of taxable REIT subsidiaries and qualified real estate assets) can consist of the securities of any one issuer, and no more than 25% of the value of our total assets can be represented by the securities of one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries. If we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification and suffering adverse tax consequences. As a result, we may be required to liquidate otherwise attractive investments, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

The decision to declare and pay dividends on our Common Stock in the future, as well as the timing, amount and composition of any such future dividends, will be at the sole discretion of the Company's board of directors. Changes in our future dividend payout level could have a material effect on the market price of our Common Stock.

the surviving entity or sell all or substantially all of its assets unless the board of directors adopts a resolution declaring the proposed transaction advisable and a majority of the stockholders voting together as a single class approve the transaction. Maryland law prohibits stockholders from taking action by written consent unless all stockholders consent in writing. The practical effect of this limitation is that any action required or permitted to be taken by the Company's stockholders may only be taken if it is properly brought before an annual or special meeting of stockholders. The Company's bylaws further provide that in order for a stockholder to properly bring any matter before a meeting, the stockholder must comply with requirements regarding advance notice. The foregoing provisions could have the effect of delaying until the next annual meeting stockholder actions that the holders of a majority of the Company's outstanding voting securities favor. These provisions may also discourage another person from making a tender offer for the Company's common stock, because such person or entity, even if it acquired a majority of the Company's outstanding voting securities, would likely be able to take action as a stockholder, such as electing new directors or approving a merger, only at a duly called stockholders meeting. Maryland law also establishes special requirements with respect to business combinations between Maryland corporations and interested stockholders unless exemptions apply. Among other things, the law prohibits for five years a merger and other similar transactions between a corporation and an interested stockholder and requires a supermajority vote for such transactions after the end of the five-year period. The Company's charter contains a provision exempting the Company from the Maryland business combination statute. However, we cannot assure you that this charter provision will not be amended or repealed at any point in the future.

None.

Our core portfolio consists primarily of office properties in Raleigh, Atlanta, Tampa, Nashville, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Richmond and Orlando and office and industrial properties in Greensboro.

Properties

 

 

 

The following table sets forth the net changes in rentable square footage of in-service properties that we wholly own:

 

 

The following table sets forth operating information about in-service properties that we wholly own:

 

Customers

 

 

In-Process Development

 

 

Land Held for Development

 

 

Joint Venture Investments

 

 

We are from time to time a party to a variety of legal proceedings, claims and assessments arising in the ordinary course of our business. We regularly assess the liabilities and contingencies in connection with these matters based on the latest information available. For those matters where it is probable that we have incurred or will incur a loss and the loss or range of loss can be reasonably estimated, the estimated loss is accrued and charged to income in our Consolidated Financial Statements. In other instances, because of the uncertainties related to both the probable outcome and amount or range of loss, a reasonable estimate of liability, if any, cannot be made. Based on the current expected outcome of such matters, none of these proceedings, claims or assessments is expected to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

The Company is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. The following table sets forth information with respect to the Company’s executive officers:

 

The following table sets forth high and low stock prices per share reported on the NYSE and dividends declared per share of Common Stock:

Because the Company is a REIT, the partnership agreement requires the Operating Partnership to distribute at least enough cash for the Company to be able to distribute to its stockholders at least 90.0% of its REIT taxable income, excluding net capital gains. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors – Cash distributions reduce the amount of cash that would otherwise be available for other business purposes, including funding debt maturities, reducing debt or future growth initiatives.”

We generally expect to use cash flows from operating activities to fund distributions. The following factors will affect such cash flows and, accordingly, influence the decisions of the Company’s Board of Directors regarding dividends and distributions:

 

The performance graph above is being furnished as part of this Annual Report solely in accordance with the requirement under Rule 14a-3(b)(9) to furnish the Company’s stockholders with such information and, therefore, is not deemed to be filed, or incorporated by reference in any filing, by the Company or the Operating Partnership under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The Company has a Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan (“DRIP”) under which holders of Common Stock may elect to automatically reinvest their dividends in additional shares of Common Stock and make optional cash payments for additional

The Company has an Employee Stock Purchase Plan ("ESPP") pursuant to which employees may contribute up to 25% of their cash compensation for the purchase of Common Stock. At the end of each three-month offering period, each participant’s account balance, which includes accumulated dividends, is applied to acquire shares of Common Stock at a cost that is calculated at 85% of the average closing price on the NYSE on the five consecutive days preceding the last day of the quarter. The Company satisfies its ESPP obligations by issuing additional shares of Common Stock.

The information in the following tables should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included herein ($ in thousands, except per share data):

The information in the following tables should be read in conjunction with the Operating Partnership’s Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included herein ($ in thousands, except per unit data):

You should read the following discussion and analysis in conjunction with the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes contained elsewhere herein.

Some of the information in this Annual Report may contain forward-looking statements. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies and prospects under this section and under the heading “Item 1. Business.” You can identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue” or other similar words. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that our plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved. When considering such forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the following important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement:

This list of risks and uncertainties, however, is not intended to be exhaustive. You should also review the other cautionary statements we make in “Item 1A. Business – Risk Factors” set forth in this Annual Report. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect any future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 

Our Strategic Plan focuses on:

 

Our operating results depend heavily on successfully leasing and operating the office space in our portfolio. Economic growth and employment levels in our core markets are and will continue to be important factors in predicting our future operating results.

 

 

 

__________

 

 

Our expenses primarily consist of rental property expenses, depreciation and amortization, general and administrative expenses and interest expense. From time to time, expenses also include impairments of real estate assets. Rental property expenses are expenses associated with our ownership and operation of rental properties and include expenses that vary somewhat proportionately to occupancy levels, such as janitorial services and utilities, and expenses that do not vary based on occupancy, such as property taxes and insurance. Depreciation and amortization is a non-cash expense associated with the ownership of real property and generally remains relatively consistent each year, unless we buy, place in service or sell assets, since we depreciate our properties and related building and tenant improvement assets on a straight-line basis over fixed lives. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of management and employee salaries and other personnel costs, corporate overhead and short and long-term incentive compensation.

In calculating net cash related to operating activities, depreciation and amortization, which are non-cash expenses, are added back to net income. As a result, we have historically generated a positive amount of cash from operating activities. From period to period, cash flow from operations depends primarily upon changes in our net income, as discussed more fully below under “Results of Operations,” changes in receivables and payables and net additions or decreases in our overall portfolio.

Net cash related to investing activities generally relates to capitalized costs incurred for leasing and major building improvements and our acquisition, development, disposition and joint venture activity. During periods of significant net acquisition and/or development activity, our cash used in such investing activities will generally exceed cash provided by investing activities, which typically consists of cash received upon the sale of properties and distributions from our joint ventures.

Net cash related to financing activities generally relates to distributions, incurrence and repayment of debt, and issuances, repurchases or redemptions of Common Stock, Common Units and Preferred Stock. We use a significant amount of our cash to fund distributions. Whether or not we have increases in the outstanding balances of debt during a period depends generally upon the net effect of our acquisition, disposition, development and joint venture activity. We generally use our revolving credit facility for daily working capital purposes, which means that during any given period, in order to minimize interest expense, we may record significant repayments and borrowings under our revolving credit facility.

 

We intend to maintain a conservative and flexible balance sheet with access to multiple sources of debt and equity capital and sufficient availability under our revolving credit facility that allows us to capitalize on favorable development and acquisition opportunities as they arise.

 

Our long-term liquidity uses generally consist of the retirement or refinancing of debt upon maturity, funding of building improvements, new building developments and land infrastructure projects and funding acquisitions of buildings and development land. Additionally, we may, from time to time, retire some or all of our remaining outstanding Preferred Stock and/or unsecured debt securities through redemptions, open market repurchases, privately negotiated acquisitions or otherwise.

 

We expect to meet our long-term liquidity needs through a combination of:

 

 

 

 

For a discussion regarding dividends and distributions, see "Liquidity and Capital Resources - Dividends and Distributions."

As noted above, a key tenet of our strategic plan is to continuously upgrade the quality of our office portfolio through acquisitions, dispositions and development. We generally seek to acquire and develop office buildings that improve the average quality of our overall portfolio and deliver consistent and sustainable value for our stockholders over the long-term. Whether or not an asset acquisition or new development results in higher per share net income or funds from operations ("FFO") in any given period depends upon a number of factors, including whether the NOI for any such period exceeds the actual cost of capital used to finance the acquisition or development. Additionally, given the length of construction cycles, development projects are not placed in service until, in some cases, several years after commencement. Sales of non-core assets could result in lower per share net income or FFO in any given period in the event the resulting use of proceeds does not exceed the capitalization rate on the sold properties.

Rental and Other Revenues

Rental and other revenues were $61.0 million, or 10.1%, higher in 2016 as compared to 2015 primarily due to acquisitions and development properties placed in service and higher same property revenues, which increased rental and other revenues by $35.6 million, $15.5 million and $15.7 million, respectively. Same property rental and other revenues were higher primarily due to an increase in average occupancy to 93.1% in 2016 from 92.3% in 2015, higher average GAAP rents per rentable square foot and higher termination fees. These increases were partly offset by lost revenue of $5.1 million from property dispositions. We expect rental and other revenues to be higher in 2017 as compared to 2016 due to the full year contribution of acquisitions closed and development properties placed in service in 2016 and higher same property revenues, partly offset by lost revenue from 2016 property dispositions.

Operating Expenses

Rental property and other expenses were $15.1 million, or 7.0%, higher in 2016 as compared to 2015 primarily due to acquisitions and development properties placed in service and higher same property operating expenses, which increased operating expenses by $13.7 million, $3.5 million and $0.6 million, respectively. Same property operating expenses were higher primarily due to higher property taxes and repairs and maintenance, partly offset by lower utilities and property insurance. These increases were partly offset by a $1.8 million decrease in operating expenses from property dispositions. We expect rental property and other expenses to be higher in 2017 as compared to 2016 due to the full year contribution of acquisitions closed and development properties placed in service in 2016 and higher same property operating expenses, partly offset by lower operating expenses due to 2016 property dispositions.

Depreciation and amortization was $18.2 million, or 9.0%, higher in 2016 as compared to 2015 primarily due to acquisitions and development properties placed in service, partly offset by property dispositions. We expect 2017 depreciation and amortization to increase over 2016 for similar reasons.

General and administrative expenses were $0.5 million, or 1.4%, higher in 2016 as compared to 2015 primarily due to higher company-wide base salaries, partly offset by lower incentive compensation. We expect 2017 general and administrative expenses to decrease as compared to 2016 primarily due to lower incentive compensation and acquisition costs, partly offset by higher company-wide base salaries and benefits.

Interest Expense

Interest expense was $9.4 million, or 10.9%, lower in 2016 as compared to 2015 primarily due to lower average interest rates, lower average debt balances and higher capitalized interest. We expect 2017 interest expense to decrease as compared to 2016 for similar reasons.

Other Income

Other income was $0.6 million, or 35.5%, higher in 2016 as compared to 2015 primarily due to losses on debt extinguishment and deferred compensation plan investments in 2015. We expect 2017 other income to decrease as compared to 2016 due to the repayments of mortgages receivable in 2016.

Gains on Disposition of Property and Net Gains on Disposition of Discontinued Operations

Total gains were $417.9 million higher in 2016 as compared to 2015 due to the sales of the Plaza assets.

Gain on Disposition of Investment in Unconsolidated Affiliate

We recorded a gain on disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliate of $4.2 million in 2015 due to the sale of our 20.0% interest in SF-HIW Harborview Plaza, LP (“Harborview”) to our partner. We had no such comparable transaction in 2016.

Equity in Earnings of Unconsolidated Affiliates

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates was $0.7 million, or 14.1%, higher in 2016 as compared to 2015 primarily due to our share of the net effect of the disposition activity by certain unconsolidated affiliates in such periods and higher leasing activity in 2016. We expect 2017 equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates to decrease as compared to 2016 primarily due to our share of the net effect of the disposition activity by certain unconsolidated affiliates in 2016 and lower anticipated occupancy in 2017.

Income From Discontinued Operations

Income from discontinued operations was $11.6 million lower in 2016 as compared to 2015 due to the sales of the Plaza assets on March 1, 2016.

Earnings Per Common Share - Diluted

Diluted earnings per common share was $4.30 higher in 2016 as compared to 2015 due to gains from the sales of the Plaza assets and other increases in net income for the reasons discussed above, partly offset by an increase in the weighted average Common Shares outstanding.

 

Rental and Other Revenues

 

Rental and other revenues were $48.8 million, or 8.8%, higher in 2015 as compared to 2014 primarily due to recent acquisitions, higher same property revenues and development properties placed in service, which increased rental and other revenues by $25.5 million, $24.5 million and $17.2 million, respectively. Same property rental and other revenues were higher primarily due to an increase in average occupancy to 92.3% in 2015 from 90.5% in 2014, higher average GAAP rents per rentable square foot and higher cost recovery income. These increases were partly offset by lost revenue of $18.0 million from property dispositions.

Operating Expenses

 

Rental property and other expenses were $10.1 million, or 4.9%, higher in 2015 as compared to 2014 primarily due to recent acquisitions, higher same property operating expenses and development properties placed in service, which increased operating expenses by $9.6 million, $5.0 million and $3.4 million, respectively. Same property operating expenses were higher primarily due to higher property taxes, janitorial and other building-related services and repairs and maintenance, partly offset by lower property insurance and utilities. These increases were partly offset by a $6.7 million decrease in operating expenses from property dispositions.

Depreciation and amortization was $21.3 million, or 11.8%, higher in 2015 as compared to 2014 primarily due to recent acquisitions and development properties placed in service, partly offset by property dispositions.

We recorded an impairment of real estate assets of $0.6 million in 2014 on a building in Greensboro, which resulted from a change in the assumed timing of future disposition and leasing assumptions. We recorded no such impairment in 2015.

General and administrative expenses were $2.4 million, or 6.8%, higher in 2015 as compared to 2014 primarily due to higher company-wide base salaries and benefits, incentive compensation and acquisition costs.

Interest Expense

 

Interest expense was $0.9 million, or 1.1%, higher in 2015 as compared to 2014 primarily due to higher average debt balances and financing obligation interest expense, partly offset by higher capitalized interest.

Other Income

 

Other income was $0.7 million, or 29.0%, lower in 2015 as compared to 2014 primarily due to the repayments of mortgages receivable in 2014 and 2015.

Gains on Disposition of Property and Net Gains on Disposition of Discontinued Operations

 

Total gains were $33.3 million lower in 2015 as compared to 2014 due to the net effect of the disposition activity in such years.

Gain on Disposition of Investment in Unconsolidated Affiliate

 

We recorded a gain on disposition of investment in unconsolidated affiliate of $4.2 million in 2015 due to the sale of our 20.0% interest in Harborview to our partner. We had no comparable transaction in 2014.

Equity in Earnings of Unconsolidated Affiliates

 

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates was $3.3 million higher in 2015 as compared to 2014 primarily due to our share of gains recognized by certain of our unconsolidated affiliates in 2015, lower interest expense in 2015 and a net impairment of one of our previous investments in 2014. These increases were partly offset by less net operating income in our unconsolidated affiliates as a result of disposition activity.

Income From Discontinued Operations

 

Income from discontinued operations was $2.9 million, or 15.4%, lower in 2015 as compared to 2014 primarily due to lower termination fees in 2015 and severance costs required to be accrued in 2015 due to the closing of our Kansas City division office upon the sale of the Plaza assets.

Earnings Per Common Share - Diluted

 

Diluted earnings per common share was $0.19, or 16.0%, lower in 2015 as compared to 2014 due to a decrease in net income for the reasons discussed above and an increase in the weighted average Common Shares outstanding.

Statements of Cash Flows

We report and analyze our cash flows based on operating activities, investing activities and financing activities. The following table sets forth the changes in the Company’s cash flows ($ in thousands):