VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE: VICI), MGM Growth Properties LLC (NYSE: MGP) and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM), MGP’s controlling shareholder, announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement (the “Master Transaction Agreement”) pursuant to which VICI Properties will acquire MGP for total consideration of $17.2 billion, inclusive of the assumption of approximately $5.7 billion of debt. Upon completion of the merger, VICI will have an estimated enterprise value of $45 billion, firmly solidifying VICI’s position as the largest experiential net lease REIT while also advancing VICI’s strategic goals of portfolio enhancement and diversification.
Under the terms of the Master Transaction Agreement, MGP Class A shareholders will receive 1.366 shares of newly issued VICI stock in exchange for each Class A share of MGP. The fixed exchange ratio represents an agreed upon price of $43.00 per share of MGP Class A shares based on VICI’s trailing 5-day volume weighted average price of $31.47 as of July 30, and represents a 15.9% premium to MGP’s closing stock price on August 3, 2021. MGM Resorts will receive $43.00 per unit in cash for the redemption of the majority of its MGP Operating Partnership units (“OP Units”) that it holds for total cash consideration of approximately $4.4 billion and will also retain approximately 12 million units in a newly formed operating partnership of VICI Properties. The MGP Class B share that is held by MGM Resorts will be cancelled and cease to exist.
Simultaneous with the closing of the transaction, VICI Properties will enter into an amended and restated triple-net master lease with MGM Resorts. The lease will have an initial total annual rent of $860.0 million, inclusive of MGP’s pending acquisition of MGM Springfield, and an initial term of 25 years, with three 10-year tenant renewal options. Rent under the amended and restated master lease will escalate at a rate of 2.0% per annum for the first 10 years and thereafter at the greater of 2.0% per annum or the consumer price index (“CPI”), subject to a 3.0% cap. Additionally, VICI will retain MGP’s existing 50.1% ownership stake in the joint venture with Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (“BREIT JV”), which owns the real estate assets of MGM Grand Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay. The BREIT JV lease will remain unchanged and provides for current annual base rent of approximately $298 million and an initial term of 30 years, with two 10-year tenant renewal options. Rent under the BREIT JV lease escalates at a rate of 2.0% per annum for the first 15 years and thereafter at the greater of 2.0% per annum or CPI, subject to a 3.0% cap. On a combined basis, the MGM master lease and BREIT JV lease will deliver initial attributable rent to VICI of approximately $1.0 billion.
The transaction was approved by the Board of Directors of each of MGM Resorts, MGP and VICI Properties (and, in the case of MGP, the Conflicts Committee). The parties expect the transaction to close in the first half of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, regulatory approvals and approval by the stockholders of VICI Properties. The VICI Properties Board of Directors and management team will remain unchanged.
Strategic Merits
- Immediately accretive to AFFO per share: The transaction extends VICI Properties’ track record of consistent value creation since its formation in 2017 and is expected to provide immediate, high quality, accretion to AFFO per share upon closing
- Enhances portfolio quality, size and scale at significant discount to replacement cost: VICI Properties will add 15 Class A entertainment resort properties spread across nine regions comprising 33,000 hotel rooms, 3.6 million square feet of meeting and convention space and hundreds of food, beverage and entertainment venues to its portfolio at an estimated 30% to 40% discount to replacement cost. Following the transaction, approximately 55% of VICI’s rent base will be generated by market-leading Regional properties while the remaining 45% will come from properties on the Las Vegas Strip
- Significantly diversifies tenant base: Upon closing, VICI Properties’ top tenant concentration will be reduced to ~41% (from 84% currently) while 84% of VICI Properties’ rent roll will be derived from S&P 500 tenants with a track record of having paid 100% of rent, on time and in cash throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
- Adds a global leader in hospitality and entertainment to tenant roster: The transaction adds a 55-year master lease, inclusive of tenant renewal options, with inflation protection through a CPI kicker and a corporate guarantee from MGM Resorts, an S&P 500 global entertainment company with national and international locations
- Bolsters retained cash flow and strengthens ability to fund accretive growth: Following the acquisition of MGP and the pending acquisition of the real estate of the Venetian Resort and Sands Expo Center, VICI Properties is expected to retain approximately $500 million of annualized free cash flow, after dividend payments, which may be deployed toward highly attractive growth opportunities across gaming and other experiential sectors
- Positions balance sheet for investment grade status: The transaction will position VICI Properties’ balance sheet for investment grade status as VICI eliminates all of its existing secured debt and establishes an unencumbered asset pool
- Amplified index demand and trading liquidity: The transaction unlocks significant new index eligibility for MGP Class A shareholders while allowing investors in the combined company to benefit from index rebalancing, given the significantly larger size, and strong positioning for S&P 500 inclusion and enhanced trading liquidity
- Lower cost of capital given larger scale, diversity, improved credit profile and enhanced index inclusion: With improving cost of capital and retained cash flow, VICI is positioned to continue to grow its portfolio accretively in both gaming and non-gaming sectors
Additional details can be found in the Transaction Overview presentation posted on the VICI Properties website.
“Through this transformative strategic acquisition, we are merging MGP’s best-in-class portfolio into VICI’s best-in-class management and governance platform, creating the premier gaming, entertainment and leisure REIT in America,” says Ed Pitoniak (pictured left), CEO of VICI Properties. “We want to thank James Stewart, Andy Chien and the MGP Board for building and stewarding a portfolio of such exceptional quality, and going forward we are honored to become a key real estate and capital partner for Bill Hornbuckle and the MGM Resorts management team and Board. We look forward to supporting their strategic growth objectives for decades to come.”
“After many years of growing both of our portfolios, combining them into one company will generate the best results for the shareholders of both companies,” says James Stewart (pictured right), CEO of MGP. “The combined company will create a superior platform for delivering exceptional returns to MGP’s existing shareholders, by improving diversification, increasing scale, lowering cost of capital and benefiting from future growth.”
Bill Hornbuckle (pictured left), CEO and President of MGM Resorts, says, “This transaction unlocks the significant real estate value of our assets, enhances our financial flexibility and strengthens our ability to execute key growth initiatives. We look forward to our long-term partnership with VICI.”
Financing
VICI Properties has secured a $9.3 billion financing commitment from Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and Citibank.
Advisors
Morgan Stanley & Co LLC is acting as lead strategic and financial advisor to VICI Properties on the transaction. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. is also acting as financial advisor to VICI Properties. Hogan Lovells US LLP and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP are serving as legal advisors to VICI Properties. Baker Botts LLP is serving as legal advisor to MGP. Evercore is acting as financial advisor and Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP is serving as legal advisor to the Conflicts Committee of the MGP Board of Directors. J.P. Morgan is acting as financial advisor and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is serving as legal advisor to MGM Resorts.
Dividend
VICI Properties also announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.36 per share of common stock, representing an annualized amount of $1.44 per share and a 9.1% increase from the current dividend rate. The dividend will be payable on October 7, 2021 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 24, 2021.
Conference Call Information
VICI Properties will host a conference call and audio webcast on Wednesday, August 4, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). The conference call can be accessed by dialing 844-200-6205 (domestic) or +44 208 0682 558 (international) and entering conference ID 582076. An audio replay of the conference call will be available until midnight ET on August 11, 2021 and can be accessed by dialing 929-458-6194 (domestic) or +44 204 525 0658 (international) and entering the passcode 840028.
VICI Properties Inc. is an experiential real estate investment trust that owns one of the largest portfolios of market-leading gaming, hospitality and entertainment destinations, including the world-renowned Caesars Palace. VICI Properties’ national, geographically diverse portfolio consists of 28 gaming facilities comprising over 47 million square feet and features approximately 17,800 hotel rooms and more than 200 restaurants, bars, nightclubs and sportsbooks. Its properties are leased to industry leading gaming and hospitality operators, including Caesars Entertainment, Inc., Century Casinos, Inc., Hard Rock International Inc., JACK Entertainment LLC and Penn National Gaming, Inc. VICI Properties also has an investment in the Chelsea Piers, New York facility and owns four championship golf courses and 34 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip. VICI Properties’ strategy is to create the nation’s highest quality and most productive experiential real estate portfolio. For more info, visit www.viciproperties.com.
MGM Growth Properties LLC (NYSE:MGP) is one of the leading publicly traded real estate investment trusts engaged in the acquisition, ownership and leasing of large-scale destination entertainment and leisure resorts, whose diverse amenities include casino gaming, hotel, convention, dining, entertainment and retail offerings. MGP, together with its joint venture, currently owns a portfolio of properties, consisting of 12 premier destination resorts in Las Vegas and elsewhere across the United States, MGM Northfield Park in Northfield, OH, Empire Resort Casino in Yonkers, NY, as well as a retail and entertainment district, The Park in Las Vegas. As of December 31, 2020, MGP’s portfolio of destination resorts, the Park, Empire Resort Casino, and MGM Northfield Park collectively comprised approximately 32,400 hotel rooms, 1.5 million casino square footage, and 3.6 million convention square footage. For more info, visit www.mgmgrowthproperties.com.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 31 unique hotel and gaming destinations globally, including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry. The Company’s 50/50 venture, BetMGM, LLC, offers U.S. sports betting and online gaming through marketleading brands, including BetMGM and partypoker. The Company is currently pursuing targeted expansion in Asia through the integrated resort opportunity in Japan. Through its “Focused on What Matters: Embracing Humanity and Protecting the Planet” philosophy, MGM Resorts commits to creating a more sustainable future, while striving to make a bigger difference in the lives of its employees, guests, and in the communities where it operates. The global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE® Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies®. For more info, visit www.mgmresorts.com.
