Apartment Investment and Management Company (AIV)

TOP CONTRIBUTORS

Michael Francis

Thomas Shyr

Apartment Investment and Management Company (NYSE: AIV) is the largest owner and operator of multi-family apartment complexes in the U.S. with 135,654 units as of December 31, 2009.^[1] The company collects rent payments from tenants in 46 states and the District of Columbia.

AIV's properties are more geographically diversified than several of its competitors, which helps to limit the effect of any one significant local downturn, but also makes operations more logistically challenging. With an average monthly rent of approximately $860, the company generally targets the apartment "middle market" (i.e. neither low-income nor upscale units).

AIV is intricately tied to interest rate tides, which have several important effects. While the company competes for tenants with other apartment operators, it also competes on the relative attractiveness of owning a home versus renting an apartment. When home prices are high, renting becomes more attractive (and vice versa). Interest rates determine the attractiveness of mortgage financing. When interest rates are high, renting becomes more appealing as financing a mortgage becomes more expensive.

It is also important to note that AIV operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT). As such, the company must distribute at least 90% of its cash flow to shareholders every year in the form of a dividend. When interest rates rise, so do demands for investment yields on dividends, which can depress a REIT's stock price.

Company Overview

Below are several metrics of operating performance for the company. The company has been able to steadily increase its rental revenue per apartment unit over time, fighting inflation and driving organic growth. It has lowered its total apartment base over the previous three years, selling off more properties (at a gain) than it has redeployed into purchasing new units.

Business Financials

In 2009, AIV earned a total of $1.20 billion in total revenues.^[2] This was a decline from its 2008 total revenues of $1.24 billion. As a result, AIV's net income was negatively impacted. Between 2008 and 2009, AIV's net income declined from a net profit of $351 million in 2008 to a net loss of $115 million in 2009.^[2]

Trends and Forces

National and Local Job Market and Employment

The strength of the labor market has important implications for the company. Jobs fuel demand for all types of housing, including mul\\\\\\ti-family/apartment dwellings. Strong job growth can drive higher occupancy rates and lead to increased unit rental revenue. High unemployment and slow job growth, on the other hand, can hamper the apartment rental market and, when job growth is negative, the company can experience falling occupancy rates and lower revenue per unit, which leads to less efficient apartment buildings as the utilization of the complex falls.

The Housing Market and New Home Construction

Factors driving the non-apartment, alternative housing market can have a substantial impact on the company. Falling housing prices in the company’s key markets, coupled with decreasing new home construction and the rising cost of financing mortgages increased demand for apartments relative to houses and other living alternatives. However, if housing prices continue to fall, houses can become more attractive to purchasers, and they may substitute away from apartments and opt for single-family housing instead.

Interest Rates

Rising interest rates have several effects on this company and other apartment REITs:

1. Other investments become more attractive, thereby hampering demand for apartment investors. This, in turn, decreases the market prices of the company’s properties.
2. Available and existing financing becomes less attractive. Getting favorable terms on any new debt to finance building purchases becomes more difficult. The company’s interest expense on its floating rate debt increases, pressuring margins and increasing financial risk.
3. The stock price can fall as investor’s demand a greater dividend yield. As a REIT, the company must, by law, distribute at least 90% of its cash flow to shareholders in the form of a regular dividend. When interest rates rise, investors demand higher dividend yields on REITs, thereby driving down their stock prices.

Mortgage Rates

The attractiveness of mortgage financing for home purchasers has important ramifications for the apartment REITs. If mortgage rates fall and credit is plentiful, buying a home becomes more attractive than renting an apartment, thus stifling demand for the company’s rental units. On the other hand, if the availability and attractiveness of mortgages declines, as did during the fallout from the subprime lending crisis, renting an apartment becomes more appealing, so occupancy rates and rental revenue per apartment increase.

Competition and Market Share

The company competes against a wide array of other apartment rental owner/operators. The National Multi Housing Council estimates that around 17 million apartment units exist nationwide. The median rental income per unit is around $650 per month.

The market for multi-family housing is highly fragmented geographically as well as within any given region. To the left are industry statistics for each of the major markets of publicly traded apartment REITs. The company’s real estate portfolio is highly diversified across geographic region, and operates in nearly every state. Based on data compiled by the National Multi Housing Council, the company was the largest operator of apartment units across the nation.^[3]

Some of AIV's largest competitors include EQUITY RESIDENTIAL (EQR), United Dominion Realty Trust (UDR), Camden Property Trust (CPT), and AvalonBay Communities (AVB).

Footnotes

1. ↑ AIV 10-K 2009 Item 1 Pg. 3
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} AIV 10-K 2009 Item 6 Pg. 20
3. ↑ Apartment Stock data, 2006, compiled by National Multi Housing Council