Equity

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Equity [Abstract]

Equity

Note 11—Equity

Common Stock—At the effective time of the Merger on March 31, 2023, each share of Old SAFE common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time (other than any shares owned directly by iStar or any of the wholly-owned subsidiaries of iStar and in each case not held on behalf of third parties) was converted into the right to receive one share of newly issued common stock of the Company. As of September 30, 2023, the Company has one class of common stock outstanding.

In April 2023, the Company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3ASR. In addition, the Company and Portfolio Holdings entered into an ATM Equity Offering Sales Agreement (the “Primary Sales Agreement”) with the sales agents named therein pursuant to which

the Company may sell, from time to time, shares of its common stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Common Stock”), having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $300.0 million (the “Primary Shares”) through or to the sales agents. The Company may sell the Primary Shares in amounts and at times to be determined by the Company from time to time but has no obligation to sell any of the Primary Shares. Actual sales, if any, will depend on a variety of factors to be determined by the Company from time to time, including, among other things, market conditions, the trading price of the Common Stock, capital needs and determinations by the Company of the appropriate sources of its funding. Through September 30, 2023, the Company has not sold any shares of its common stock through the Primary Sales Agreement.

In August 2023,  the Company sold 6,500,000 shares of its common stock in an underwritten public offering for gross proceeds of $139.1 million. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer purchased $1.4 million in shares, or 65,420 shares, from the underwriters in the offering. The underwriters received the same underwriting discount with respect to these shares as they did from other shares of common stock sold to the public in the underwritten offering. Concurrently with the public offering, the Company sold $12.8 million in shares, or 599,983 shares, of its common stock to affiliates of MSD Partners in a private placement. The Company incurred a total of approximately $6.6 million of offering costs in connection with these transactions which were recorded as a reduction to additional paid-in capital. 

Equity Plans—Old SAFE adopted an equity incentive plan to provide equity incentive opportunities to members of the Former Manager’s management team and employees who performed services for Old SAFE, Old SAFE’s non-management directors, advisers, consultants and other personnel (the “2017 Equity Incentive Plan”). The 2017 Equity Incentive Plan provided for grants of stock options, shares of restricted common stock, phantom shares, dividend equivalent rights and other equity-based awards, including long-term incentive plan units. Grants under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan were recognized as compensation costs ratably over the applicable vesting period and recorded in “General and administrative” in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Prior to the effective time of the Merger, Old SAFE awarded all shares of Old SAFE common stock remaining available for issuance under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan to members of its Former Manager’s management team and employees who performed services for Old SAFE. As of September 30, 2023, there were no shares available for issuance for future awards under Old SAFE’s 2017 Equity Incentive Plan.

iStar’s amended and restated 2009 Long-Term Incentive Program (the “LTIP”) was approved by stockholders in 2021 and remained in effect after the closing of the Merger. The LTIP is designed to provide incentive compensation for officers, key employees, directors and advisors of the Company. The LTIP provides for awards of stock options, shares of restricted stock, phantom shares, restricted stock units, dividend equivalent rights and other share-based performance awards. All awards under the LTIP are made at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors. Grants under the LTIP are recognized as compensation costs ratably over the applicable vesting period and recorded in “General and administrative” in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. In June 2023, the Company issued an aggregate 24,336 vested shares of its common stock with a grant date fair value of $23.58 per share to its directors in consideration for their annual service as directors. On June 20, 2023, the LTIP was further amended to, among other things, increase the aggregate number of shares of common stock available for issuance. As of September 30, 2023, an aggregate of 435,612 shares of the Company’s common stock remain available for awards under the LTIP.

During the third quarter of 2018, Old SAFE adopted, and in the second quarter of 2019, its stockholders approved, the Caret Performance Incentive Plan (the “Original Caret Performance Incentive Plan”). Under the Original Caret Performance Incentive Plan, 1,500,000 Caret units were reserved for grants of performance-based awards to Original Caret Performance Incentive Plan participants, including certain of executives of iStar, and Old SAFE’s directors and service providers. Grants under the Original Caret Performance Incentive Plan were subject to vesting based on time-based service conditions and hurdles relating to Old SAFE’s common stock price, all of which were satisfied as of December 31, 2022, except with respect to approximately 850 Caret units that are scheduled to vest on December 31, 2023. In connection with the Merger, certain of Old SAFE’s former executive officers, entered into re-vesting agreements pursuant to which the

executives agreed to subject 25% of their previously vested Caret units to additional vesting conditions which will be satisfied on the second anniversary of the Merger, subject to the applicable executive’s continued employment through such date. In the event of a termination of the executive’s employment by the Company without “cause”, or due to the executive’s death, disability or retirement, the unvested Caret units shall continue to vest as and when the vesting conditions described above are satisfied.

In connection with the consummation of the Merger and the Caret Restructuring, Old SAFE, Caret Ventures and CARET Management Holdings LLC assigned each Award Agreement (as defined in the Original Caret Performance Incentive Plan) relating to outstanding Caret unit awards to Portfolio Holdings pursuant to the Omnibus Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement, dated as of March 31, 2023 (the “Caret Assignment Agreement”). 

Following the effectiveness of the Caret Assignment Agreement, Old SAFE amended and restated the Original Caret Performance Incentive Plan (the “Amended Caret Performance Incentive Plan”).

Prior to the Merger, the Old SAFE compensation committee, and following the Merger, the Company’s compensation committee, approved the award of 76,801 new Caret units to executive officers and other employees, other than the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and the Company’s President and Chief Investment Officer, including 15,000 Caret units to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. The new Caret unit awards were granted immediately following the Merger and the effectiveness of the Amended Caret Performance Incentive Plan, and cliff vest on the fourth anniversary of their grant date if the Company’s common stock has traded at an average per share price of $60.00 or more for at least 30 consecutive trading days during that four-year period.

As of September 30, 2023, and after giving effect to the Caret Restructuring and the post-Merger Caret unit awards, Amended Caret Performance Incentive Plan participants held 1,499,382 Caret units, representing 15.41% of the then-outstanding Caret units and 12.50% of the then-authorized Caret units.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized $1.0 million and $0.4 million in expense from Caret units, which is recorded in “General and administrative” in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and “Noncontrolling interests” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

Noncontrolling Interests—Noncontrolling interests includes unrelated third-party equity interests in ventures that are consolidated in the Company’s consolidated financial statements and Caret units that have been sold to third-parties (refer to Note 1) or have been granted to employees of the Company’s Former Manager. See also “Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests” in Note 3.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)—Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) consists of net unrealized gains (losses) on the Company’s derivative transactions.

Dividends—The Company (then known as iStar) elected to be taxed as a REIT beginning with its taxable year ended December 31, 1998. To qualify as a REIT, the Company must annually distribute, at a minimum, an amount equal to 90% of its taxable income, excluding net capital gains, and must distribute 100% of its taxable income (including net capital gains) to eliminate corporate federal income taxes payable by the REIT. Because taxable income differs from cash flow from operations due to non-cash revenues and expenses (such as depreciation and other items), in certain circumstances, the Company may generate operating cash flow in excess of its dividends, or alternatively, may need to make dividend payments in excess of operating cash flows. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company declared cash dividends on its common stock of $35.3 million, or $0.531 per share, and $32.5 million, or $0.524 per share, respectively.