8-K

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.

(Registrant)

Date: July 29, 2020

/s/ Christina Chiu

Christina Chiu

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 27, 2020

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)


Maryland	001-36105	37-1645259
(State or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)


Delaware	001-36106	45-4685158
(State or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)


111 West 33 rd Street, 12 th Floor New York, New York		10120
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 687-8700

n/a

(Former name or former address, if changed from last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form

8-K

filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

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


Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share	ESRT	The New York Stock Exchange

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.
Series ES Operating Partnership Units	ESBA	NYSE Arca, Inc.
Series 60 Operating Partnership Units	OGCP	NYSE Arca, Inc.
Series 250 Operating Partnership Units	FISK	NYSE Arca, Inc.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule

12b-2

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(§240.12b-2

of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 2.02.

Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On July 29, 2020, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (the “Company” or “we”) issued a press release announcing its financial results for the second quarter 2020. The press release referred to certain supplemental information that is available on the Company’s website. The press release and supplemental report are attached hereto as Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, respectively, and are incorporated by reference herein.

The information in Item 2.02 of this Current Report, including Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. Such information shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Exchange Act, unless it is specifically incorporated by reference therein.

Item 5.02.

Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

In view of the ongoing impact of the

COVID-19

pandemic on the Company and Empire State Realty OP, L.P., the limited partnership through which the Company conducts its operations, each of Anthony E. Malkin, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Thomas P. Durels, Executive Vice President, Real Estate, has volunteered to reduce his annual base salary for the remainder of 2020, effective August 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Mr. Malkin’s salary will be reduced by

one-third

(1/3

), so that his new base salary rate is $540,000 (instead of $810,000) per annum, and Mr. Durels’ salary will be reduced by

one-fourth

(1/4

), so that his new base salary rate is $525,000 (instead of $700,000) per annum. Mr. Malkin’s base salary reduction is in addition to the salary reduction to $1.00 that he voluntarily took for the second quarter of 2020, as announced in the Company’s Current Report on

Form 8-K

dated May 11, 2020.

Additionally, each of Mr. Malkin and Mr. Durels has voluntarily agreed to reduce his long-term equity incentive compensation target for 2021, so that the value of equity awards to be granted to him in 2021 in the discretion of the Compensation Committee under the Company’s 2019 Equity Incentive Plan will be not greater than 66% of the value of comparable equity awards issued to him under such Plan in 2020; and as a result, the 2021 grants to these two executives would be reduced from 2020 levels by at least $3,9

2,082, as follows:


Grantee	2020 Time- based LTI equity		New Cap on 2021 Time based LTI equity		2020 Performance- based LTI equity max		New Cap on 2021 Performance- based LTI equity max		Reduction in LTI equity from 2020 to 2021 will be at least
Anthony E. Malkin	$	2,731,714	$	1,823,178	$	5,467,500	$	3,646,357	$	2,731,713
Thomas P, Durels	$	1,181,250	$	787,793	$	2,632,500	$	1,575,586	$	1,180,369
								TOTAL REDUCTION	$	3,9 12 ,082

These compensation reductions will not modify other rights under Mr. Malkin’s Amended and Restated Employment Agreement with the Company, dated as of October 7, 2013, as amended by the First Amendment thereto, or Mr. Durels’ Amended and Restated Change In Control Severance Agreement with the Company, dated April 5, 2016, in each case including those rights that are determined by reference to base salary.

Item 7.01.

Regulation FD Disclosure

As discussed in Item 2.02 above, the Company issued a press release regarding its financial results for the second quarter 2020 and made available on its website certain supplemental information relating thereto.

The information in Item 7.01 of this Current Report is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. Such information shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, unless it is specifically incorporated by reference therein.

Item 9.01.

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.


Exhibit No.		Description

99.1		Press Release announcing financial results for the second quarter 2020

99.2		Supplemental report

104		Cover Page Interactive File (the cover page tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

Non-GAAP

Supplemental Financial Measures

Funds From Operations (“FFO”)

We compute FFO in accordance with the “White Paper” on FFO published by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or NAREIT, which defines FFO as net income (loss) (determined in accordance with GAAP), excluding impairment writedowns of investments in depreciable real estate and investments in

in-substance

real estate investments, gains or losses from debt restructurings and sales of depreciable operating properties, plus real estate-related depreciation and amortization (excluding amortization of deferred financing costs), less distributions to

non-controlling

interests and gains/losses from discontinued operations and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. FFO is a widely recognized

non-GAAP

financial measure for REITs that we believe, when considered with financial statements determined in accordance with GAAP, is useful to investors in understanding financial performance and providing a relevant basis for comparison among REITs. In addition, FFO is useful to investors as it captures features particular to real estate performance by recognizing that real estate has generally appreciated over time or maintains residual value to a much greater extent than do other depreciable assets. Investors should review FFO, along with GAAP net income, when trying to understand an equity REIT’s operating performance. We present FFO because we consider it an important supplemental measure of our operating performance and believe that it is

frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of REITs. However, because FFO excludes depreciation and amortization and captures neither the changes in the value of our properties that result from use or market conditions nor the level of capital expenditures and leasing commissions necessary to maintain the operating performance of our properties, all of which have real economic effect and could materially impact our results of operations, the utility of FFO as a measure of performance is limited. There can be no assurance that FFO presented by us is comparable to similarly titled measures of other REITs. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP or to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP. FFO is not indicative of cash available to fund ongoing cash needs, including the ability to make cash distributions. Although FFO is a measure used for comparability in assessing the performance of REITs, as the NAREIT White Paper only provides guidelines for computing FFO, the computation of FFO may vary from one company to another.

Modified Funds From Operations (“Modified FFO”)

Modified FFO adds back an adjustment for any above or below-market ground lease amortization to traditionally defined FFO. We consider this a useful supplemental measure in evaluating our operating performance due to the

non-cash

accounting treatment under GAAP, which stems from the third quarter 2014 acquisition of two option properties following our formation transactions as they carry significantly below market ground leases, the amortization of which is material to our overall results. We present Modified FFO because we consider it an important supplemental measure of our operating performance in that it adds back the

non-cash

amortization of below-market ground leases. There can be no assurance that Modified FFO presented by us is comparable to similarly titled measures of other REITs. Modified FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP or to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP. Modified FFO is not indicative of cash available to fund ongoing cash needs, including the ability to make cash distributions.

Core Funds From Operations (“Core FFO”)

Core FFO adds back to Modified FFO the following items: acquisition expenses, loss on early extinguishment of debt and severance expenses. The Company presents Core FFO because it considers it an important supplemental measure of its operating performance in that it excludes

non-recurring

items. There can be no assurance that Core FFO presented by the Company is comparable to similarly titled measures of other REITs. Core FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP or to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP. Core FFO is not indicative of cash available to fund ongoing cash needs, including the ability to make cash distributions. In future periods, we may also exclude other items from Core FFO that we believe may help investors compare our results.

Core Funds Available for Distribution (“Core FAD”)

In addition to Core FFO, we present Core FAD by (i) adding to Core FFO

non-real

estate depreciation and amortization, the amortization of deferred financing costs, amortization of debt discounts and

non-cash

compensation expense and (ii) deducting straight line rent, recurring second generation leasing commissions, tenant improvements, prebuilts, capital expenditures, furniture, fixtures & equipment purchases, amortization of debt premiums and above/below market rent revenue. Core FAD is presented solely as a supplemental disclosure that management believes provides useful information regarding our ability to fund our dividends. Core FAD does not represent cash generated from operating activities and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP or to cash flow from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP. Core FAD is not indicative of cash available to fund ongoing cash needs, including the ability to make cash distributions. There can be no assurance that Core FAD presented by us is comparable to similarly titled measures of other REITs.

Net Operating Income (“NOI”)

NOI is a

non-GAAP

financial measure of performance. NOI is used by our management to evaluate and compare the performance of our properties and to determine trends in earnings and to compute the fair value of our properties as it is not affected by: (i) the cost of funds of the property owner, (ii) the impact of depreciation and amortization expenses as well as gains or losses from the sale of operating real estate assets that are included in net income computed in accordance with GAAP, (iii) acquisition expenses, loss on early extinguishment of debt, impairment charges and loss from derivative financial instruments, or (iv) general and administrative expenses and other gains and losses that are specific to the property owner. The cost of funds is eliminated from NOI because it is specific to the particular financing capabilities and constraints of the owner. The cost of funds is eliminated because it is dependent on historical interest rates and other costs of capital as well as past decisions made by us regarding the appropriate mix of capital which may have changed or may change in the future. Depreciation and amortization expenses as well as gains or losses from the sale of operating real estate assets are eliminated because they may not accurately represent the actual change in value in our office or retail properties that result from use of the properties or changes in market conditions. While certain aspects of real property do decline in value over time in a manner that is reasonably captured by depreciation and amortization, the value of the properties as a whole have historically increased or decreased as a result of changes in overall economic conditions instead of from actual use of the property or the passage of time. Gains and losses from the sale of real property vary from property to property and are affected by market conditions at the time of sale which will usually change from period to period. These gains and losses can create distortions when comparing one period to another or when comparing our operating results to the operating results of other real estate companies that have not made similarly-timed purchases or sales. We believe that eliminating these costs from net income is useful because the resulting measure captures the actual revenue, generated and actual expenses incurred in operating our properties as well as trends in occupancy rates, rental rates and operating costs. However, the usefulness of NOI is limited because it excludes general and administrative

costs, interest expense, depreciation and amortization expense and gains or losses from the sale of properties, and other gains and losses as stipulated by GAAP, the level of capital expenditures and leasing costs necessary to maintain the operating performance of our properties, all of which are significant economic costs. NOI may fail to capture significant trends in these components of net income which further limits its usefulness. NOI is a measure of the operating performance of our properties but does not measure our performance as a whole. NOI is therefore not a substitute for net income as computed in accordance with GAAP. This measure should be analyzed in conjunction with net income computed in accordance with. Other companies may use different methods for calculating NOI or similarly titled measures and, accordingly, our NOI may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies that do not define the measure exactly as we do.

EBITDA

We compute EBITDA as net income plus interest expense, income taxes and depreciation and amortization. We present EBITDA because we believe that EBITDA, along with cash flow from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities, provides investors with an additional indicator of its ability to incur and service debt. EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income (determined in accordance with GAAP), as an indication of our financial performance, as an alternative to net cash flows from operating activities (determined in accordance with GAAP), or as a measure of its liquidity.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.