unit-10q_20190331.htm

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2019

OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _______ to _______

Commission File Number: 001-36708

 

Uniti Group Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Maryland

46-5230630

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

10802 Executive Center Drive

Benton Building Suite 300

Little Rock, Arkansas

72211

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (501) 850-0820

 

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.     Yes      No    

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files).     Yes        No  

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

 

Large accelerated filer

 

  

Accelerated filer

 

 

 

 

 

Non-accelerated filer

 

  

  

Smaller reporting company

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).     Yes      No  

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

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock

UNIT

The NASDAQ Global Select Market

As of May 3, 2019, the registrant had 184,157,016 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.

 

 

 


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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements as defined under U.S. federal securities law. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical statements of fact and those regarding our intent, belief or expectations, including, but not limited to, statements regarding: our expectations regarding the effect of Windstream Holdings, Inc.’s (“Windstream Holdings” and together with its subsidiaries, “Windstream”) bankruptcy and Windstream’s performance under its long-term exclusive triple-net lease with us (the “Master Lease”); our expectations with respect to the treatment of the Master Lease in Windstream’s petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code; our expectations regarding the effect of substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern; our expectations regarding the future growth and demand of the telecommunications industry, future financing plans, business strategies, growth prospects, operating and financial performance, and our future liquidity needs and access to capital; expectations regarding the impact and integration of Information Transport Solutions, Inc. (“ITS”), CableSouth Media, LLC (“CableSouth”) and M2 Connections, including expectations regarding operational synergies with Uniti Towers and Uniti Fiber; expectations regarding the settling of our 3% convertible preferred stock in cash upon conversion; expectations regarding the probability of our obligation to pay contingent consideration upon Tower Cloud, Inc.'s ("Tower Cloud") achievement of certain defined operational and financial milestones; expectations regarding future deployment of fiber strand miles and recognition of revenue related thereto; expectations regarding levels of capital expenditures; expectations regarding the deductibility of goodwill for tax purposes; expectations regarding reclassification of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) related to derivatives to interest expense; expectations regarding the amortization of intangible assets; expectations regarding the closing of the operating company-property company partnership with Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (“MIP”) and related acquisition of Bluebird Network, LLC (“Bluebird”); and expectations regarding the payment of dividends.

 

Words such as "anticipate(s)," "expect(s)," "intend(s)," "plan(s)," "believe(s)," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "seek(s)" and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could lead to actual results differing materially from those projected, forecasted or expected. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and future prospects or which could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, but are not limited to:

 

 

the future prospects of our largest customer, Windstream Holdings, which, following a finding that it is in default of certain of its debt, on February 25, 2019, and along with all of its subsidiaries, filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code;

 

our ability to continue as a going concern if Windstream Holdings were to reject the Master Lease or be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the Master Lease;

 

the ability and willingness of our customers to meet and/or perform their obligations under any contractual arrangements entered into with us, including master lease arrangements; 

 

the ability of our customers to comply with laws, rules and regulations in the operation of the assets we lease to them; 

 

the ability and willingness of our customers to renew their leases with us upon their expiration, and the ability to reposition our properties on the same or better terms in the event of nonrenewal or in the event we replace an existing tenant; 

 

our ability to renew, extend or retain our contracts or to obtain new contracts with significant customers (including customers of the businesses that we acquire); 

 

the availability of and our ability to identify suitable acquisition opportunities and our ability to acquire and lease the respective properties on favorable terms or operate and integrate the acquired businesses; 

 

our ability to generate sufficient cash flows to service our outstanding indebtedness; 

 

our ability to access debt and equity capital markets; 

 

the impact on our business or the business of our customers as a result of credit rating downgrades, and fluctuating interest rates; 

 

adverse impacts of litigation or disputes involving us or our customers;

 

our ability to retain our key management personnel; 

 

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our ability to maintain our status as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”), including as a result of the effects of the recent events with respect to our largest customer, Windstream Holdings;

 

changes in the U.S. tax law and other federal, state or local laws, whether or not specific to REITs, including the impact of the 2017 U.S. tax reform legislation; 

 

covenants in our debt agreements that may limit our operational flexibility; 

 

the possibility that we may experience equipment failures, natural disasters, cyber attacks or terrorist attacks for which our insurance may not provide adequate coverage; 

 

the risk that we fail to fully realize the potential benefits of or have difficulty in integrating the companies we acquire; 

 

other risks inherent in the communications industry and in the ownership of communications distribution systems, including potential liability relating to environmental matters and illiquidity of real estate investments;

 

the risk that the agreements regarding the Bluebird acquisition may be modified or terminated prior to expiration or that the conditions to the Bluebird acquisition may not be satisfied; and

 

additional factors discussed in Part I, Item 2 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as well as those described from time to time in our future reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report. Except in the normal course of our public disclosure obligations, we expressly disclaim any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

 

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Uniti Group Inc.

Table of Contents

 

 

 

Page

PART I.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

 

 

 

Item 1.

Financial Statements (Unaudited)

5

 

Uniti Group Inc.

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

5

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

6

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

7

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Deficit

8

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

9

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

10

 

1.Organization and Description of Business

10

 

2.Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

10

 

3.Revenues

14

 

4.Leases

16

 

5.Business Combinations

20

 

6.Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale

21

 

7.Fair Value of Financial Instruments

22

 

8.Property Plant and Equipment

24

 

9.Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

24

 

10.Intangible Assets

25

 

11.Notes and Other Debt

26

 

12.Earnings Per Share

28

 

13.Segment Information

30

 

14.Commitments and Contingencies

31

 

15.Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

32

 

16.Capital Stock

32

 

17.Subsequent Events

32

 

 

 

Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

33

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

46

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

46

 

 

 

PART II.

OTHER INFORMATION

 

 

 

 

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

47

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

47

Item 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

48

Item 3.

Defaults Upon Senior Securities

48

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

48

Item 5.

Other Information

48

Item 6.

Exhibits

49

 

 

 

Signatures

50

 

 

 

 

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PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

Uniti Group Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

 

(Thousands, except par value)

 

March 31, 2019

(Unaudited)

 

 

December 31, 2018

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

$

3,174,744

 

 

$

3,209,006

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

104,684

 

 

 

38,026

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

76,462

 

 

 

104,063

 

Goodwill

 

 

692,886

 

 

 

692,385

 

Intangible assets, net

 

 

377,475

 

 

 

432,821

 

Straight-line revenue receivable

 

 

370

 

 

 

61,785

 

Derivative asset

 

 

9,357

 

 

 

31,043

 

Other assets, net

 

 

120,748

 

 

 

23,808

 

Assets held for sale, net

 

 

140,580

 

 

 

-

 

Total Assets

 

$

4,697,306

 

 

$

4,592,937

 

 

Liabilities, Convertible Preferred Stock and Shareholders' Deficit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities, net

 

$

195,704

 

 

$

94,179

 

Accrued interest payable

 

 

70,922

 

 

 

28,097

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

761,120

 

 

 

726,262

 

Dividends payable

 

 

9,800

 

 

 

113,744

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

31,490

 

 

 

52,434

 

Finance lease obligations

 

 

54,276

 

 

 

55,282

 

Contingent consideration

 

 

60,797

 

 

 

83,401

 

Notes and other debt, net

 

 

4,920,645

 

 

 

4,846,233

 

Liabilities held for sale, net

 

 

56,082

 

 

 

-

 

      Total liabilities

 

 

6,160,836

 

 

 

5,999,632

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 14)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Convertible preferred stock, Series A, $0.0001 par value, 88 shares authorized, issued and outstanding, $87,500 liquidation value

 

 

87,252

 

 

 

86,508

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders' Deficit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 50,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 500,000 shares authorized, issued and outstanding: 182,670 shares at March 31, 2019 and 180,536 at December 31, 2018

 

 

18

 

 

 

18

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

790,347

 

 

 

757,517

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

 

9,661

 

 

 

30,105

 

Distributions in excess of accumulated earnings

 

 

(2,442,564

)

 

 

(2,373,218

)

Total Uniti shareholders' deficit

 

 

(1,642,538

)

 

 

(1,585,578

)

Noncontrolling interests - operating partnership units

 

 

91,756

 

 

 

92,375

 

      Total shareholders' deficit

 

 

(1,550,782

)

 

 

(1,493,203

)

Total Liabilities, Convertible Preferred Stock, and Shareholders' Deficit

 

$

4,697,306

 

 

$

4,592,937

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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Uniti Group Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

(unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

(Thousands, except per share data)

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leasing

 

$

176,083

 

 

$

172,774

 

Fiber Infrastructure

 

 

76,833

 

 

 

66,967

 

Tower

 

 

5,080

 

 

 

3,370

 

Consumer CLEC

 

 

3,035

 

 

 

3,804

 

Total revenues

 

 

261,031

 

 

 

246,915

 

Costs and Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

 

84,458

 

 

 

77,607

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

103,827

 

 

 

114,721

 

General and administrative expense

 

 

24,226

 

 

 

22,520

 

Operating expense (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)

 

 

38,418

 

 

 

29,904

 

Transaction related costs

 

 

6,669

 

 

 

5,913

 

Other (income) expense

 

 

(3,113

)

 

 

(3,885

)

      Total costs and expenses

 

 

254,485

 

 

 

246,780

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

 

 

6,546

 

 

 

135

 

Income tax expense (benefit)

 

 

4,054

 

 

 

(1,096

)

Net income

 

 

2,492

 

 

 

1,231

 

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

 

50

 

 

 

21

 

Net income attributable to shareholders

 

 

2,442

 

 

 

1,210

 

Participating securities' share in earnings

 

 

(28

)

 

 

(679

)

Dividends declared on convertible preferred stock

 

 

(656

)

 

 

(656

)

Amortization of discount on convertible preferred stock

 

 

(745

)

 

 

(745

)

Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders

 

$

1,013

 

 

$

(870

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings (loss) per common share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.01

 

 

$

-

 

Diluted

 

$

0.01

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

182,219

 

 

 

174,892

 

Diluted

 

 

182,222

 

 

 

175,499

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

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Uniti Group Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

(Thousands)

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

Net income

 

$

2,492

 

 

$

1,231

 

Other comprehensive (loss) income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unrealized (loss) gain on derivative contracts

 

 

(21,686

)

 

 

35,268

 

Changes in foreign currency translation

 

 

780

 

 

 

4,565

 

Other comprehensive (loss) income:

 

 

(20,906

)

 

 

39,833

 

Comprehensive (loss) income

 

 

(18,414

)

 

 

41,064

 

Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interest

 

 

(412

)

 

 

940

 

Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to common shareholders

 

$

(18,002

)

 

$

40,124

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.


 

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Uniti Group Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Deficit

(unaudited)

(Thousands, except share data)

 

Preferred Stock

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Additional Paid-in Capital

 

 

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

 

 

Distributions in Excess of Accumulated Earnings

 

 

Noncontrolling Interest

 

 

Total Shareholders' Deficit

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2017

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

174,851,514

 

 

$

17

 

 

$

644,328

 

 

$

7,821

 

 

$

(1,960,715

)

 

$

101,407

 

 

$

(1,207,142

)

Net income

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,210

 

 

 

21

 

 

 

1,231

 

Amortization of discount of convertible preferred stock

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(745

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(745

)

Other comprehensive income

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

38,914

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

919

 

 

 

39,833

 

Common stock dividends declared

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(105,069

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(105,069

)

Convertible preferred stock dividends

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(656

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(656

)

Distributions to noncontrolling interest

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2,479

)

 

 

(2,479

)

Net share settlement

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(390

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(269

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(659

)

Stock-based compensation

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

118,132

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,210

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,210

 

Impact of change in accounting standard

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,859

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,859

 

Balance at March 31, 2018

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

174,969,646

 

 

$

17

 

 

$

645,403

 

 

$

46,735

 

 

$

(2,063,640

)

 

$

99,868

 

 

$

(1,271,617

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2018

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

180,535,971

 

 

$

18

 

 

$

757,517

 

 

$

30,105

 

 

$

(2,373,218

)

 

$

92,375

 

 

$

(1,493,203

)

Impact of change in accounting standard, net of tax

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(63,110

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(63,110

)

Net income

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,442

 

 

 

50

 

 

 

2,492

 

At-the-market issuance of common stock, net of offering costs

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,176,186

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

21,641

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

21,641

 

Amortization of discount on convertible preferred stock

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(745

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(745

)

Other comprehensive loss

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(20,444

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(462

)

 

 

(20,906

)

Common stock dividends declared ($0.05 per share)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(8,022

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(8,022

)

Distributions to noncontrolling interest

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(207

)

 

 

(207

)

Convertible preferred stock dividends

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(656

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(656

)

Net share settlement

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(1,579

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(1,579

)

Stock-based compensation

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

279,152

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,888

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,888

 

Equity settled contingent consideration

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

645,385

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

11,178

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

11,178

 

Issuance of common stock - employee stock purchase plan

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

33,800

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

447

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

447

 

Balance at March 31, 2019

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

182,670,494

 

 

$

18

 

 

$

790,347

 

 

$

9,661

 

 

$

(2,442,564

)

 

$

91,756

 

 

$

(1,550,782

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Uniti Group Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

(Thousands)

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

Cash flow from operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

2,492

 

 

$

1,231

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

103,827

 

 

 

114,721

 

Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt discount

 

 

6,873

 

 

 

6,034

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

(2,063

)

 

 

(1,502

)

Straight-line revenues

 

 

(723

)

 

 

(4,592

)

Stock-based compensation

 

 

1,888

 

 

 

2,210

 

Change in fair value of contingent consideration

 

 

(3,256

)

 

 

(3,864

)

Other

 

 

637

 

 

 

921

 

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

25,603

 

 

 

6,409

 

Other assets

 

 

(974

)

 

 

(4,621

)

Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

54,598

 

 

 

39,919

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

188,902

 

 

 

156,866

 

Cash flow from investing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired

 

 

(4,210

)

 

 

-

 

NMS asset acquisitions

 

 

-

 

 

 

(962

)

Other capital expenditures

 

 

(79,458

)

 

 

(51,143

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(83,668

)

 

 

(52,105

)

Cash flow from financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Principal payments on debt

 

 

(5,270

)

 

 

(5,270

)

Dividends paid

 

 

(110,348

)

 

 

(105,920

)

Payments of contingent consideration

 

 

(8,170

)

 

 

(12,662

)

Distributions paid to noncontrolling interest

 

 

(2,479

)

 

 

(2,479

)

Borrowings under revolving credit facility

 

 

139,000

 

 

 

70,000

 

Payments under revolving credit facility

 

 

(30,000

)

 

 

(50,000

)

Capital lease payments

 

 

(1,006

)

 

 

(899

)

Payments for financing costs

 

 

(36,191

)

 

 

-

 

Common stock issuance, net of costs

 

 

21,641

 

 

 

-

 

Employee stock purchase program

 

 

446

 

 

 

-

 

Net share settlement

 

 

(1,579

)

 

 

(658

)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(33,956

)

 

 

(107,888

)

Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

154

 

 

 

263

 

Cash and cash equivalents, held for sale

 

 

(4,774

)

 

 

-

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

66,658

 

 

 

(2,864

)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

 

38,026

 

 

 

59,765

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

104,684

 

 

$

56,901

 

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property and equipment acquired but not yet paid

 

$

19,065

 

 

$

18,078

 

Tenant capital improvements

 

 

29,651

 

 

 

47,352

 

Settlement of contingent consideration through non-cash consideration

 

 

11,178

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

Uniti Group Inc.

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

(unaudited)

Note 1. Organization and Description of Business

Uniti Group Inc. (the “Company,” “Uniti,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) was incorporated in the state of Maryland on September 4, 2014. We are an internally managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”) engaged in the acquisition and construction of mission critical infrastructure in the communications industry. We are principally focused on acquiring and constructing fiber optic broadband networks, wireless communications towers, copper and coaxial broadband networks and data centers. We manage our operations in four separate lines of business: Uniti Fiber, Uniti Towers, Uniti Leasing, and the Consumer CLEC Business.

The Company operates through a customary “up-REIT” structure, pursuant to which we hold substantially all of our assets through a partnership, Uniti Group LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”), that we control as general partner, with the only significant difference between the financial position and results of operations of the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries compared to the consolidated financial position and consolidated results of operations of Uniti is that the results for the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries do not include Uniti’s Consumer CLEC segment, which consists of Talk America Services. The up-REIT structure is intended to facilitate future acquisition opportunities by providing the Company with the ability to use common units of the Operating Partnership as a tax-efficient acquisition currency.  As of March 31, 2019, we are the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership and own approximately 97.7% of the partnership interests in the Operating Partnership.

Note 2. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include all accounts of the Company and its wholly owned and/or controlled subsidiaries, which consist of the Operating Partnership. Under the Accounting Standards Codification 810, Consolidation (“ASC 810”), the Operating Partnership is considered a variable interest entity and is consolidated in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Uniti Group Inc. because the Company is the primary beneficiary.  All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

ASC 810 provides guidance on the identification of entities for which control is achieved through means other than voting rights (“variable interest entities” or “VIEs”) and the determination of which business enterprise, if any, should consolidate the VIEs.  Generally, the consideration of whether an entity is a VIE applies when either: (1) the equity investors (if any) lack (i) the ability to make decisions about the entity’s activities through voting or similar rights, (ii) the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity, or (iii) the right to receive the expected residual returns of the entity; (2) the equity investment at risk is insufficient to finance that entity’s activities without additional subordinated financial support; or (3) the equity investors have voting rights that are not proportionate to their economic interests and substantially all of the activities of the entity involve or are conducted on behalf of an investor with a disproportionately small voting interest.  The Company consolidates VIEs in which it is considered to be the primary beneficiary.  The primary beneficiary is defined as the entity having both of the following characteristics: (1) the power to direct the activities that, when taken together, most significantly impact the VIE’s performance; and (2) the obligation to absorb losses and right to receive the returns from the VIE that would be significant to the VIE.

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information set forth in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), as published by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), and with the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair statement of results for the interim period have been included. Operating results from any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full fiscal year. The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 (“Annual Report”), filed with the SEC on March 18, 2019. Accordingly, significant accounting policies and other disclosures normally provided have been omitted from the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes since such items are disclosed in our Annual Report.

 

Going ConcernIn accordance with Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40), the Company’s management has evaluated whether there are conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date the financial statements are issued. 

 

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Uniti Group Inc.

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements – Continued

(unaudited)

We are party to a Master Lease agreement (the “Master Lease”) with Windstream Holdings, Inc. (“Windstream Holdings” and together with its consolidated subsidiaries “Windstream”), from which 68.2% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018 was derived.  Windstream was involved in litigation with an entity who acquired certain Windstream debt securities and thereafter issued a notice of default as to such securities related to our spin-off from Windstream (the “Spin-Off”).  Windstream challenged the matter in federal court and a trial was held in July 2018.  On February 15, 2019, the federal court judge issued a ruling against Windstream, finding that Windstream’s attempts to waive such default were not valid, that an “event of default” occurred with respect to such debt securities, and that the holder’s acceleration of such debt in December 2017 was effective.  In response to the adverse outcome, on February 25, 2019, Windstream filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. 

In bankruptcy, Windstream has the option to assume or reject the Master Lease.  Because the Master Lease is a single indivisible Master Lease with a single rent payment, it must be assumed or rejected in whole and cannot be sub-divided by facility or market. A significant amount of Windstream’s revenue is generated from the use of our network included in the Master Lease, and we believe that the Master Lease is essential to Windstream’s operations.  Furthermore, Windstream is designated as a “carrier of last resort” in certain markets where it utilizes the Master Lease to provide service to its customers, and Windstream would require approval from the Public Utility Commissions and the Federal Communications Commission to cease providing service in those markets.  As a result, we believe the probability of Windstream rejecting the Master Lease in bankruptcy to be remote.  However, a rejection of the Master Lease, or even a temporary disruption in payments to us, may require us to fund certain expenses and obligations (e.g., real estate taxes, insurance and maintenance expenses) to preserve the value of our properties, and could materially adversely affect our consolidated results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, including our ability to service debt, comply with debt covenants and pay dividends to our stockholders as required to maintain our status as a REIT.  As a result, conditions or events have been identified that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

The Company has considered the mitigating effects of management’s plans to alleviate the substantial doubt about the ability to continue as going concern in the event there is a disruption in the payments due to us under the Master Lease prior to Windstream’s assumption or rejection of the lease.  Those plans include deferring, reducing or delaying cash dividends and capital expenditures, if necessary, paying one or more dividends that are required to maintain our REIT status in shares to the extent allowed under the IRS REIT rules, curtailing acquisition activities, accessing the capital markets and identifying alternative sources of liquidity. Based on our analysis, including consideration of the timing of petitioners’ requirements to make post-petition lease payments under U.S. bankruptcy law, we believe that we have adequate liquidity to continue to fund our operations for twelve months after the issuance of the financial statements, however see discussion below regarding the upcoming maturity of our Revolving Credit Facility.

Although management has concluded the probability of a rejection of the Master Lease to be remote, and has noted the absence of any provision in the Master Lease that contemplates renegotiation of the lease and the lack of any ability of the bankruptcy court to unilaterally reset the rent or terms of the lease, it is difficult to predict what could occur in Windstream’s bankruptcy restructuring, including potential claims against us by Windstream or its creditors.  The Company has evaluated its ability to continue as a going concern in light of the possibility of a consensual renegotiation of the Master Lease, and the impact of any renegotiated lease on our compliance with our debt covenants.  We note that our Credit Agreement prohibits the Company from amending the Master Lease that, among other provisions, pro forma for any such amendment, would result in a consolidated secured leverage ratio that exceeds 5.0 to 1.0.  Furthermore, management has no intention to enter into a lease amendment that would violate our debt covenants.

However, because there can be no certainty as of the outcome of Windstream’s decision to assume or reject the Master Lease, uncertainties exist as to the outcome or impacts of any potential consensual renegotiation of the Master Lease.  In addition, our Revolving Credit Facility matures on April 24, 2020.  See Note 11.  If we are not successful in extending or refinancing the Revolving Credit Facility, our current cash balances as of March 31, 2019 are not sufficient to repay all of outstanding borrowings.  Therefore, substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the issuance of the financial statements.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.

Concentration of Credit Risks—Revenue under the Master Lease provided 65.5% and 70.0% of our revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.  Because a substantial portion of our revenue and cash flows are derived from lease payments by Windstream pursuant to the Master Lease, there could be a material adverse impact on our consolidated results of

 

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Table of Contents

 

Uniti Group Inc.

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements – Continued

(unaudited)

operations, liquidity, financial condition and/or ability to pay dividends and service debt if Windstream were to default under the Master Lease or otherwise experiences operating or liquidity difficulties and becomes unable to generate sufficient cash to make payments to us.

Windstream is a publicly traded company and is subject to the periodic filing requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Windstream filings can be found at www.sec.gov. Windstream filings are not incorporated by reference in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Straight-Line Revenue Receivable—As discussed in “Recently Issued Accounting Standards” in this Note 2, we have adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-02, Leases (“ASC 842”) effective January 1, 2019.  This standard supersedes prior guidance regarding the evaluation of collectability of lease receivables, including straight-line revenue receivables.  We have evaluated the collectability of our straight-line revenue receivable associated with the Master Lease in accordance with ASC 842, and in light of Windstream’s pending bankruptcy, we concluded that the receivable should be written-off.  As a result, effective January 1, 2019, the Master Lease will be accounted for on a cash basis in accordance with ASC 842, until a time at which there is more certainty regarding Windstream’s decision to assume or reject the Master Lease.  We have reflected the write off as a $61.5 million adjustment to equity resulting from a change in accounting standard.

Reclassifications—Certain prior year asset categories and related amounts in Note 8 have been reclassified to conform with current year presentation.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

Leases—Effective January 1, 2019, we account for leases in accordance with ASC 842. The standard requires lessees to apply a dual approach, classifying leases as either finance or operating leases based on the principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase by the lessee. This classification will determine whether lease expense is comprised of amortization on the right-of-use asset (“ROU”) and interest expense recognized based on an effective interest method, or as a single lease cost recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease, respectively. A lessee is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term of greater than 12 months regardless of their classification.  The accounting for lessors remains largely unchanged. Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for similar to existing guidance for operating leases today.

We determine if an arrangement is a lease at contract inception. A lease exists when a contract conveys to the customer the right to control the use of identified property, plant, or equipment for a period of time in exchange for consideration. The definition of a lease embodies two conditions: (i) there is an identified asset in the contract that is land or a depreciable asset (i.e., property, plant, and equipment), and (ii) the customer has the right to control the use of the identified asset.

We enter into lease contracts including ground, towers, equipment, office, colocation and fiber lease arrangements, in which we are the lessee, and service contracts that may include embedded leases. Operating leases where we are the lessor are included in Leasing, Fiber Infrastructure and Tower revenues on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.

From time to time we enter into direct financing lease arrangements that include (i) a lessee obligation to purchase the leased equipment at the end of the lease term, (ii) a bargain purchase option, (iii) a lease term having a duration that is for the major part of the remaining economic life of the leased equipment or (iv) provides for minimum lease payments with a present value amounting to substantially all of the fair value of the leased asset at the date of lease inception.

ROU assets and lease liabilities related to operating leases where we are the lessee are included in other assets and accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities, respectively, on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The lease liabilities are initially and subsequently measured at the present value of the unpaid lease payments at the lease commencement date.

ROU assets and lease liabilities related to finance leases where we are the lessee are included in property, plant and equipment, net and finance lease obligations, respectively, on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The lease liabilities are initially measured in the same manner as operating leases and are subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method.  ROU assets for finance leases are amortized on a straight-line basis over the remaining lease term.  

 

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Table of Contents

 

Uniti Group Inc.

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements – Continued

(unaudited)

Key estimates and judgments include how we determined (i) the discount rate we use to discount the unpaid lease payments to present value, (ii) lease term and (iii) lease payments.

 

i.

ASC 842 requires a lessor to discount its unpaid lease payments using the interest rate implicit in the lease and a lessee to discount its unpaid lease payments using the interest rate implicit in the lease or, if that rate cannot be readily determined, its incremental borrowing rate. As we generally do not know the implicit rate for our leases where we are the lessee, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. Our incremental borrowing rate for a lease is the rate of interest we would have to pay on a collateralized basis to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments under similar terms.

 

ii.

The lease term for all of our leases includes the noncancellable period of the lease plus any additional periods covered by either a lessee option to extend (or not to terminate) the lease that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise, or an option to extend (or not to terminate) the lease controlled by the lessor.  

 

iii.

Lease payments included in the measurement of the lease asset or liability comprise the following: (i) fixed payments (including in-substance fixed payments), (ii) variable payments that depend on index or rate based on the index or rate at lease commencement, and (iii) the exercise price of a lessee option to purchase the underlying asset if the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise.