Starwood Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (Starwood REIT) is facing liquidity challenges due to significant investor withdrawals and rising debt costs. The REIT, sponsored by Starwood Capital Group, has borrowed over $1.3 billion from its $1.55 billion unsecured credit facility since early 2023. Investor withdrawals totaled $2.6 billion last year, and in recent months, the REIT has struggled to meet redemption requests fully due to its 2% monthly limitation.
In April 2024, Starwood REIT managed to honor only 37% of the $500 million in repurchase requests, a slight improvement from March 2024, where only 24% of $408 million in requests were met. The REIT's liquidity as of April 30, 2024, was $752 million, including cash, an undrawn line of credit, and liquid securities. Without further borrowing or asset sales, there is concern that the REIT could deplete its reserves before year-end.
To improve liquidity, Starwood REIT sold $1.8 billion worth of multifamily properties, industrial properties, and real estate loans, generating a $335 million profit and a 14% internal rate of return. These sales comprised 85% of the REIT’s gross asset value.
For the first quarter of 2024, the REIT reported a 7% year-over-year increase in same property net operating income, totaling $240.8 million. However, the NAV per share for all classes of stock decreased slightly in April 2024.
Starwood REIT is actively raising capital, offering up to $18 billion in shares. By mid-May 2024, it had raised approximately $1.3 billion through its primary offering and $0.4 billion through its distribution reinvestment plan. Despite these efforts, the aggregate NAV declined by 1.4% from March to April 2024, and the number of shares outstanding also saw a slight decrease.
Since its launch in December 2017, Starwood REIT has invested in stabilized real estate across the U.S. and Europe, but it now faces significant pressure to manage liquidity and investor redemptions in a challenging economic environment.
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