EPR Properties (EPR) Risk Analysis

Our financial statements are subject to the application of U.S. GAAP, which is periodically revised and/or expanded. From time to time, we are required to adopt new or revised accounting standards issued by recognized authoritative bodies, including the FASB and the SEC. It is possible that accounting standards we are required to adopt may require changes to the current accounting treatment that we apply to our consolidated financial statements and may require us to make significant changes to our systems. Changes in accounting standards could result in a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we fail to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we will be taxed as a corporation. We are organized to and believe we qualify as a REIT, and intend to operate in a manner that will allow us to continue to qualify as a REIT. However, we cannot provide any assurance that we have always qualified and will remain qualified in the future. This is because qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Internal Revenue Code"), on which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations, and depends on facts and circumstances not entirely within our control, including requirements relating to the sources of our gross income. Even a technical or inadvertent violation could jeopardize our REIT qualification. Rents received or accrued by us from our tenants may not be treated as qualifying income for purposes of these requirements if the leases are not respected as true leases or qualified financing arrangements for U.S. federal income tax purposes and instead are treated as service contracts, joint ventures or some other type of arrangement. If some or all of our leases are not respected as true leases or qualified financing arrangements for U.S. federal income tax purposes and are not otherwise treated as generating qualifying REIT income, we may fail to qualify to be taxed as a REIT. Furthermore, our qualification as a REIT will depend on our satisfaction of certain asset, income, organizational, distribution, stockholder ownership and other requirements on a continuing basis. Our ability to satisfy the asset tests depends upon our analysis of the characterization and fair market values of our assets, some of which are not susceptible to a precise determination, and for which we may not obtain independent appraisals. In addition, future legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions may significantly change the tax laws, the application of the tax laws to our qualification as a REIT or the U.S. federal income tax consequences of that qualification. If we were to fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year (including any prior taxable year for which the statute of limitations remains open), we would face tax consequences that could substantially reduce the funds available for the service of our debt and payment of dividends: - we would not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid to shareholders in computing our taxable income and would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates;- we could be subject to increased state and local taxes;- unless we are entitled to relief under statutory provisions, we could not elect to be treated as a REIT for four taxable years following the year in which we were disqualified; and - we could be subject to tax penalties and interest. In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will no longer be required to pay dividends. As a result of these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT could adversely affect the market price for our shares.

Our ability to meet our construction financing obligations that we have undertaken or may in the future enter into depends on our ability to obtain equity or debt financing in the required amounts. There is no assurance we can obtain this financing or that the financing rates available will ensure a spread between our cost of capital and the rent or interest payable to us under the related leases or mortgage notes receivable. As a result, we could fail to meet our construction financing obligations or decide to cease such funding, which, in turn, could result in failed projects and penalties, each of which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and business.

We acquire, develop or finance experiential real estate properties. A significant portion of our investments are in megaplex theatre properties. Although we are subject to the general risks inherent in concentrating investments in real estate, the risks resulting from a lack of diversification become even greater as a result of investing primarily in experiential real estate properties. These risks are further heightened by the fact that a significant portion of our investments are in megaplex theatre properties. Although a downturn in the real estate industry could significantly adversely affect the value of our properties, a downturn in the experiential real estate industry could compound this adverse effect. These adverse effects could be more pronounced than if we diversified our investments to a greater degree outside of experiential real estate properties or, more particularly, outside of megaplex theatre properties. Megaplex theatres have not fully recovered from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, megaplex theatre properties depend on regular production and availability of motion pictures, which the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes of 2023 severely disrupted. As a result, we are subject to more risk associated with megaplex theatres than if we had more diversified investments.

As a REIT, we are required to distribute at least 90% of our taxable net income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Other than deciding to make these dividends in our common shares, we are limited in our ability to use internal capital to acquire properties and must continually raise new capital in order to continue to grow and diversify our investment portfolio. Our ability to raise new capital depends in part on factors beyond our control, including conditions in equity and credit markets, conditions in the industries in which our customers are engaged and the performance of real estate investment trusts generally, all of which have been negatively impacted by generally challenging and uncertain economic conditions and residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We continually consider and evaluate a variety of potential transactions to raise additional capital, but we cannot assure that attractive alternatives will always be available to us, nor that our share price will increase or remain at a level that will permit us to continue to raise equity capital publicly or privately.

Most of our financing arrangements require us to make a lump-sum or "balloon" payment at maturity. There can be no assurance that we will be able to refinance such debt on favorable terms or at all, especially in light of higher interest rates and other negative economic conditions. To the extent we cannot refinance such debt on favorable terms or at all, we may be forced to dispose of properties on disadvantageous terms or pay higher interest rates, either of which would have an adverse impact on our financial performance and ability to pay dividends to our shareholders.

We currently use debt to fund portions of our operations and acquisitions. In a rising interest rate environment, the cost of our existing variable rate debt and any new debt will likely increase. We have used leverage to acquire properties and expect to continue to do so in the future. Although the use of leverage is common in the real estate industry, our use of debt exposes us to some risks. If a significant number of our customers fail to make their lease or interest payments for a significant period of time, the risk of which has been heightened as a result of the generally challenging and uncertain economic environment, and we do not have sufficient cash to pay principal and interest on the debt, we could default on our debt obligations. A small amount of our debt financing is secured by mortgages on our properties and we may enter into additional secured mortgage financing in the future. If we fail to meet our mortgage payments, the lenders could declare a default and foreclose on those properties. We expect that our levels of investment spending will be limited in the near term due to elevated costs of capital.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of December 31, 2023, we had total debt outstanding of approximately $2.8 billion. Our indebtedness could have important consequences, such as: - limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund our working capital needs, acquisitions, capital expenditures or other debt service requirements or for other purposes;- limiting our ability to use operating cash flow in other areas of our business because we must dedicate a substantial portion of these funds to service debt;- limiting our ability to compete with other companies who are not as highly leveraged, as we may be less capable of responding to adverse economic and industry conditions;- restricting us from making strategic acquisitions, developing properties or pursuing business opportunities;- restricting the way in which we conduct our business because of financial and operating covenants in the agreements governing our existing and future indebtedness;- exposing us to potential events of default (if not cured or waived) under financial and operating covenants contained in our debt instruments that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results;- increasing our vulnerability to a downturn in general economic conditions or in pricing of our investments;- negatively impacting our credit ratings; and - limiting our ability to react to changing market conditions in our industry and in our customers' industries. In addition to our debt service obligations, our operations require substantial investments on a continuing basis. Our ability to make scheduled debt payments, to refinance our obligations with respect to our indebtedness and to fund capital and non-capital expenditures necessary to meet our remaining commitments on existing projects and maintain the condition of our assets, as well as to provide capacity for the growth of our business, depends on our financial and operating performance, which, in turn, is subject to prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, competitive, legal and other factors. Subject to the restrictions in our unsecured revolving credit facility and the debt instruments governing our existing senior notes, we may incur significant additional indebtedness, including additional secured indebtedness. Although the terms of our unsecured revolving credit facility and the debt instruments governing our existing senior notes contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions, and additional indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be significant. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the risks described above could increase.

We have acquired and financed ski properties and expect to do so in the future. The operators of these properties, our tenants or borrowers, are dependent upon the operations of the properties to pay their rents and service their loans. The ski property operator's ability to attract visitors is influenced by weather conditions and climate change in general, each of which may impact the amount of snowfall during the ski season. Adverse weather conditions may discourage visitors from participating in outdoor activities. In addition, unseasonably warm weather may result in inadequate natural snowfall, which increases the cost of snowmaking, and could render snowmaking wholly or partially ineffective in maintaining quality skiing conditions and attracting visitors. Excessive natural snowfall may materially increase the costs incurred for grooming trails and may also make it difficult for visitors to obtain access to ski properties. We also own and finance attractions that would also be subject to risks relating to weather conditions such as in the case of waterparks and amusement parks, including excessive rainfall or unseasonable temperatures. Prolonged periods of adverse weather conditions, or the occurrence of such conditions during peak visitation periods, could have a material adverse effect on the operator's financial results and could impair the ability of the operator to make rental or other payments or service our loans. A severe natural disaster, such as a forest fire and floods, may interrupt the operations of an operator, damage our properties, reduce the number of guests who visit the properties in affected areas or negatively impact an operator's revenue and profitability. Damage to our properties could take a long time to repair and there is no guarantee that we would have adequate insurance to cover the costs of repair and recoup lost profits. Furthermore, such a disaster may interrupt or impede access to our affected properties or require evacuations and may cause visits to our affected properties to decrease for an indefinite period. The ability of our operators to attract visitors to our experiential lodging properties is also influenced by the aesthetics and natural beauty of the outdoor environment where these resorts are located. A severe forest fire, flood or other severe impacts from naturally occurring events could negatively impact the natural beauty of our resort properties and have a long-term negative impact on an operator's overall guest visitation as it could take several years for the environment to recover.

We may desire to sell properties in the future because of changes in market conditions, poor tenant performance or default of any mortgage we hold, or to avail ourselves of other opportunities. We may also be required to sell a property in the future to meet debt obligations or avoid a default. Specialty real estate projects such as our investments cannot always be sold quickly, and we cannot assure you that we could always obtain a favorable price. In addition, the Internal Revenue Code limits our ability to sell our properties. We may be required to invest in the restoration or modification of a property before we can sell it. The inability to respond promptly to changes in the performance of our property portfolio could adversely affect our financial condition and ability to service our debt, pay dividends to our shareholders and effect share repurchases.

One of the factors that investors may consider in deciding whether to buy or sell our common shares or preferred shares is our dividend rate as a percentage of our share price, relative to market interest rates. If market interest rates increase, prospective investors may desire a higher dividend rate on our common shares or seek securities paying higher dividends or interest. Higher interest rates would also likely increase our future borrowing costs and potentially decrease funds available for distribution, which could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common shares and possibly our preferred shares.

If we decide to issue debt securities in the future, which would rank senior to our common shares, it is likely that they will be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting our operating flexibility. Additionally, any equity securities or convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common shares and may result in dilution to owners of our common shares. We and, indirectly, our shareholders, will bear the cost of issuing and servicing such securities. Because our decision to issue debt or equity securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, holders of our common shares will bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the market price of our common shares and diluting the value of their shareholdings in us.

If a borrower becomes bankrupt or insolvent or defaults under its loan, that could force us to declare a default and foreclose on any available collateral. As a result, future interest income recognition related to the applicable note receivable could be significantly reduced or eliminated. There is also a risk that the fair value of the collateral, if any, will be less than the carrying value of the note and accrued interest receivable at the time of a foreclosure and we may have to take a charge against earnings. If a property serves as collateral for a note, we may experience costs and delays in recovering the property in foreclosure or finding a substitute operator for the property. If a mortgage we hold is subordinated to senior financing secured by the property, our recovery would be limited to any amount remaining after satisfaction of all amounts due to the holder of the senior financing. In addition, to protect our subordinated investment, we may desire to refinance any senior financing. However, there is no assurance that such refinancing would be available or, if it were to be available, that the terms would be attractive. We experienced borrower defaults and bankruptcies resulting from the reduced economic activity that initially resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, and we may experience future defaults and bankruptcies, the breadth of which will depend upon the scope, severity and duration of the future events and circumstances heightening default and bankruptcy risks. The ultimate extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and challenging and uncertain economic conditions impacts the operations of our borrowers will depend on future developments, which, as discussed above, are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence.

The U.S. Federal Reserve has raised the benchmark interest rate multiple times beginning in 2022, and there can be no assurances that the rate will not further increase in the future. As interest rates have increased, so has our interest costs for any new debt and any additional increases could further increase these costs. This increased cost has made the financing of any acquisition and development activity costlier, and may lower future earnings. Rising interest rates, or the continuation of existing rates into the future, could limit our ability to refinance existing debt when it matures or cause us to pay higher interest rates upon refinancing and increase interest expense on refinanced indebtedness. In addition, higher interest rates could decrease the amount third parties are willing to pay for our assets, thereby limiting our ability to reposition our portfolio efficiently in response to changes in economic or other conditions.

The credit ratings of our senior unsecured debt and preferred equity securities are based on our operating performance, liquidity and leverage ratios, overall financial position and other factors employed by the credit rating agencies in their rating analysis of us. Our credit ratings can affect the amount and type of capital we can access, as well as the terms and costs of any financings we may obtain. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current credit ratings, particularly in light of the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and any effects of the current challenging economic environment. In the event that our current credit ratings deteriorate, we would likely incur a higher cost of capital and it may be more difficult or expensive to obtain additional financing or refinance existing obligations and commitments. Also, downgrades in our credit ratings would trigger additional costs or other potentially negative consequences under our current and future credit facilities and future debt instruments.

We may develop, redevelop or expand new or existing properties or acquire other real estate related companies, and these activities are subject to various risks. We may not be successful in pursuing such development or acquisition opportunities. In addition, newly developed or redeveloped/expanded properties or newly acquired companies may not perform as well as expected. We are subject to other risks in connection with any such development or acquisition activities, including the following: - we may not succeed in completing developments or consummating desired acquisitions on time;- we may face competition in pursuing development or acquisition opportunities, which could increase our costs;- we may encounter difficulties and incur substantial expenses in integrating acquired properties into our operations and systems and, in any event, the integration may require a substantial amount of time on the part of both our management and employees and therefore divert their attention from other aspects of our business;- we may undertake developments or acquisitions in new markets or industries where we do not have the same level of market knowledge, which may expose us to unanticipated risks in those markets and industries to which we are unable to effectively respond, such as an inability to attract qualified personnel with knowledge of such markets and industries;- we may incur construction costs in connection with developments, which may be higher than projected, potentially making the project unfeasible or unprofitable;- we may incur unanticipated capital expenditures in order to maintain or improve acquired properties;- we may be unable to obtain zoning, occupancy or other governmental approvals;- we may experience delays in receiving rental payments for developments that are not completed on time;- our developments or acquisitions may not be profitable;- we may need the consent of third parties such as anchor tenants, mortgage lenders and joint venture partners, and those consents may be withheld;- we may incur adverse tax consequences if we fail to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes following an acquisition;- we may be subject to risks associated with providing mortgage financing to third parties in connection with transactions, including any default under such mortgage financing;- we may face litigation or other claims in connection with, or as a result of, acquisitions, including claims from terminated employees, tenants, former stockholders or other third parties;- the market price of our common shares, preferred shares and debt securities may decline, particularly if we do not achieve the perceived benefits of any acquisition as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by securities or industry analysts or if the effect of an acquisition on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows is not consistent with the expectations of these analysts;- we may issue shares in connection with acquisitions resulting in dilution to our existing shareholders; and - we may assume debt or other liabilities in connection with acquisitions. In addition, there is no assurance that planned third-party financing related to development and acquisition opportunities will be provided on a timely basis or at all, thus increasing the risk that such opportunities are delayed or fail to be completed as originally contemplated. We may also abandon development or acquisition opportunities that we have begun pursuing and consequently fail to recover expenses already incurred and have devoted management time to a matter not consummated. In some cases, we may agree to lease or other financing terms for a development project in advance of completing and funding the project, in which case we are exposed to the risk of an increase in our cost of capital during the interim period leading up to the funding, which can reduce, eliminate or result in a negative spread between our cost of capital and the payments we expect to receive from the project. Furthermore, our acquisitions of new properties or companies will expose us to the liabilities of those properties or companies, some of which we may not be aware at the time of acquisition. In addition, development of our existing properties presents similar risks. If a development or acquisition is unsuccessful, either because it is not meeting our expectations or was not completed according to our plans, we could lose our investment in the development or acquisition.

We may continue to acquire or develop properties in joint ventures with third parties when those transactions appear desirable. We would not own the entire interest in any property acquired by a joint venture. Our participation in joint ventures subjects us to risks, including but not limited to, the following risks that: - we may need our partner(s)' consent for major decisions regarding a joint venture property;- our joint venture partners may have different objectives than us regarding the appropriate timing and terms of any sale or refinancing of a property, its operation or, if applicable, the commencement of development activities;- our joint venture partners may be structured differently than us for tax purposes and this could create conflicts of interest, including with respect to our compliance with the REIT requirements, and our REIT status could be jeopardized if any of our joint ventures do not operate in compliance with REIT requirements;- our joint venture partners may have competing interests in our markets that could create conflicts of interest;- our joint venture partners may default on their obligations, which could necessitate that we fulfill their obligations ourselves;- our joint ventures may be unable to repay any amounts that we may loan to them;- our joint venture agreements may contain provisions limiting the liquidity of our interest for sale or sale of the entire asset;- as the general partner or managing member of a joint venture, we could be generally liable under applicable law for the debts and obligations of the venture, and we may not be entitled to contribution or indemnification from our partners; and - our joint venture agreements may contain provisions that allow our partners to remove us as the general partner or managing member for cause, and this could result in liability for us to our partners under the governing agreement of the joint venture. If we have a dispute with a joint venture partner, we may feel it necessary or become obligated to acquire the partner's interest in the venture. However, we cannot ensure that the price we would have to pay or the timing of the acquisition would be favorable to us. If we are invested in a joint venture in which control over significant decisions is shared, the assets and financial results of the joint venture may not be reportable by us on a consolidated basis. To the extent we have commitments to, or on behalf of, or are dependent on, any such "off-balance sheet" arrangements, or if those arrangements or their properties or leases are subject to material contingencies, our liquidity, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected by those commitments or off-balance sheet arrangements.

To maintain our status as a REIT, we are generally not permitted to directly operate our properties. As a result, from time to time, we enter into management agreements with third-party managers to operate certain properties. In the past, this practice has been most frequent with our experiential lodging properties. However, as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a generally challenging and uncertain economic environment and Regal's bankruptcy, we have also begun managing a limited number of theatres formerly operated by our tenants and may manage a greater number in the future if customer defaults or bankruptcies result in our taking back properties. For managed properties, our ability to direct and control how our properties are operated is less than if we were able to manage these properties directly. Under the terms of our management agreements, our participation in operating decisions relating to these properties is generally limited to certain matters. We do not supervise any of these managers or their personnel on a day-to-day basis. We cannot provide any assurances that the managers will manage our properties in a manner that is consistent with their respective obligations under the applicable management agreement or our obligations under any franchise agreements. We could be materially and adversely affected if any of our managers fail to effectively manage revenues and expenses, provide quality services and amenities, or otherwise fail to manage our properties in our best interests, and we may be financially responsible for the actions and inactions of the managers. In certain situations, we may terminate the management agreement. However, we can provide no assurances that we could identify a replacement manager, or that the replacement manager will manage our property successfully. A failure by our third-party managers to successfully manage our properties could lead to an increase in our operating expenses or decrease in our revenue, or both.