Rayonier Announces Acquisitions in U.S. South Coastal Atlantic Markets

 

Rayonier Inc., Jacksonville, Fla., USA, has entered into three transactions with separate sellers to acquire approximately 95,100 acres of high-quality industrial timberlands located in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $217 million, or $2,280 per acre. The Acquisitions are comprised of highly productive timberlands located in some of the strongest timber markets in the U.S. South, primarily along the I-95 coastal corridor near Savannah, Ga.

Key attributes of the acquisitions include the following:

• Strong timber markets – located in the top three U.S. South timber markets based on average composite stumpage price by region)
• Diverse customer base – very competitive wood market with multiple pulpwood, grade and export customers
• Highly productive timberlands – 78’ site index; 73% plantable; sustainable yield of approximately 450,000 tons (or 4.7 tons per acre per year on the acquired lands)
• Well-stocked timber inventory – 4.3 million tons of merchantable timber inventory (or 45 tons per acre); average plantation age of 14 years
• Complementary to existing Rayonier landholdings – increases Rayonier’s ownership in U.S. South Coastal Atlantic markets by approximately 15%
• Primarily fee simple ownership – 89% fee simple ownership and 11% leased lands
• Accretive to cash flow – targeting an annual increase in Adjusted EBITDA and Cash Available for Distribution (CAD) of approximately $13 million and $10 million, respectively, over the medium-term.

Rayonier expects to finance the acquisitions with cash on hand and the proceeds of a follow-on offering of Rayonier common shares, which the company also announced this week.

"The acquisitions announced today are representative of Rayonier’s commitment to disciplined capital allocation and active portfolio management," said David Nunes, president and CEO. "These acquisitions are comprised of highly productive properties that meaningfully bolster Rayonier’s footprint in our strongest U.S. South markets. We expect these acquisitions to generate a strong cash yield from timber harvest operations, which will thereby improve our overall cash flow profile, increase the percentage of our adjusted EBITDA.