Urban Edge Properties (UE) 10-K2023 FY Annual report

Urban Edge Properties

Certain statements contained herein constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They represent our intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Our future results, financial condition, business and targeted occupancy may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. You can identify many of these statements by words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “would,” “may” or other similar expressions in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Many of the factors that will determine the outcome of forward-looking statements are beyond our ability to control or predict and include, among others: (i) macroeconomic conditions, including geopolitical conditions and instability, which may lead to rising inflation and disruption of, or lack of access to, the capital markets, as well as potential volatility in the Company’s share price; (ii) the economic, political and social impact of, and uncertainty relating to, epidemics and pandemics; (iii) the loss or bankruptcy of major tenants; (iv) the ability and willingness of the Company’s tenants to renew their leases with the Company upon expiration and the Company’s ability to re-lease its properties on the same or better terms, or at all, in the event of non-renewal or in the event the Company exercises its right to replace an existing tenant; (v) the impact of e-commerce on our tenants’ business; (vi) the Company’s success in implementing its business strategy and its ability to identify, underwrite, finance, consummate and integrate diversifying acquisitions and investments; (vii) changes in general economic conditions or economic conditions in the markets in which the Company competes, and their effect on the Company’s revenues, earnings and funding sources, and on those of its tenants; (viii) increases in the Company’s borrowing costs as a result of changes in interest rates, rising inflation, and other factors; (ix) the Company’s ability to pay down, refinance, restructure or extend its indebtedness as it becomes due and potential limitations on the Company’s ability to borrow funds under its existing credit facility as a result of covenants relating to the Company’s financial results; (x) potentially higher costs associated with the Company’s development, redevelopment and anchor repositioning projects, and the Company’s ability to lease the properties at projected rates; (xi) the Company’s liability for environmental matters; (xii) damage to the Company’s properties from catastrophic weather and other natural events, and the physical effects of climate change; (xiii) the Company’s ability and willingness to maintain its qualification as a REIT in light of economic, market, legal, tax and other considerations; (xiv) information technology security breaches; (xv) the loss of key executives; and (xvi) the accuracy of methodologies and estimates regarding our environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) metrics, goals and targets, tenant willingness and ability to collaborate towards reporting ESG metrics and meeting ESG goals and targets, and the impact of governmental regulation on our ESG efforts. For further discussion of factors that could materially affect the outcome of our forward-looking statements, see “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. A reader should also review carefully our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in this Report.

We claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for any forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We seek to drive financial performance while engaging in environmentally and socially responsible business practices grounded in sound corporate governance. We believe that disclosure of our ESG practices allows our stakeholders to see our company holistically and understand its trajectory beyond fundamentals and financial metrics. The Company’s Board of Trustees oversees our ESG program with initial oversight responsibilities delegated to the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Internally, we have an ESG Steering Committee (the “Steering Committee”) comprised of executives, senior leadership and other personnel of the Company. The Steering Committee meets periodically and is focused on setting, implementing, tracking, measuring, and communicating our progress related to ESG initiatives. The Steering Committee has developed a comprehensive suite of ESG policies that inform and guide our ESG approach and drive our ESG goals forward. We have aligned our sustainability practices in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative standards as well as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures frameworks. On an annual basis, we publish an ESG Report and complete a Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmarks submission to continue to measure our progress against peers. Additionally, we have conducted a materiality assessment to determine which ESG issues matter most to our stakeholders, tenants and employees. We routinely reassess our plans and policies to evaluate compliance with regional and national requirements as well as industry best practices.

We are subject to federal, state and local regulations, including environmental regulations. Each of our properties has been subjected to varying degrees of environmental assessment at various times. Based on these assessments, we have accrued costs for remediation for environmental contamination at certain properties. As of the date of this Report on Form 10-K, we are not aware of any material costs of complying with government regulations, including environmental regulations, that would have a material adverse effect on our overall business, financial condition or results of operations. See “Risks Related to Environmental Liability and Regulatory Compliance” in Part 1, Item 1A “Risk Factors” for further information regarding our risks related to government regulations.

We believe that through our business, we are able to provide the communities in which we operate a welcoming and safe environment for our tenants and customers to connect and engage with one another. We are committed to providing a better shopping experience for our tenants’ customers and servicing nearby communities by spending capital to improve our centers, which also results in the creation of new jobs in construction and retail. Additionally, we are deliberate in our leasing approach by aiming to add necessary retailers to neighborhoods lacking vital resources and those that appeal to the respective communities where the properties are located.

Our corporate governance standards and policies aim to promote ethical conduct, fair dealing, transparency and accountability. The Company is governed by a nine-member board comprised primarily of independent trustees. The Board of Trustees is focused on independence, diversity of thought, experience and ethical leadership, and is critical in the oversight of our risk-management processes. Additionally, we have three board committees made up of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, each of which addresses risks specific to their respective functional responsibilities and works closely with the Board of Trustees. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines are re-evaluated annually, taking into account changing circumstances to ensure that the best interests of the Company and our shareholders are met. We maintain additional policies including our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Conflict of Interest Policy, Human Rights Policy, and Whistleblower Policy, on which all employees are trained.

Our headquarters are located at 888 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019.

None of our tenants accounted for more than 10% of total revenues in any of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. The Home Depot, Inc. is our largest tenant and accounted for approximately $21.5 million, or 5.2%, of our total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The Company elected to be taxed as a REIT under sections 856-860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), commencing with the filing of its 2015 tax return for its tax year ended December 31, 2015. So long as the Company qualifies as a REIT under the Code, the Company will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on net taxable income that it distributes annually to its shareholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year, we will be subject to federal income taxes at regular corporate rates and may not be able to qualify as a REIT for the four subsequent taxable years. The Company is subject to certain foreign, state and local income taxes, in particular income taxes arising from its operating activities in Puerto Rico, which are included in income tax expense in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. In addition, the Company’s taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”) is subject to income tax at regular corporate rates.

Treasury Regulations also provide that a foreign partnership all of the interests of which are held by qualified holders, including through one or more partnerships, may certify its status as such and will not be treated as a foreign person for purposes of withholding under Code Section 1445 (and Code Section 1446, as applicable).

The risks and uncertainties described herein may not be the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial, may also adversely affect our business. See “Forward-Looking Statements”.

Additionally, inflationary pricing may have a negative effect on the construction costs necessary to complete our development and redevelopment projects, including, but not limited to, costs of construction materials, labor and services from third-party contractors and suppliers. Certain mitigating factors and contingencies are built into our contracts; however, no assurance can be given that our efforts at mitigation will be successful. Higher construction costs could adversely impact our investments in real estate assets and expected yields on our redevelopment projects.

To the extent any of these risks and uncertainties adversely impact us in the ways described above or otherwise, they may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this section.

E-commerce continues to gain popularity and growth in internet sales is likely to continue in the future. E-commerce could result in a downturn in the business of some of our current tenants and could affect the way other current and future tenants lease space. For example, the migration towards e-commerce has led many omnichannel retailers to prune the number and size of their traditional “brick and mortar” locations to increasingly rely on e-commerce and alternative distribution channels. Many tenants also permit merchandise purchased on their websites to be picked up at, or returned to, their physical store locations, which may have the effect of decreasing the reported amount of their in-store sales and the amount of rent we are able to collect from them (particularly with respect to those tenants who pay rent based on a percentage of their in-store sales). We cannot predict with certainty how growth in e-commerce will impact the demand for space at our properties or how much revenue will be generated at traditional store locations in the future. If the shift towards e-commerce causes declines in the “brick and mortar” sales generated by our tenants and/or causes our tenants to reduce the size or number of their retail locations in the future, our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Competition in the retail real estate industry is intense. We compete with a large number of public and private retail real estate companies, including property owners and developers. We compete with these companies to attract customers to our properties, as well as to attract anchor, non-anchor and other tenants. We also compete with these companies for development, redevelopment and acquisition opportunities. Other owners and developers may attempt to take existing tenants from our shopping centers by offering lower rents or other incentives to compel them to relocate. This competition could have a material adverse effect on our ability to lease space and on the amount of rent and expense reimbursements that we receive.

Our financial results depend significantly on leasing space in our properties to tenants on economically favorable terms. A majority of our income depends on the ability of our tenants to pay the full amount of rent and other charges due under their leases on a timely basis. Some of our leases provide for the payment, in addition to base rent, of additional rent above the base amount according to a specified percentage of the gross sales generated by the tenants and generally provide for reimbursement of real estate taxes and expenses of operating the property. Economic and/or competitive conditions may impact the success of our tenants’ retail operations and therefore the amount of rent and expense reimbursements we receive from our tenants. While demand for our retail spaces has been strong, there can be no assurance in our ability to maintain our occupancy levels on favorable terms. Any reduction in our tenants’ abilities to pay base rent, percentage rent or other charges on a timely basis will decrease our income, funds available to pay indebtedness and funds available for distribution to shareholders. If a tenant does not pay its rent, we might not be able to enforce our rights as landlord without delays and might incur substantial legal and other costs. During periods of economic adversity, there may be an increase in the number of tenants that cannot pay their rent and an increase in vacancy rates, which could materially and adversely affect our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations.

If our tenants decide not to renew their leases upon their expiration, or if we exercise our right to replace an existing tenant, we may not be able to relet the space on terms comparable to prior leases or at all. Spaces that accounted for approximately 12.8% of physical occupancy were vacant as of December 31, 2023, excluding leases signed but not commenced. In addition, leases accounting for approximately 24% of our annualized base rent for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 are scheduled to expire within the next three years. Even if tenants do renew or we can relet the space, the terms of the renewal or reletting, taking into account among other things, the cost of improvements to the property and leasing commissions, may be less favorable than the terms in the expired leases. In addition, changes in space utilization by our tenants may impact our ability to renew or relet space without the need to incur substantial costs in renovating or redesigning the internal configuration of the relevant property. If we are unable to promptly renew the leases or relet the space at similar rates or if we incur substantial costs

in renewing or reletting the space, our cash flow and ability to service debt obligations and pay dividends and other distributions to security holders could be adversely affected.

See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources” included in Part II, Item 7 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Because a significant number of our properties are located in the New York metropolitan area, we are particularly susceptible to adverse economic and other developments in that area. Collectively, our New York metropolitan area properties in the aggregate generated approximately 67% of our annualized base rent as of December 31, 2023. Real estate markets are subject to economic downturns, and we cannot predict the economic conditions in the New York metropolitan area in either the short-term or long-term. Poor economic or market conditions in the New York metropolitan area may adversely affect our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations.

Some of our properties have anchor or major tenants that generally occupy larger spaces, sometimes pay a significant portion of a property’s total rent and often contribute to the success of other tenants by drawing customers to a property. If an anchor or major tenant closes, such closure could adversely affect the property even if the tenant continues to pay rent due to the loss of the anchor or major tenant’s drawing power. Additionally, closure of an anchor or major tenant could result in lease terminations by, or reductions in rent from, other tenants if the other tenants’ leases have co-tenancy clauses that permit cancellation or rent reduction if an anchor tenant closes. Retailer consolidation, store rationalization, competition from internet sales and general economic conditions may decrease the number of potential tenants available to fill available anchor tenant spaces. As a result, in the event one or more anchor tenants were to leave one or more of our centers, we cannot be sure that we would be able to lease the vacant space on equivalent terms or at all. In addition, we may not be able to recover costs owed to us by the closed tenant. In certain cases, some anchor and non-anchor tenants may be able to terminate their leases if they do not achieve defined sales levels.

We may develop or redevelop properties when we believe that doing so is consistent with our business strategy. As of December 31, 2023, we had 23 active redevelopment projects in which we have invested a total of approximately $55.9 million, and based on our current plans and estimates, we anticipate it will cost an additional $112.2 million to complete. We anticipate engaging in additional development and redevelopment activities in the future. In addition to the risks associated with real estate investments in general as described elsewhere, the risks associated with future development and redevelopment activities include:

If any of the above events were to occur, they may hinder our growth and may have an adverse effect on our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, new development and significant redevelopment activities, regardless of whether they are ultimately successful, typically require substantial time and attention from management.

The current market for acquisitions of properties in our core markets continues to be competitive. This competition may increase the demand for the types of properties in which we typically invest and, therefore, increase the prices paid for such acquisition properties. We also face significant competition for attractive acquisition opportunities from an indeterminate number of investors, including publicly-traded and privately-held REITs, private equity investors and institutional investment funds, some of which have greater financial resources, greater ability to borrow funds and the willingness to accept more risk than we can prudently manage, including risks with respect to the geographic proximity of investments and the payment of higher acquisition prices. This competition will increase if investments in real estate become more attractive relative to other forms of investment. Competition for investments may reduce the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us and may have the effect of increasing prices paid for such acquisition properties and, as a result, adversely affecting our ability to grow through acquisitions.

Our ability to complete acquisitions on favorable terms and successfully operate or develop them is subject to the following risks:

If we are unable to complete acquisitions on favorable terms, or efficiently integrate such acquisitions, our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Real estate is relatively difficult to dispose of quickly. Consequently, we may have limited ability to promptly change our portfolio in response to changes in economic or other conditions. Moreover, our ability to dispose of, or finance real estate may be materially and adversely affected during periods of uncertainty or unfavorable conditions in the credit markets as we or potential buyers of our real estate may experience difficulty in obtaining financing. To dispose of low basis deferral or tax-protected properties efficiently we from time to time use like-kind exchanges, which are intended to qualify for non-recognition of taxable gain, but can be difficult to consummate and result in the property for which the disposed assets are exchanged

inheriting their low tax bases and other tax attributes (including tax protection covenants). These challenges related to dispositions may limit our flexibility.

Our financial results depend primarily on leasing space in our properties to tenants on terms favorable to us. Costs associated with operating real estate, such as real estate taxes, insurance and maintenance costs, generally are not reduced even when a property is not fully occupied, rental rates decrease, or other circumstances cause a reduction in income from the property. As a result, cash flow from operations may be reduced if a tenant does not pay its rent or we are unable to rent our properties on favorable terms.

A number of the properties in our portfolio are either completely or partially on land that is owned by third parties and leased to us pursuant to ground or building leases. Accordingly, we only own a long-term leasehold or similar interest in those properties. If we are found to be in breach of a ground or building lease and that breach cannot be cured, we could lose our interest in the improvements and the right to operate the property. In addition, unless we can purchase a fee interest in the underlying land or building or extend the terms of these leases before or at their expiration, as to which no assurance can be given, we will lose our interest in the improvements and the right to operate these properties. However, in certain cases, our ability to exercise such options is subject to the condition that we are not in default under the terms of the ground or building lease at the time that we exercise such options, and we can provide no assurance that we will be able to exercise our options at such time. If we were to lose the right to operate a property due to a breach or non-renewal of the ground or building lease, we would be unable to derive income from such property, which could materially and adversely affect us.

Real estate is carried at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Our properties are individually reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the property may not be recoverable. An impairment exists when the carrying amount of an asset exceeds the aggregate projected future cash flows over the anticipated holding period on an undiscounted basis, taking into account the appropriate capitalization rate in determining a future terminal value. An impairment loss is based on the excess of the property’s carrying amount over its estimated fair value. Recording an impairment charge results in an immediate reduction in our income in the period in which the charge is taken, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

If the cost or amount of our debt increases or we cannot refinance our debt in sufficient amounts or on acceptable terms, we are at risk of default on our obligations, which could have a material adverse effect on our company, including our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

The mortgages on our properties contain customary covenants such as those that limit our ability, without the prior consent of the lender, to further mortgage the applicable property or to reduce insurance coverage. Our existing revolving credit facility contains, and any debt that we may obtain in the future may contain, customary restrictions, requirements and other limitations on our ability to incur indebtedness, including covenants (i) that limit our ability to incur debt based upon (1) our ratio of total debt to total assets, (2) our ratio of secured debt to total assets, (3) our ratio of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) to interest expense and (4) our ratio of EBITDA to fixed charges, and (ii) that require us to maintain a certain level of unencumbered assets to unsecured debt. Our ability to borrow is subject to compliance with these and other covenants. Failure to comply with our covenants could cause a default under the applicable debt instrument and we may then be required to repay such debt with capital from other sources or to give possession of a secured property to the lender. Under those circumstances, other sources of capital may not be available to us or may be available only on unattractive terms.

In the event that we default on mortgages in the future, either as a result of ceasing to make debt service payments or failing to meet applicable covenants, the lenders may accelerate the related debt obligations and foreclose and/or take control of the properties that secure their loans. As of December 31, 2023, we had $1.6 billion of secured debt outstanding and 32 of our properties were encumbered by secured debt. As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all debt covenants, with the exception of those related to our mortgage on Kingswood Center which has been in default since May 2023. Further, for tax purposes, the foreclosure of a mortgage may result in the recognition of taxable income related to the extinguished debt without us having received any accompanying cash proceeds. As a result, since we are structured as a REIT, we may be required to identify and utilize sources for distributions to our shareholders related to such taxable income in order to avoid incurring corporate tax or to meet the REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Code.

We depend primarily on external financing to fund the growth of our business because one of the requirements of the Code for a REIT is that it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income, excluding net capital gains, to its shareholders. There is a separate requirement to distribute net capital gains or pay a corporate level tax in lieu thereof. Our access to debt or equity financing depends on conditions in the capital markets generally and the willingness of third parties to lend to or to make equity investments. There can be no assurance that new financing or other capital will be available or available on acceptable terms. The failure to obtain financing or other capital could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. For information about our available sources of funds, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources” included in Part II, Item 7 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our two properties in Puerto Rico made up approximately 8% of our net operating income (“NOI”) for the year ended December 31, 2023. Puerto Rico has faced significant fiscal and economic challenges in previous years, including its government filing for bankruptcy protection in 2017, and continues to face challenges resulting from natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Such events, individually or in the aggregate, can disrupt the local economy and could result in less disposable income for the purchase of goods sold at our properties and the inability of merchants to pay rent and other charges. Any of these events could negatively impact our ability to lease space on terms and conditions we seek and could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We own properties near the Atlantic Coast and in Puerto Rico which are subject to natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and storm surges. We also have two properties in California that could be impacted by earthquakes. As a result, we could become subject to business interruption, significant losses and repair costs, such as those we experienced from Hurricane Maria in 2017, which damaged and caused the temporary closure of our two properties in Puerto Rico. We maintain comprehensive, all-risk property and rental value insurance coverage on our properties, however losses resulting from a natural disaster may be subject to a deductible or not fully covered and such losses could adversely affect our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations.

We continue to monitor the state of the insurance market and the scope and costs of available coverage. We cannot anticipate what coverage will be available on commercially reasonable terms in the future and expect premiums across most coverage lines to increase. The incurrence of uninsured losses, costs or uncovered premiums could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources” included in Part II, Item 7. in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Over the past several years, a number of highly publicized terrorist acts and shootings have occurred at domestic and international retail properties. In the event concerns regarding safety were to alter shopping habits or deter customers from visiting shopping centers, our tenants would be adversely affected, as would the general demand for retail space. Additionally, if such incidents were to continue, insurance for such acts may become limited or subject to substantial cost increases. Such an incident at one of our properties, particularly one in which we generate a significant amount of revenue, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Despite system redundancy, the implementation of security measures and the existence of a disaster recovery plan for our information technology (“IT”) infrastructure, our systems are vulnerable to damages from any number of sources, including computer viruses, unauthorized access, energy blackouts, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication failures. We have placed reliance on third-party managed services to perform a number of IT-related functions and we may experience system difficulties related to our platform and integrating the services provided by third parties. If we experience a system failure or accident that causes interruptions in our operations, we could experience material and adverse disruptions to our business. We may also incur additional costs to remedy damages caused by such disruptions.

See Part I, Item 1C. “Cybersecurity” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our risk management, strategy and governance as it pertains to cyber risks.

We may become subject to laws or regulations related to climate change, which could cause our business, results of operations and financial condition to be impacted adversely. The federal government has enacted, and some of the states and localities in which we operate may enact, certain climate change laws and regulations or have begun regulating carbon footprints and

greenhouse gas emissions. Although these laws and regulations have not had any known material adverse effects on our business to date, they could result in substantial costs, including compliance costs, increased energy costs, retrofit costs and construction costs, including monitoring and reporting costs, and capital expenditures for environmental control facilities and other new equipment. We have implemented strategies to support our continued effort to reduce energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste production across our portfolio. We cannot predict how future laws and regulations, or future interpretations of current laws and regulations, related to climate change will affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, the potential physical impacts of climate change on our operations are highly uncertain and would be particular to the geographic circumstances in areas in which we operate. These may include changes to global weather patterns, which could include local changes in rainfall and storm patterns and intensities, water shortages, changing sea levels and changing temperature averages or extremes. These impacts may adversely affect our properties, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If not addressed, environmental conditions could impair our ability to sell or re-lease the affected properties in the future, or result in lower sales prices or rent payments, which could adversely impact our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations.

Companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny related to their ESG practices and reporting. Investors, customers, employees, and other stakeholders have begun to focus increasingly on ESG practices and to place more importance on the implications and social cost of their investments, purchases, and other interactions with companies. With this increased focus and demand, public reporting regarding ESG practices is becoming more broadly expected. If our ESG practices (including the speed of adoption of certain practices) and reporting do not meet investor, tenant, customer, or employee expectations, which continue to evolve, our reputation and tenant retention may be negatively impacted. Our failure, or perceived failure, to meet the standards included in any sustainability disclosure or the expectations of our various stakeholders, could negatively impact our reputation, tenant and employee retention, and access to capital. In 2022, the SEC proposed extensive rules aimed at enhancing and standardizing climate-related disclosures in an effort to foster greater consistency, comparability and reliability of climate-related information among public issuers. The proposal, if adopted, would require public issuers to include prescribed climate-related information in their registration statements and annual reports, including information regarding greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related risks and opportunities and related financial impacts, governance and strategy. Additionally, we may become subject to new compliance requirements and/or new costs or taxes associated with natural resource or energy usage and related emissions (such as a “carbon tax”), which could increase our operating costs. All of these factors could result in additional costs and devoting additional resources to monitor, report and implement various ESG practices.

Our properties are subject to various federal, state and local regulatory requirements such as state and local fire and life safety regulations. If we fail to comply with these requirements, we could incur fines or private damage awards. We do not know whether existing requirements will change or whether compliance with future requirements will require significant unanticipated expenditures. If we incur substantial costs to comply with the ADA and any other legislation, our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Although we believe that we will remain organized and will continue to operate so as to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may fail to remain so qualified. Qualifications are governed by highly technical and complex provisions of the Code for which there are only limited judicial or administrative interpretations and that depend on various facts and circumstances that are not entirely within our control. In addition, legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions may significantly change the relevant tax laws and/or the federal income tax consequences of qualifying as a REIT. If, with respect to any taxable year, we fail to maintain our qualification as a REIT and do not qualify for relief under statutory relief provisions, we could not deduct distributions to shareholders in computing our taxable income and would have to pay federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates. If we had to pay federal income tax, the amount of money available to distribute to shareholders and pay our indebtedness would be reduced for the year or years involved, and we would no longer be required to make distributions to shareholders. In addition, we would also be disqualified as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost unless we were entitled to relief under the relevant statutory provisions.

From time to time, we may generate taxable income greater than our cash flow as a result of differences in timing between the recognition of taxable income and the actual receipt of cash or the effect of nondeductible capital expenditures, the effect of limitations on interest and net operating loss deductibility, the creation of reserves, or required debt or amortization payments. If we do not have other funds available in these situations, we could be required to borrow funds on unfavorable terms, sell assets at disadvantageous prices, distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions, capital expenditures or repayment of debt, or make taxable distributions of our shares or debt securities to make distributions sufficient to enable us to pay out enough of our taxable income to satisfy the REIT distribution requirement and avoid corporate income tax and the 4% excise tax in a particular year. These alternatives could increase our costs or reduce our equity. Further, amounts distributed will not be available to fund investment activities. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our ability to grow, which could adversely affect the value of our shares. Any restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness or make certain distributions could preclude us from meeting the 90% distribution requirement. Decreases in funds from operations due to unfinanced expenditures for acquisitions of properties or increases in the number of shares outstanding without commensurate increases in funds from operations would adversely affect our ability to maintain distributions to our shareholders. Consequently, there can be no assurance that we will be able to make distributions at the anticipated distribution rate or any other rate.

From time to time we may dispose of properties in transactions that are intended to qualify as “like kind exchanges” under Section 1031 of the Code (“Section 1031 Exchanges”). It is possible that the qualification of a transaction as a Section 1031 Exchange could be successfully challenged and determined to be currently taxable. In such case, our taxable income and earnings and profits would increase. In some circumstances, we may be required to pay additional dividends or, in lieu of that, corporate income tax, possibly including interest and penalties. As a result, we may be required to borrow funds in order to pay additional dividends or taxes, and the payment of such taxes could cause us to have less cash available to distribute to our shareholders. In addition, if a Section 1031 Exchange were later to be determined to be taxable, we may be required to amend our tax returns for the applicable year in question, including any information reports we sent our shareholders. We could also be subject to significant indemnity obligations if the applicable property was subject to a tax protection agreement. Moreover, it is possible that legislation could be enacted that could modify or repeal the laws with respect to Section 1031 Exchanges, which could make it more difficult or not possible for us to dispose of properties on a tax deferred basis.

Changes in U.S. federal, state and local tax laws or regulations, with or without retroactive application, could have a negative effect on us. New legislation, Treasury Regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify to be taxed as a REIT and/or the U.S. federal income tax consequences to our investors and to us of such qualification. Even changes that do not impose greater taxes on us could potentially result in adverse consequences to our shareholders.

Generally, for us to maintain a qualification as a REIT under the Code, not more than fifty percent (50%) in value of our outstanding shares of beneficial interest may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals at any time during the last half of our taxable year. The Code defines “individuals” for purposes of the requirement described in the preceding sentence to include some types of entities. Under our Declaration of Trust, no person or entity (or group thereof) may own more than 9.8% (in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive) of our outstanding shares of any class or series, with some exceptions for persons or entities approved by the Board of Trustees. A transfer of our shares of beneficial interest to a person who, as a result of the transfer, violates the ownership limit will be void under certain circumstances, and, in any event, would deny that person any of the economic benefits of owning shares in excess of the ownership limit. These restrictions on transferability and ownership may delay, deter or prevent a change in control of us or other transaction that might involve a premium price or otherwise be in the best interest of the shareholders.

Our Declaration of Trust provides that, subject to the rights of holders of one or more classes or series of preferred shares to elect or remove one or more trustees, a trustee may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast in the election of trustees. This provision, when coupled with the exclusive power of the Board of Trustees to fill vacancies on the Board of Trustees, precludes shareholders from removing incumbent trustees except for cause and upon a substantial affirmative vote and filling the vacancies created by the removal with their own nominees. These limitations may delay, deter or prevent a change in control of us or other transactions that might involve a premium price or otherwise be in the best interest of our shareholders.

We may also choose to adopt other takeover defenses in the future. Any such actions could deter a transaction that may otherwise be in the interest of our shareholders.

The Board of Trustees can establish a class or series of common or preferred shares whose terms could delay, deter or prevent a change in control of us or other transaction that might involve a premium price or otherwise be in the best interest of our shareholders. Our Declaration of Trust and Bylaws contain other provisions that may delay, deter or prevent a change in control of us or other transaction that might involve a premium price or otherwise be in our best interest or the best interest of our shareholders.

In the past, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the price of their common stock. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations.

Although we expect to pay regular cash dividends, the timing, declaration, amount and payment of dividends to shareholders falls within the discretion of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees’ decisions regarding the payment of dividends depend on factors such as our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements, debt service obligations, limitations under our financing arrangements, industry practice, legal requirements, regulatory constraints, and other considerations that it deems relevant. Our ability to pay dividends depends on our ongoing ability to generate cash from operations and access to the capital markets, and therefore, we cannot guarantee that we will pay dividends in the future.

In addition, our Declaration of Trust authorizes us to issue, without the approval of our shareholders, one or more classes or series of preferred shares having such designation, voting powers, preferences, rights and other terms, including preferences over our common shares respecting dividends and other distributions, as the Board of Trustees generally may determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred shares could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common shares. For example, we could grant the holders of preferred shares the right to elect some number of our trustees in all events or on the occurrence of specified events, or the right to veto specified transactions. Similarly, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we could assign to holders of preferred shares could affect the residual value of the common shares.

One of the factors that may influence the prices of our publicly-traded equity securities is the interest rate on our debt and the dividend yield on our common shares relative to market interest rates. As market interest rates rise, unless we eliminate our exposure to such increases, our borrowing costs may rise and result in less funds being available for distribution. Therefore, we may not be able to, or we may choose not to, provide a higher distribution rate on our common shares. In addition, fluctuations in interest rates could adversely affect the market value of our properties. These factors could result in a decline in the market prices of our publicly-traded equity securities.

There are no unresolved comments from the staff of the SEC as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The SVP, Chief Information Officer researches the latest technologies and trends used by cybercriminals through publications, conferences and discussions with peers. Cyber threats identified are communicated to all members of the Company via email to promote awareness and assist with protecting us from potential risks or breaches. All employees are required to undergo quarterly security awareness trainings and we routinely conduct internal phishing and other exercises to gauge the effectiveness of the trainings and assess the need for continued education and/or areas where improvement may be needed.

We have formal policies and procedures addressing data retention, incident response, asset and device management and have a Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Committee that meets biannually to review and update our plan, policies, and procedures to align with changes in risk assessment and emerging technologies. In addition, our Information Technology team conducts disaster recovery tests annually and reports results to the Cyber Steering Committee. A cybersecurity breach may

result in disruption of our operations, damage to our reputation and cause us to lose revenue or incur significant expenses to remediate which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or consolidated financial position.

Additionally, as a public company, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requirements and must undergo independent audits of information technology general controls in support of internal control over financial reporting. These audits, which are conducted by our independent public accounting firm, assess key information security and cybersecurity risks in the environment that may affect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of systems and data. Any control deficiencies that represent cybersecurity risks, as well as any recommended changes to our processes, if appropriate, would be reported to senior management and the Board.

As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 1,000 leases. Tenant leases under 10,000 square feet generally have lease terms of five years or less. Tenant leases comprising 10,000 square feet or more generally have lease terms of 10 to 25 years and are considered anchor leases with one or more renewal options available upon expiration of the initial lease term. The majority of our leases provide for reimbursements of real estate taxes, insurance and common area maintenance charges (including roof and structure in shopping centers, unless it is the tenant’s direct responsibility), and percentage rents based on tenant sales volume. Percentage rents accounted for approximately 1% of our total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The following table sets forth the consolidated retail portfolio leased occupancy rate (excluding industrial and self-storage space), square footage and weighted average annual base rent per square foot of properties in our retail portfolio as of December 31 for the last five years:

From time to time, we are a party to various legal proceedings, claims or regulatory inquiries and investigations arising out of, or incident to, our ordinary course of business. While we are unable to predict with certainty the outcome of any particular matter, management does not currently expect, when such matters are resolved, that our resulting exposure to loss contingencies, if any, will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or consolidated financial position.

Not applicable.

We have determined the dividends paid on our common shares during 2023 and 2022 qualify for the following tax treatment:

Under the limited partnership agreement of UELP, unitholders may present their common units for redemption at any time (subject to restrictions agreed upon at the time of issuance of the units that may restrict such right for a period of time). Upon presentation of a common unit for redemption, UELP must redeem the unit for cash equal to the then value of a share of UE’s common shares, as defined by the limited partnership agreement. In lieu of cash redemption by UELP, however, UE may elect to acquire any common units so tendered by issuing common shares of UE in exchange for the common units. If UE so elects, its common shares will be exchanged for common units on a one-for-one basis. During the year ended December 31, 2023, 70,000 units were redeemed for common shares and no units were redeemed for cash.

Each time the Company issues common shares (other than in exchange for common limited partnership units when such units are presented for redemption), it contributes the proceeds of such issuance to the Operating Partnership in return for an equivalent number of partnership units with rights and preferences analogous to the shares issued. During the year ended, December 31, 2023, in connection with issuances of common shares by the Company pursuant to the Urban Edge Properties 2015 Employee Share Purchase Plan, the Operating Partnership issued an aggregate of 26,054 common limited partnership units to the Company in exchange for approximately $0.3 million, the aggregate proceeds of such common share issuances to the Company. Such units were issued in reliance on an exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

In March 2020, our Board of Trustees authorized a share repurchase program for up to $200 million of the Company’s common shares. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, no shares were repurchased. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has repurchased 5.9 million common shares at a weighted average share price of $9.22, for a total of $54.1 million. All share repurchases by the Company were completed between March and April of 2020. There is approximately $145.9 million remaining for share repurchases under this program.

Information regarding equity compensation plans is presented in Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and incorporated herein by reference.

This section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K generally discusses 2023 and 2022 items and provides a year-to-year comparison between 2023 and 2022. A discussion of 2021 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2022 and 2021 are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K but can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2023, our portfolio was comprised of 17.1 million square feet including 71 shopping centers, two outlet centers, two malls and one industrial building.

In 2023, the Federal Reserve continued its interest rate hikes raising the benchmark rate to above 5%. These rate increases proved to be successful in reducing inflation beginning in the second quarter of 2023. While inflation has decreased compared to the prior year, it remains at an elevated level relative to the years preceding 2021. Despite the volatility in interest rates, we were able to complete the largest single asset refinancing in Company history with a new $290 million, 6.3% mortgage on Bergen Town Center on favorable terms compared to similar assets in the market. Our leasing activity remained strong in 2023, signing a record volume of leases in the fourth quarter and generating an average cash rent spread of 24% on new leases for the year. We expect to continue to add value to our portfolio through executing our leasing pipeline, active development, redevelopment and anchor repositioning projects, commencing leases signed but not yet opened and identifying additional capital recycling opportunities.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to execute on our growth strategy. See “Forward-Looking Statements” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Any other recently issued accounting standards or pronouncements not disclosed above have been excluded as they are not relevant to the Company or the Operating Partnership, or they are not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

The following provides an overview of our key non-GAAP measures based on our consolidated results of operations (refer to NOI, same-property NOI and Funds From Operations applicable to diluted common shareholders (“FFO”) described later in this section):

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $259.9 million, compared to net income of $47.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The following table summarizes certain line items from our consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income that we believe are important in understanding our operations and/or those items which changed significantly in the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the same period of 2022:

Discussions of 2022 items and comparisons between the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, that are not included in this Report can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

The following table reconciles net income to NOI and same-property NOI for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased by $23.4 million as compared to December 31, 2022. The increase is attributed to a $10 million litigation settlement received in the fourth quarter of 2023, higher rental revenue from new tenant rent commencements and the timing of cash receipts and payments related to tenant collections and operating expenses.

On January 2, 2024, the Company repaid three variable rate loans aggregating $75.7 million with interest rates of 7.34% on the payoff date. The loans were secured by Hudson Commons, Greenbrook Commons and Gun Hill Commons and were due to mature in the fourth quarter of 2024.

We believe that cash flows from our current operations, cash on hand, our line of credit under our revolving credit agreement, the potential to refinance our loans and our general ability to access the capital markets will be sufficient to finance our operations and fund our obligations in both the short-term and long-term.

We have exposure to fluctuations in interest rates, which are sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control. The following table discusses our exposure to hypothetical changes in market rates of interest on interest expense for our variable rate debt and fixed-rate debt. This analysis does not take into account all of the factors that may affect our debt, such as the effect that a changing interest rate environment could have on the overall level of economic activity or the action that our management might take to reduce our exposure to the change. This analysis assumes no change in our financial structure. As of December 31, 2023, our variable rate debt outstanding had rates indexed to SOFR.

On June 23, 2022, in connection with the refinancing of one of our variable rate loans, we entered into a one-year interest rate cap agreement for a purchase price of approximately $0.3 million, to limit the maximum SOFR of our Plaza at Woodbridge floating rate debt to 3%. In May 2023, the Company entered into a new two-year interest rate cap agreement for a purchase price of $1.1 million, to replace the previous interest rate cap agreement which expired on July 1, 2023. The new cap went into effect July 3, 2023 and expires on July 1, 2025, and is included in the prepaid expenses and other assets line item of the consolidated balance sheets.

The LIBOR benchmark has been the subject of national, international and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform and replacement, with LIBOR “settings” relevant to the Company no longer being published after June 30, 2023. As a result, we have entered into loan amendments with our lenders to transition all of our LIBOR-indexed debt to SOFR effective July 2023. The transitions did not have a material impact on the loans affected and the Company was able to maintain rates comparable to the rates in place prior to the SOFR transition.

The estimated fair value of our consolidated debt is calculated based on current market prices and discounted cash flows at the current rate at which similar loans would be made to borrowers with similar credit ratings for the remaining term of such debt. As of December 31, 2023, the estimated fair value of our consolidated debt was $1.6 billion.

In making this determination and for purposes of the SEC’s market risk disclosure requirements, we have estimated the fair value of our financial instruments at December 31, 2023 based on pertinent information available to management as of that date. Although management is not aware of any factors that would significantly affect the estimated amounts as of December 31, 2023, future estimates of fair value and the amounts which may be paid or realized in the future may differ significantly from amounts presented.

To the Shareholders and Board of Trustees of Urban Edge Properties

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated February 14, 2024, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Given that the Company’s estimated discount and capitalization rates used in the evaluation of impairment of real estate assets is a significant assumption made by management for certain properties, performing audit procedures to evaluate the reasonableness of management’s estimated fair value required a high degree of auditor judgment and an increased extent of effort, including the need to involve our fair value specialists.

New York, New York

To the Partners of Urban Edge Properties LP

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Operating Partnership's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated February 14, 2024, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Operating Partnership's internal control over financial reporting.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Given that the Operating Partnership’s estimated discount and capitalization rates used in the evaluation of impairment of real estate assets is a significant assumption made by management for certain properties, performing audit procedures to evaluate the reasonableness of management’s estimated fair value required a high degree of auditor judgment and an increased extent of effort, including the need to involve our fair value specialists.

New York, New York