Rexford Industrial Posts 5% Q2 Growth

Key Points

• Revenue reached $249.5 million in Q2 2025, topping estimates and rising 5% year over year.

• Core FFO per share was $0.59, exceeding analyst expectations but slipping 1.7% year over year.

• Same property portfolio occupancy declined compared to the prior year, and acquisition activity paused, but strong balance sheet and redevelopment returns supported results.

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Rexford Industrial Realty (NYSE:REXR), the industrial real estate investment trust concentrating on Southern California’s infill markets, reported Q2 2025 financial results on Wednesday, July 16, that exceeded analysts' consensus expectations. The company delivered revenue of $249.5 million, which outperformed analyst estimates of $245.1 million. Core funds from operations (FFO) per share of $0.59 beat the $0.25 estimate by a wide margin. Despite these headline beats, Core FFO per share slipped 1.7% from the prior year quarter, and key operational metrics like same property occupancy and net operating income reflected softening market conditions.

Overall, the quarter demonstrated steady progress in Rexford’s redevelopment and leasing, while highlighting a more cautious stance on acquisitions.

Source: Rexford Industrial Realty. Note: Analyst consensus estimates for the quarter provided by FactSet. FFO = Funds from operations. NOI = Net operating income. YOY = Year over year.

Business Overview and Strategic Focus

Rexford Industrial Realty specializes in industrial property ownership, focusing exclusively on infill markets across Southern California. These locations are known for scarce developable land and consistent tenant demand. Its nearly 51 million square foot portfolio as of June 30 spans the region’s supply-constrained, high-barrier submarkets.

The company’s recent strategy emphasizes capital recycling, value-add redevelopments, and rigorous balance sheet management. Success for Rexford often relies on maintaining high occupancy, achieving above-average returns through repositioning buildings, and keeping a strong, flexible capital base.

Quarterly Developments: Financial and Operational Insights

The quarter’s results highlight Rexford’s ability to extract value through in-house property upgrades and disciplined capital management. Total revenue increased 5% year over year, easily surpassing forecasts, as per-share FFO of $0.59 exceeded estimates. Net operating income (NOI) for the overall portfolio grew 2.9%. Core FFO, a key performance measure for real estate investment trusts (REITs), slipped slightly year over year. This decline points to dilution effects likely tied to prior equity issuances.

Same property portfolio metrics, which track results from properties held throughout the comparison period, reflected the changing market. Same property NOI climbed only 1.1%, and Same Property Portfolio Cash NOI increased 3.9% compared to the prior year quarter, indicating more modest organic growth. Occupancy rates declined compared to the previous year. The weighted average for the same property portfolio finished at 95.9%, down from 97.0% in Q2 2024, with ending occupancy at 96.1%, a 130 basis point decrease. By market, Ventura and Los Angeles saw the most notable declines in occupancy, with dips of 300 and 150 basis points, respectively.

Leasing activity totaled 1.7 million square feet across 99 new and renewal leases. Lease spreads, a measure of rent changes on re-leased space, showed mixed results. Comparable rental rates rose 20.9% on a net effective basis and 8.1% on a cash basis. However, new leasing spreads appeared negative due to one unique deal, but when adjusted for that, new leases were nearly flat at (0.5%) on a net effective basis.

Investment activity outside of property upgrades remained muted. For the second straight quarter (Q1 and Q2 2025), Rexford had no acquisitions under contract or accepted offer, instead favoring the sale of three properties year to date through Q2 2025 for $134 million. Proceeds from these sales generated a weighted average unlevered internal rate of return (IRR) of 11.9% for the six months ended June 30, 2025. The company redirected capital into its value-add redevelopment pipeline, where it has completed seven projects year to date. These upgrades, comprising 890,857 square feet, achieved a weighted average unlevered stabilized yield -- a measure of annual rental income divided by investment cost -- of 7.4% year to date as of Q2 2025.

The company also reported strong progress on its balance sheet. Net debt represented 25% of enterprise value as of June 30, with net debt to adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization for real estate (EBITDAre) at 4 times. Total available liquidity stood at $1.8 billion, and no significant debt maturities are due until 2027. Moody’s affirmed Rexford’s investment-grade credit rating (BAA2, stable outlook).

Rexford’s tenant base remained diverse and resilient. The quarter saw demand from manufacturing, construction, defense, and logistics customers, with no concentration issues or tenant distress flagged in management’s comments.

The company declared a common dividend of $0.43 per share, keeping it unchanged from previous quarters. Preferred stock dividends were also declared at scheduled levels.

Business Model in Context: Strategy, Product Types, and Key Success Factors

Rexford maintains a focused strategy: accumulate and upgrade older, well-located industrial properties in Southern California’s dense, supply-constrained submarkets. These property types serve a wide variety of tenants, from local distributors to broader supply chain operators. The company seeks to maximize yield with controlled risk.

The company’s approach allows for value creation through several levers: rapidly backfilling vacant space, executing capital projects to fetch premium rents, and fine-tuning its tenant mix for stability. Success also depends on capital discipline—balancing acquisitions, dispositions, and share issuance to sustain long-term cash flow without excess leverage. In the current landscape, Rexford’s internal value-add pipeline and disciplined property sales underpin growth, even as market competition stiffens.

Looking Ahead: Guidance and Future Watch Points

Management reaffirmed its full-year 2025 Core FFO per share guidance at $2.37 to $2.41. Net income per share guidance, however, was raised to a range of $1.38 to $1.42 per diluted share for the full year 2025, reflecting higher gains on asset sales. Projected same property NOI growth for FY2025 remains subdued—between 0.75% and 1.25% (net effective), and 2.25% to 2.75% (cash), based on company guidance. Average same property portfolio occupancy is expected to hover between 95.5% and 96.0% for the full year 2025. The company slightly lowered its outlook for net interest expense, now projected near $107 million for the full year 2025.

Rexford’s management did not project any major shifts in acquisition or disposition activity, signaling a cautious outlook for external growth in the coming quarters. Investors will be watching for updates on leasing demand, occupancy trends, and the performance of redevelopment projects. Ongoing attention to rent spreads and pricing power will also be important, given early signs of market normalization and tighter competition in certain submarkets.

The quarterly dividend was maintained at $0.43 per share.

Note: Revenue and net income are presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.

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