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Douglas Emmett NYSE: DEI reported a busy second quarter marked by stronger office leasing, a Beverly Hills medical-office acquisition, progress on redevelopment projects and more than $800 million of debt refinancing.
Chairman and CEO Jordan Kaplan said the company advanced each of its four strategic priorities: leasing office space, acquiring properties at attractive prices, redeveloping assets and refinancing debt maturities. Douglas Emmett signed approximately 960,000 square feet of office leases during the quarter and generated roughly 60,000 square feet of positive absorption.
“Healthy office rents and low concessions” helped the company execute new leases that were 3% more valuable than the expiring leases they replaced, Kaplan said. He added that most of the benefit from the quarter’s leasing activity will be realized over the next 12 months.
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Office leasing momentum builds Vice President of Investor Relations Stuart McElhinney said Douglas Emmett completed 234 office leases totaling just under 960,000 square feet in the second quarter. The activity included 93 new leases spanning more than 375,000 square feet and 141 renewal leases covering more than 584,000 square feet.
The straight-line value of leases signed during the quarter increased 3.2% from the prior leases for the same space. The company’s typical fixed annual rent escalations of 3% to 5% continued to offset lower initial cash rents, McElhinney said. Lease transaction costs averaged $5.35 per square foot per year, which he described as well below office-sector benchmarks.
Management said leasing momentum has now continued for three consecutive quarters. McElhinney characterized the first quarter as more influenced by larger transactions, while the second quarter reflected more typical activity among tenants leasing more than 10,000 square feet. Kaplan said he was encouraged by the company’s leasing performance and by what he described as favorable momentum heading into the second half of the year.
During the question-and-answer session, Kaplan said demand has improved among larger tenants, while smaller tenants had continued leasing at a relatively consistent pace. McElhinney said demand remained diversified across the company’s major tenant categories, including legal, financial services, real estate and entertainment. He said entertainment leasing has been strong despite industry headlines.
Management also highlighted the gap between leased and occupied space, which was about 470 basis points. Kaplan said a wider spread reflects fast leasing activity, although it also means revenue recognition and occupancy gains will occur over time as tenants complete buildouts and take possession.
Studio Plaza enters in-service portfolio Douglas Emmett moved Studio Plaza in Burbank from development to its in-service portfolio after leasing the property to well over 50%. However, management said first-generation tenant buildouts will take time, widening the gap between leased and occupied space for the next several quarters.
Because Studio Plaza’s occupancy remains below the company’s broader office portfolio average, its inclusion will reduce reported office leased and occupied percentages until the property reaches or exceeds that average. The company lowered its full-year office occupancy guidance range to 75% to 77%, solely due to including Studio Plaza for the full year, Chief Financial Officer Peter Seymour said.
Kaplan said Studio Plaza has no debt and that most of its metrics had already been included in company reporting. He said the primary effect of moving the asset into service relates to leasing and occupancy statistics. McElhinney added that Studio Plaza’s operating performance contributed to improved operating-income expectations.
Acquisition and redevelopment activity In April, Douglas Emmett and joint venture partners acquired The Bedford Collection, a five-building, 246,000-square-foot medical-office portfolio in Beverly Hills’ Golden Triangle, for $260 million. The portfolio was described as extremely well leased.
The joint venture was capitalized with $150 million of equity and $130 million of debt. Douglas Emmett manages the venture and holds a 13.3% equity interest.
Kaplan said the company is pursuing additional acquisitions, including potentially sizable office opportunities, and sees attractive pricing for high-quality office assets. He said the company’s estimated 10-year all-cash internal rates of return on opportunities under consideration were “probably coming in 10% or better,” excluding the economics of joint-venture structures.
He said the company is more focused on office acquisitions than apartment acquisitions, as apartments continue to trade at comparatively low capitalization rates. Douglas Emmett’s residential portfolio remained more than 99% leased, while cash same-property residential net operating income rose 2% from the prior-year quarter.
On redevelopment, Kaplan said apartment projects remain on track to add more than 1,000 units. He also said the company has slowed the timing of a redevelopment at 10900 Wilshire while evaluating interest from potential large office tenants. The project is still expected to include residential space, he said, but could potentially become mixed use if office leasing opportunities materialize.
Financial results and debt refinancing Second-quarter revenue increased to $257 million from $252 million in the second quarter of 2025. Funds from operations increased but remained rounded to $0.37 per share, while adjusted funds from operations rose to $56 million from $54 million. Same-property cash net operating income declined 1.2% for the quarter.
Seymour said general and administrative expense represented about 4.9% of revenue, which he said remained the lowest level among the company’s benchmark group.
Douglas Emmett refinanced two office loans scheduled to mature later in the year. In May, it refinanced a $400 million loan for four years and effectively fixed its interest rate at 6.15% through June 2029. In June, it refinanced a $415 million loan for four years and effectively fixed the rate at 6.18% through July 2029.
The company improved its operating-income outlook but said higher market interest rates were expected to more than offset that improvement. Douglas Emmett now expects 2026 diluted net income per common share of negative $0.20 to negative $0.16 and fully diluted FFO per share of $1.39 to $1.43.
Kaplan said management is evaluating ways to manage its exposure to higher interest costs as loans approach refinancing. He emphasized that the company maintains equity across its properties and said no buildings or ownership interests were jeopardized by its debt position.
About Douglas Emmett (NYSE:DEI)Douglas Emmett, Inc is a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The company specializes in the ownership, management and development of high‐quality office and multifamily properties, primarily concentrated in the coastal regions of Los Angeles County and the Greater Honolulu area. As a vertically integrated real estate platform, Douglas Emmett controls all aspects of property operations, leasing, capital improvements and tenant relations, positioning it to deliver stable, long‐term cash flows.
The company's office portfolio consists predominantly of Class A buildings located in prime business districts, featuring modern amenities, campus-like settings and environmentally conscious design elements.
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