Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc.

Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc.

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Q2 FY2026 · Earnings Call TranscriptAugust 4, 2026

Operator

Hello everyone. Thank you for joining us and welcome to the Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc.

Q2 2026 earnings call. After today's prepared remarks, we will host a question-and-answer session.

If you would like to ask a question, please press star one to raise your hand. To withdraw your question, press star one again.

I will now hand the conference over to Eli Kanter, Director of Finance.

Eli Kanter

Thank you for joining the call. Presenting today are Alan Gold, Executive Chairman; Paul Smithers, President and Chief Executive Officer; David Smith, Chief Financial Officer; and Ben Regin, Chief Investment Officer.

Before we begin, I'd like to remind everyone that some of the statements made during today's conference call, including statements regarding our potential lease transactions that are subject of letters of intent, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and subject to risk and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially and we refer you to our SEC filings, specifically our most recent report on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, for a full discussion of risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements.

We are not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether due to new information, future events, or otherwise except as required by law. In addition, on today's call, we will discuss certain non-GAAP financial information, such as FFO, normalized FFO, and AFFO.

You can find this information together with reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure in our earnings release issued yesterday, as well as in our 8-K filed with SEC. I'll now hand the call over to Alan.

Alan?

Alan Gold

Thanks, Eli. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining our second quarter 2026 earnings call.

This quarter was defined by strong execution across our platform, with the IIPR team delivering meaningful results in portfolio management, leasing, and capital markets. We successfully completed the full funding of our $270 million commitment to IQHQ, continued to see leasing activity across our cannabis portfolio, and executed multiple strategic financing initiatives that further strengthened our balance sheet and enhanced our financial flexibility.

Our investment in IQHQ reflects our disciplined approach to capital deployment and ongoing portfolio diversification through opportunistic investment activity. Since our initial announcement in August of 2025, IQHQ has announced meaningful leasing activity and other operational developments across its portfolio.

With the successful completion of our funding commitment, we continue to believe this investment is supported by the quality of the underlying assets and improving fundamentals in the life science sector. Importantly, our team remains actively engaged in evaluating a growing pipeline of opportunities in the life sciences sector, positioning IIPR to deploy capital selectively and accretively.

Leasing execution was another key highlight of the quarter. Year-to-date, we have completed new leases at five properties totaling approximately 389,000 square feet, while advancing several additional releasing initiatives.

These efforts reflect the team's continued focus on driving occupancy, stabilizing assets, and maximizing the value of our cannabis portfolio. Equally important, we delivered significant progress on the balance sheet.

During the quarter, we completed approximately $150 million of secured term loan financings, efficiently addressed our $291 million senior debt maturity in May, and continued to utilize our ATM programs across both common and preferred equity. Most notably, we successfully executed an upsized $402.5 million exchangeable notes offering, demonstrating strong investor demand and providing substantial growth capital.

In connection with this transaction, we also repurchased approximately $80.5 million of our common stock. Taken together, these accomplishments highlight the strength of our platform: active portfolio management, consistent leasing execution, and proven access to capital at scale.

With a fortified balance sheet, a differentiated investment strategy across cannabis and life sciences, and an experienced management team, we believe we are well-positioned to continue creating long-term shareholder value. Now with that, I'll turn the call over to Paul.

Paul Smithers

Thanks, Alan. At the federal level, cannabis reform continued to move forward.

The DEA completed its hearing last month on the proposed rescheduling of marijuana more broadly from Schedule I to Schedule III. The matter now moves to the administrative law judge for a recommended decision before returning to the DEA for final action.

The timing remains uncertain, but completion of the hearing represents another meaningful step forward in the federal cannabis reform process. We are already beginning to see that progress reflected in the capital markets.

In June, Trulieve became the first US cannabis operator to list on the New York Stock Exchange after restructuring its consolidated business around state-licensed medical cannabis. Curaleaf, Verano, and Ascend Wellness have also taken steps towards potential listings on major US exchanges.

Broader access to those exchanges could expand the industry's institutional investor base and provide more traditional sources of capital, benefiting all stakeholders. Even with this progress, challenges remain for certain operators.

As we disclosed last month, Parallel defaulted on its lease obligations at two of our Florida properties. We intend to coordinate with Parallel on an orderly transition of possession of the properties, while continuing to reserve all rights and remedies available under the leases.

Turning to the state level, Virginia took a long-awaited step by establishing a regulated adult-use retail market, with retail sales expected to begin on July 1st, 2027. We believe Virginia presents a meaningful growth opportunity for our tenants and positions the state to become one of the more attractive cannabis markets in the country.

With that, I'd now like to turn the call over to Ben to provide additional details on our leasing, disposition, and other investment activities. Ben?

Ben Regin

Thanks, Paul. During the first half of the year, we executed new leases totaling 389,000 square feet across five properties located in California, Illinois, and Ohio.

This is in addition to the 488,000 square feet of agreements we have in place across the four assets previously leased to 4Front Ventures. These agreements are still subject to customary due diligence, including licensing and regulatory approvals, and there can be no assurance that these discussions or negotiations will result in executed leases.

As Paul described, we expect to regain possession of our two Florida properties leased by Parallel, totaling 593,000 square feet. Florida remains the largest medical cannabis market in the country, supported by a broad patient base, strong consumer demand, and a limited license structure.

We believe these fundamentals provide a compelling foundation for continued growth, with the potential for adult-use legalization representing an additional long-term catalyst. We are optimistic that these market conditions will translate to meaningful demand for our facilities.

We continue to be encouraged by not only the level of demand for our assets, but the capital-efficient manner in which we've been able to re-tenant our properties. Based on the approximately 877,000 square feet of gross leasing activity we have described, we estimate that average total leasing costs for these assets will be less than $5 per square foot.

Turning to dispositions, during the quarter, we closed on an $88.5 million sale of our 389,000-square-foot facility in New York to Vireo Growth pursuant to a tenant purchase option. At closing, we received a down payment of approximately $39 million and provided approximately $49 million in seller financing at a 15% interest rate.

We also closed on the disposition of our land site in San Marcos, Texas, and are under contract to sell two retail properties in Michigan and California, each of which remains subject to customary closing conditions and other contingencies. Together with the sale of a dispensary property in Arizona earlier this year, these transactions reflect our ongoing strategy to opportunistically monetize select assets and recycle capital across the portfolio.

Turning to our investment activity this quarter, we continued to execute on our strategy to diversify our platform and increase our investments in the life science industry. Specifically, we fully funded the remaining $120 million on our $270 million commitment to IQHQ.

As described by IQHQ in their June press release, IQHQ recently entered into a long-term lease with ADVANCELL for the entire 128,000-square-foot 1 Corporate Drive building at Innovation Park, IQHQ's life science and advanced manufacturing campus in Andover, Massachusetts. ADVANCELL, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company, announced in their June and July 2026 press releases that it recently completed an oversubscribed $350 million Series D financing, and 1 Corporate Drive is expected to serve as its manufacturing site in the United States and its global headquarters.

The ADVANCELL lease follows the 244,000-square-foot lease IQHQ announced with Lyell Sciences at its Alewife Park asset in 2025, and represents approximately 372,000 square feet of gross leasing activity across these two assets since we made our initial investment in IQHQ. This leasing activity comes at a time when we are seeing encouraging signs across the broader life sciences market.

Recent reports from CBRE and JLL indicate that leasing activity across the major US life science markets increased to approximately 3 million square feet during the first quarter, above the 2025 quarterly average. Also, according to these reports, Boston, San Diego, and the Bay Area have averaged a combined 75 life science leases per quarter over the past two years, representing a 35% increase from pre-pandemic levels.

Venture capital funding increased 12% year-over-year to $7.4 billion, bringing the funding over the last four quarters reaching its highest level since 2022, while biotech R&D employment reached a record level after five consecutive months of growth. Although vacancy remains elevated, the development pipeline is down over 85% from the 2023 peak, and of the pending new supply, approximately 72% is pre-leased.

The unleased supply pipeline now represents less than 1% of total existing life science inventory across the country. Taken together, these trends continue to reinforce our confidence in the long-term fundamentals of the sector.

With that, I'll turn the call over to David.

David Smith

Thank you, Ben. For the second quarter, we generated total revenues of $63.3 million, compared to $69 million in the first quarter.

The decrease is primarily driven by reduced payments received from certain default tenants, partially offset by contractual rental escalations and incremental revenue from leasing activity. Adjusted funds from operations for the quarter were $53 million, or $1.83 per diluted share, compared to $53.4 million, or $1.88 per diluted share, in the prior quarter, with this decrease again driven by the items I mentioned previously.

Turning to capital markets, during the quarter, we remained focused on proactively strengthening our balance sheet and addressing our May debt maturity through a series of coordinated financing transactions. During the quarter, we completed nearly $150 million of secured term loan financings through five separate transactions and continued to access the equity markets opportunistically, raising $35 million through our common stock ATM program and $21 million through our preferred stock ATM program.

Together with cash on hand and availability under our revolving credit facilities, these actions supported the full repayment of our $291 million of notes due in May, eliminating a significant debt maturity and further strengthening our balance sheet. Following the payoff of our May bond maturity, with a well-positioned balance sheet, we turned to growth.

In June, we launched a convertible debt offering, and due to strong investor demand, we were able to complete an upsized offering of $402.5 million of exchangeable notes due 2029, priced at an attractive 6%. In connection with the transaction, we also repurchased approximately $80.5 million of our common stock.

A portion of the remaining net proceeds were used to repay borrowings under our revolving credit facility, with the balance further enhancing our financial flexibility and supporting our long-term strategic growth. As a result of these financing activities, we ended the quarter with a strong and flexible balance sheet, with total liquidity of $300 million, consisting of cash on hand and availability under our revolving credit facilities.

Our balance sheet credit metrics remained strong, with net debt to adjusted EBITDA 1.7 times and net debt to total gross assets of 14%. We believe our conservative capital structure, diversified access to multiple capital markets, and ample liquidity position us well to support our existing portfolio and drive continued long-term accretive growth of the platform.

With that, operator, could you please open the call for questions?

Operator

We will now begin our question-and-answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one to raise your hand.

To withdraw your question, press star one again. We ask that you pick up your handset when asking a question to allow for optimum sound quality.

If you are muted locally, please remember to unmute your device. Please stand by while we compile the Q&A roster.

Your first question is from the line of Aaron Grey with Alliance Global Partners. Aaron, your line is open.

Please go ahead.

Aaron Grey

Hi, good afternoon and thanks very much for the questions here. I know you guys had a lot of activity in the quarter.

Maybe just to start off, just how best to think about with the increased liquidity, how you're thinking about deploying and allocating that. You mentioned some of the opportunities within life sciences.

Obviously, you've had the legacy cannabis. As we think about some of the opportunities you're seeing for that to be deployed, maybe just some commentary between the two sectors and whether or not you see them more in terms of larger chunks of deployment or you're seeing them kind of spread out through smaller.

Thank you.

Alan Gold

Sure. I I think that's a a great starting question because it it it goes to our our our belief that we now are positioned for growth.

Growth and and it allows us to it allows us to take advantage of the execution that we've done on the balance sheet and the obviously the the the execution we've done in the the current portfolio. Our diversification that we've we talked about in the last several quarters continues to be progressing well.

As you can as you will note, we completed the the commitment to IQHQ of of an additional, I think it was $90 million to a total of $270 million of of our our commitment to into the IQHQ transaction. Our with our latest our latest commitment generating greater than a 14% plus yield, we see we see that opportunity to achieve those above-average yields and being highly accretive to IIPR still in the life science industry.

We are continuing to move forward with our diverse our diversification program. I think that's that's where we that's where we sit today.

As to how chunky they they are, we're the life science transactions are fairly large, which does talk about chunky chunky future or large-scale future investments potentially. Yet, we're also still looking at the the what we think is a an improving cannabis market for potential growth opportunities.

Aaron Grey

Appreciate that color. That's really helpful.

Second question for me is just on some of the legacy cannabis tenants. Obviously, last year, we looked at some of you guys taking a kitchen sink in terms of being proactive, and some of the tenant defaults.

Things seem to be improving, but we obviously had the Parallel just get announced. Just wanted to circle back on that in terms of your commentary in terms of how well-positioned you are with the current portfolio.

Things seem to be improving now with 280E taxes improved at least for medical, potentially for adult use with phase two rescheduling. Just wanted to get the broader picture in terms of how comfortable you are today with the cannabis portfolio going forward.

Thank you.

Alan Gold

The Parallel transaction was a slow progressing restructuring that took many years to finally come to fruition. As we've been dealing with it for the last, I don't know, 3 or 4 years.

It finally culminated, and yes, we did end up with two very high-quality assets in Florida, which we believe is a strong market. We are already receiving interest in those two assets.

As to the balance of the portfolio, we believe that the industry is continuing to improve. We certainly feel very positive of the rescheduling and hopeful that the further rescheduling process is completed, noting that everything takes much longer than we all want or hope for the positive effects of those actions to occur.

We are monitoring all of our tenants on a quarterly basis and/or more regularly, and we are doing our best to make sure that we understand where all of our tenants sit. We believe that our portfolio continues to strengthen, and believe that the opportunity to take advantage of the rescheduling that's happening in the cannabis industry will show itself throughout this year and into 2027 and beyond.

Aaron Grey

Great. Appreciate the color.

I'll go ahead and jump back in the queue.

Alan Gold

Thank you.

David Smith

Thanks, Aaron.

Operator

Your next question comes from the line of Bill Kirk with Roth Capital Partners. Bill, your line is now open.

Please go ahead.

Bill Kirk

Good afternoon, everybody. I wanted first to ask about the sale of the property in San Marcos.

I guess what changed about the opportunity at that property, particularly as Texas finally gets its medical program rolling?

Ben Regin

Yeah. Hey, Bill, this is Ben.

I wouldn't say anything changed. That was a undeveloped piece of land.

That was a transaction that we had done with Parallel a number of years ago. The cannabis-specific improvements never went into the site.

We saw a pretty extended runway even though we think Texas is a great opportunity, until we could potentially have to develop something, get it approved, and we felt that being able to recycle that capital now into some of the very accretive transactions, such as the IQHQ funding, was a better use of that capital as opposed to a new development.

Bill Kirk

Okay. No change in how you're thinking about Texas.

Ben Regin

That's right.

Bill Kirk

Okay. Then, Paul, you talked a little about how the capital markets are treating the industry differently, maybe treating your tenants a little bit differently, treating you maybe differently.

From a theoretical perspective, with those changing regulations, whose cost of capital is set to improve more, yours or your tenants'?

Paul Smithers

Thanks, Bill. I would like to say both, and what we can point to right off the bat is as far as the tenants are concerned, when we see Trulieve listing on the New York Stock Exchange, if you said that 3 years ago, you'd think we were crazy.

We look at Curaleaf, Verano, and Ascend also making moves for uplisting. I think that is a quick way for those operators to gain access to the public capital markets.

That's a big benefit for them, I think, and certainly for them as our credit tenants. I think our cost of capital certainly will benefit in two ways: one, I think, from the fact that our diversification into the life science industry and non-cannabis, we look at lenders and they look at us a little more positive because we're not in the cannabis space.

I think we've seen a direct result of that diversification. I think just as well, our access in the cannabis space to lenders will certainly improve with rescheduling.

Bill Kirk

Thank you. Thank you, Paul.

Thank you, Ben. I'll pass it along.

Paul Smithers

Thanks, Bill.

Operator

Your next question is from the line of Tom Catherwood with BTIG. Pam, your line is now open.

Please go ahead.

Tom Catherwood

Ooh, that's a new one. Tom.

Hello, everybody. I guess I have something to admit.

Tom Catherwood with BTIG. Thank you for taking the question.

Just wanted to touch on the leases that you've signed. As you're going to the quarter by our math, there were nine properties where you had re-leased space, but the tenants hadn't started paying rent.

I know the timing of lease commencements can be hard to predict, but run-rate revenue seemed to come in stronger than we would expect this quarter. Can you give us a general sense maybe of what commenced in 2Q and then what you're expecting in your kind of base case through the second half of this year?

Ben Regin

Yeah. Hey, Tom, this is Ben.

Specific to Q2, I wouldn't say there was anything material that commenced. I still think what we've discussed in the past is the right way to think about it, which is you're looking at 9 to 12-plus months from lease execution to get through abatement periods and licensing.

When you think about the almost 900,000 square feet between executed leases and the agreements we have in place with 4Front, the former 4Front assets, I think that's still the right way to model that out. Gotcha.

Tom Catherwood

Just to clarify on that one, Ben, because again, if we strip out the back rents paid by 4Front and PharmaCann, and we strip out some of the security deposits that you've included in rental revenue, it still looks like you're running maybe $2 million, maybe $1.9 million to $2 million higher quarter-over-quarter on a run-rate basis. Is that something else commencing, or is that just kind of a steady-state run rate, and therefore everything else that you've signed is still upside from here?

David Smith

Tom, this is David. I would just reiterate what Ben said.

There was nothing material during the quarter. Happy to talk to you offline about this further.

I think one other item that I don't know if you're taking into account in the first quarter, we did have also a $1.5 million that we received from Gold Flora. I'm not sure if you're adjusting from that in your numbers,

Tom Catherwood

but

David Smith

happy to discuss that further.

Tom Catherwood

Perfect. Appreciate that, David.

Then last one for me, PharmaCann in New York and Pennsylvania. I understand you're likely limited in what you can say, but in the release, it did seem like there's been a change in engagement there with those two assets specifically.

Is there a potential there to maybe beat up the resolution? I think you had mentioned in the past that there was an previous LOI on the Montgomery, New York asset.

What has been that kind of shift and kind of how could it impact occupancy of those assets? Yeah.

Ben Regin

Hey, Tom, this is Ben again. I think we have been pleased with the interest in those two assets.

I wouldn't say anything has changed on the Montgomery asset. That is still something we're working through.

I think we mentioned that we are working towards a potential resolution where we [unclear] new tenants to those two properties, which I think would be a great sign to further stabilize the portfolio on top of the 900,000 square feet that we've been talking about. I think that's as much as we can say about that at this time.

Tom Catherwood

Appreciate it. Then one follow-up on that, Ben.

You mentioned the assets that were re-leased, you mentioned the 4Front assets that are awaiting the court resolution. Are there any other assets as you have under LOIs that you're expecting near-term execution of a formal lease?

Ben Regin

Yeah. There are multiple assets under LOI and in various stages of negotiations.

I think that we've talked about that broadly, just given the uncertainty around timing and remaining diligence items, and really kind of focused our comments today on the executed leases, the 4Front agreements that are in place, totaling again nearly a million square feet in leasing activity just in those two buckets. Behind that, we've been very pleased again across the portfolio with the level of demand that we've seen for our assets.

We're hopeful that we'll be able to continue to convert some of these LOIs and some of these discussions into incremental gross leasing activity [cough] the balance of 2026 and into 2027.

Tom Catherwood

That's great. Thanks for all the answers, everyone.

David Smith

Thanks, Tom.

Operator

There are no further questions at this time. I will now turn the call back to Alan Gold for some closing remarks.

Alan Gold

Thank you. Thank you all for joining today.

Thanks to the team for the tremendous execution, not only on the balance sheet and in the portfolio, but on the diversification program that we have in place. With that, we'll sign off.

Operator

This concludes today's call. Thank you for attending.

You may now disconnect.