Innovative Industrial Properties Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
February 20, 2025

Key Takeaways

  • In 2024, IIP generated $308.5 million in revenues and $256.1 million in AFFO, returning over $210 million to shareholders through dividends and marking its eighth consecutive annual dividend increase.
  • The firm maintains a conservative capital structure with only 11 percent debt to total assets, a credit facility upsized to $87.5 million, and over $235 million in total liquidity to fund growth.
  • In 2024, IIP deployed over $70 million to acquire new properties and upgrade infrastructure, executed leases covering 530,000 sq ft (6 percent of its portfolio), and ended the year with 98 percent occupancy.
  • The company reached a comprehensive resolution with PharmaCann—resuming rent on nine of 11 leases and receiving a capital infusion and junior secured note—though it introduces an ~$0.1 per share quarterly rent impact.
  • While U.S. cannabis sales are projected to grow ~10 percent in 2025 and several states advance adult-use legalization, industry headwinds persist from a regulatory stalemate at the federal level and an illicit market estimated 2.5 times larger than the regulated sector.
AI Generated. May Contain Errors.
Earnings Conference Call
Innovative Industrial Properties Q4 2024
00:00 / 00:00

Transcript Sections

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Operator

Good day, and welcome to the Innovative Industrial Properties Inc. Fourth Quarter twenty twenty four Earnings Call. All participants will be in listen only mode. Please note this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Eli Kantor, Associate Finance. Please go ahead.

Eli Kanter
Eli Kanter
Senior Associate at Innovative Industrial Properties

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 Reagan, Chief Investment Officer. Before we begin, I'd like to remind everyone that statements made during today's conference call may be deemed forward looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and actual results may differ materially due to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors. Please refer to the documents filed by the company with the SEC, specifically the most recent reports on Forms 10 ks and 10 q, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward looking statements. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Eli Kanter
Eli Kanter
Senior Associate at Innovative Industrial Properties

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 in our earnings release issued yesterday as well as in our eight K filed with the SEC. I'll now hand the call over to Alan. Alan?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Thanks, Eli. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our call to discuss our 2024 results and recent activity. The company has continued to execute, generating over $255,000,000 of cash flow from operations and returning over $210,000,000 to shareholders through dividends. Continuing our track record of increasing our annual dividends each year since our inception in 2016. On the investment front, we remain highly selective in evaluating opportunities, deploying over $70,000,000 in capital to acquire two properties and providing additional building infrastructure allowances to enhance our facilities capacity for our operators.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

We also made significant progress in leasing, executing new leases at six properties representing 530,000 square feet or 6% of our total portfolio. Additionally, we further strengthened our liquidity position and strong balance sheet with the upsizing of our credit facility to $87,500,000 with four banks now participating. For the year, we generated total revenues of $308,500,000 and AFFO of $256,100,000 continuing our success of generating significant revenue from the regulated cannabis industry. The regulated cannabis industry continues to experience headwinds which we are navigating through with one of the most experienced management teams in the industry. As of year end, our total available liquidity exceeded $235,000,000 providing us with ample dry powder to pursue additional strategic investments.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

We are proud to have strategically positioned ourselves to have one of the lowest levered balance sheets in the REIT industry at 11% debt to total gross assets. David will provide more detail on our financial results and capital position. Last week, we announced that two of our independent directors, David Stecker and Mary Curran, have made the decision to retire from our Board and not stand for reelection when their terms expire. David has served on the Board since 2017 and Mary since 2020, and we want to thank them both for their service to the company over the years and are in the process of searching for replacement directors. I also want to take a moment to congratulate Tracy Hager and Kelly Spyker, who were both promoted to Senior Vice President in January.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Tracy has managed our Asset Management department since 2021, and Kelly has provided incredible real estate legal support since 2019. Both are seasoned professionals who have added incredible value, and we are truly fortunate to have such dedicated and talented members on our management team. Before I turn the call over to Paul, I wanted to touch on our resolution with PharmaKinn. We are pleased with the outcome announced last month and believe it reflects our management team's capabilities in navigating challenging situations to the benefit of our shareholders. Paul will provide additional detail on the resolution. Paul?

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Thanks, Alan. As we noted in our press release last month, we reached a comprehensive resolution to PharmaCann's depulse that included, among other things, PharmaCann recommencing rent payments on nine of 11 leases in February, a required capital infusion by PharmaCann investors and a junior secured note issued to IIP. We are proud of our team's ability to navigate this situation swiftly and believe this is the best path forward to maximize shareholder value. On the regulatory front, with the election behind us and a unified Congress, there is potential for federal reform including rescheduling and safe banking. Rescheduling efforts to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III drug were stalled by a DEA administrative law judge canceling the rulemaking hearing that was set to begin in January.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Since that postponement, President Trump has recently appointed Terrence Cole to lead the DEA. President Trump has not released any official policy directive related to rescheduling, but Cole has voiced opposition to legalization efforts. However, President Trump has shown public support for cannabis reform, including for both rescheduling and the approval of adult use in Florida. And we remain cautiously optimistic that rescheduling will continue to make progress. We do continue to see growth prospects in the state markets with four states voting on cannabis legislation in 2024.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Pennsylvania is exploring adult use cannabis legalization through legislation and earlier this month Governor Shapiro's twenty twenty five-twenty six budget proposes a legalization of adult use cannabis effective 07/01/2025 with sales beginning 01/01/2026. In Florida, the Smart and Safe Florida campaign was relaunched in January to put adult use cannabis back on the ballot for the twenty twenty six election after the recent measure received majority support from voters, but failed to receive the requisite 60% needed. These two states combined generated approximately $3,800,000,000 in sales in 2024 and are projected to be two of the largest cannabis markets in The U. S. By 2028 according to BDSA.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

In Minnesota, while regulations for adult use cannabis have yet to be finalized, the OCM began accepting applications for cannabis businesses earlier this month. Additionally, the public comment period for the regulatory framework concluded earlier this month and the OCM is expected to publish the final rules by the end of Q1 twenty twenty five. We look forward to the adult use rollout and are excited for our tenant partners, Green Thumb and Vireo. The growth of the overall cannabis industry in The U. S.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Continues to remain strong with 41 states having legalized cannabis for medical or recreational use accounting for seventy one percent of The U. S. Population. BDSA is projecting cannabis sales to increase approximately 10% in 2025 after an estimated 9.8% growth in 2024 with total U. S.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Cannabis sales of $32,400,000,000 Recent data shows that cannabis consumption is also strong with volumes up 15% in 2024 according to Hoody Analytics. Additionally, studies have highlighted daily marijuana use surpassed daily alcohol consumption in 2022. These trends reflect the growing acceptance and integration of cannabis, which positions the industry for continued gray markets that undermine the regulated industry. While states like California and New York have made incremental progress in enforcement, the illicit market is estimated to be more than two and a half times the size of the regulated market. Addressing this issue requires further efforts at both the state and federal levels.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

At the state level, we are encouraged by the continued expansion of the New York and Ohio cannabis markets. As of December, New York's adult use cannabis sales surpassed $1,000,000,000 since launching in December of twenty twenty two and according to BDSA is projected to reach $2,400,000,000 of annual sales by 2028. In Ohio, adult youth sales exceeded $300,000,000 within the first six months following their launch in August of twenty twenty four and are projected to grow to over $2,000,000,000 of annual sales by 2028. I'd like to now turn the call over to Ben to discuss our investment and leasing activity. Ben?

Ben Regin
Ben Regin
Chief Investment Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Thanks, Paul. In 2024, we deployed over $70,000,000 across five properties. And in 2025, we have one asset under contract for 7,800,000.0 with closing expected this quarter, subject to diligence and closing conditions.

Ben Regin
Ben Regin
Chief Investment Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Also, in 02/2024, we executed leases totaling approximately 530,000 square feet, including a new lease executed in the fourth quarter with TriMountain Pure for a 60,000 square feet, our Pittsburgh asset, bringing the property to 100% occupancy. TriMountain Pure is led by the prior founder of Pure Pen, one of the early Pennsylvania grower processors that sold to True Leaf in February. Additionally, in q four of twenty four and the first quarter of this year, we executed two leases totaling 11,000 square feet to non cannabis tenants in Palm Springs. Our 2,024 leasing efforts brought our operating portfolio to over 98% leased as of year end. Our three properties under development consist of one pre leased asset in California, a 192,000 square foot property in San Bernardino, and a 12 acre parcel of land in San Marcos, Texas.

Ben Regin
Ben Regin
Chief Investment Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

With total available liquidity exceeding $235,000,000 we are well positioned to pursue strategic investments and capitalize on our pipeline. With that, I'll hand it over to David. David?

David Smith
David Smith
CFO & Treasurer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Thank you, Ben. For the year ended 2024, we generated total revenues of $308,500,000 compared to $309,500,000 for the same period in 2023. The less than 1% decrease in our cash revenues collected was primarily due to certain properties we recaptured or sold since 2023, adjustments to rent for certain properties or lease amendments and partial payment of rent by certain tenants where we fully utilized our security deposits. Our comparability year over year was also impacted as we have previously disclosed since the first quarter by two leases that when amendment changed our lease classification from operating leases to sales type leases starting in January 2024. The decrease was partially offset by the $3,900,000 disposition contingent lease termination fee that was received in connection with the sale of our property in Los Angeles, California in the second quarter amendments to leases for additional improvement allowances at existing properties that resulted in adjustments to rent revenue from the two new properties we acquired in 2024 and contractual rent escalations on our other existing properties.

David Smith
David Smith
CFO & Treasurer at Innovative Industrial Properties

As As we noted in our press release yesterday, the fourth quarter's results also included $5,700,000 of security deposits applied for contractually due rent on properties leased to five tenants, of which $4,300,000 related to PharmaCann. AFFO for the fourth quarter was $63,400,000 or $2.22 per share, a 3% decrease compared to the fourth quarter twenty twenty three and a 1% decrease versus the third quarter twenty twenty four with both decreases driven by reduced rent collections for certain tenants. In addition, as it relates to the PharmaCann amendments we announced in January, it results in an approximately $0.1 negative quarterly impact to rent going forward, which could improve with any re tenanting activities at the Michigan and Massachusetts properties. Our balance sheet remained strong during the quarter with $2,600,000,000 in total gross assets and our only debt consisting of $300,000,000 in fixed rate unsecured bonds maturing in May 2026. Furthermore, we continue to maintain REIT industry leading credit metrics with a net debt to EBITDA of less than 1x, debt to gross assets ratio of 11% and a debt service coverage ratio of nearly 17x.

David Smith
David Smith
CFO & Treasurer at Innovative Industrial Properties

In the fourth quarter, we added two banks to our revolving credit facility, bringing it to four in total and expanded capacity on that facility by another $37,500,000 Our total capacity on our revolver now stands at $87,500,000 all of which remains undrawn as of today. With this increased liquidity, we finished the fourth quarter with over $235,000,000 of total liquidity comprised of cash, short term investments and availability under our revolving credit facility. Our dialogue continues with additional banks about increasing our overall credit capacity. We continue to be well positioned with a conservative balance sheet, strong liquidity and continued progress on expanding our bank and relationships to increase the size of our credit facility. With that, I will turn it back to Alan. Alan?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Thanks, David. I'm proud of what our team accomplished in 2024. We continue to be laser focused on maximizing the value of each property in our portfolio for the benefit of our stockholders. And I see our company as exceptionally well positioned to continue to execute on the business while navigating through the regulated cannabis industry headwinds. As long term owners of our company, thank you as always for your continued support.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

With that, I'd like to open it up for questions. Operator, can you please open the call up for questions?

Operator

We will now begin the question and answer session. Our first question comes from Tom Catherwood with BTIG. Please go ahead.

Thomas Catherwood
MD & REITs Equity Research at BTIG

Thank you and good morning everybody.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Good morning, Don.

Thomas Catherwood
MD & REITs Equity Research at BTIG

So first off, kudos on the Swift resolution with PharmaCann. That was huge and I know a very big lift. But if we step back and think more broadly about tenant risks, in the three cases where you've had to work through issues and this includes Parallel and Green Peak, the tenant was also facing issues with their lenders. How are you thinking about risk for your tenant base over the course of the next year given that 2026 is an outsized year for debt maturities across the cannabis industry?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Well, thanks. Thanks, Tom. I think that first of all, you're talking about something that's going to occur in 2026 and we're I think this is still February 2025. And we believe that the industry continue the industry has continued to do show green shoots and to mature and perform better. And we believe that the broader markets should be in a much better position to be able to deal with the 2026 maturities that many of these tenants do have.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

But with that, we do acknowledge that the earlier the maturity of debt that occurs with our tenants, the more stress that they are seeing. And that is an issue that we are following and watching very closely.

Thomas Catherwood
MD & REITs Equity Research at BTIG

I appreciate that, Alan. And then maybe if I take the flip side to that, could there also exist a scenario where IIP plays a role in helping some of those tenants or operators work through their debt issues, whether it's sale leasebacks taking down more real estate effectively injecting fresh capital through your sale leaseback process?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Well, we're always looking at opportunities and as Ben will talk about, we continue to review opportunities and we will do that. And we have the privilege of having a very strong balance sheet with less than with around 11% debt to total gross assets and giving us the and over 200,000,000 of liquidity giving us that the flexibility to play and to work with tenants that do have interesting opportunities for us. And we will look at that. But that's not what we believe. We believe the broader industry needs to continue to perform better and which as Paul described, there are some several green shoots occurring.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

And we believe that the broader debt industry needs to be there for the industry in general.

Thomas Catherwood
MD & REITs Equity Research at BTIG

Got it. Appreciate that, Alan. Last one for me. Paul, maybe going back to your comments on rescheduling, do you have a sense of what the next checkpoints are in restarting the hearings that got postponed or delayed? And at what point in time do we get a better sense of how the DEA may be approaching a rescheduling?

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Yes, I mean, that's a good question, Tom. I think the whole industry is waiting to find out. We're in the court system to get the scheduling process back on track. There is really no timeline as to when the administrative judge may make a ruling on what the DEA did or didn't do. It's kind of guesswork on that timeline.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

It could be stalled indefinitely or it could be as soon as maybe three to six months. But I think really all eyes are on the White House at this point, Tom, because with the appointments of Terrence Cole as DEA, with Pam Bondi as AG, with RFK Jr. As HHS, we don't have a lot of guidance at those hearings where they testified as to what their position will be. We can only look historically as what they've said. But I think if we get a statement from the White House, from President Trump, that is consistent with his September postings on his Truth Social where he was very clear that he supported rescheduling, safer banking and of course legalization in Florida.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

If we get direction from him, I think the DEA and HHS will fall in line, I think, and we'll get that process back on. So, I think the smart money is to see what happens from the White House and when that might happen.

Thomas Catherwood
MD & REITs Equity Research at BTIG

Understood. Appreciate all the answers. Thanks everyone.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Thanks Tom. Thanks Tom.

Operator

And the next question comes from Aaron Grey with Alliance Global Partners. Please go ahead.

Aaron Grey
Managing Director, Equity Research at Alliance Global Partners

Hi, good afternoon. Thank you very much for the questions here. So first question for me. Thanks for the incremental color in terms of the security deposit. So looks like 4.3% of that 5.7% from PharmaCann.

Aaron Grey
Managing Director, Equity Research at Alliance Global Partners

So regarding the other one point three percent and four tenants, I know you had mentioned, I believe, three of them in the prior call, so it'd be relating to those and one more. Just anything that you're doing in terms of working through that for the partial or non payments? And just how we should anticipate the security deposits either going forward if that is being resolved or there might be incremental issues there. So just a broader tenant portfolio on the security deposits being applied there. Thanks.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Yes. No, I think that the way to look at it is that we're taking each situation as a unique and special situation and drilling down to with the tenants and working with them to get them back to where they agreed to be and where we expect them to be. And so that's I think the best we can deal or we can say with regards to the actual tenants given how the majority of our tenants are private and we have confidentiality agreements with them. And so we had to be very careful with what we say, but we are working very closely with those. And then Ben, do you have anything further Dan?

Ben Regin
Ben Regin
Chief Investment Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

I think that's right, Alan. And I think really when you think about tenant health, we're really talking about the health of the industry overall and the green shoots that we're seeing in the cannabis industry that Paul described. But as Alan mentioned, we have a lot of private tenants, but we are of course watching each of our tenants and working with them very closely.

Aaron Grey
Managing Director, Equity Research at Alliance Global Partners

Appreciate that color there. Second one for me. Just could you provide some color on the pipeline for 2025? You have healthy liquidity. So curious to how you're currently viewing the pipeline translating to committed capital for the year in the current environment that we stand in today?

Aaron Grey
Managing Director, Equity Research at Alliance Global Partners

And then also how much that could change either via potential state legalization or federal reform?

Ben Regin
Ben Regin
Chief Investment Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Yes. Aaron, this is Ben. So as we have for the last year or two, we are continuing to be very opportunistic and very disciplined as it relates to the pipeline. We're seeing a wide variety of opportunities. I believe we have a very strong balance sheet, very strong liquidity position around $235,000,000 to capitalize on which of those opportunities we think are best.

Aaron Grey
Managing Director, Equity Research at Alliance Global Partners

Okay, great. Thanks for color. I'll jump back in the queue.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Thank you.

Operator

And the next question comes from Bill Kirk with Roth Capital Partners. Please go ahead. Bill, your line might be on mute. Moving on to Eric Des Laurier with Craig Hallum Capital Group. Please go ahead.

Eric Des Lauriers
Senior Research Analyst at Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC

Great. Thank you for taking my questions. First one, just a bit of follow-up on Aaron's question there. So you mentioned strategic investments Just for clarification, should we be thinking of these as your typical acquisitions and investments that you've been making or are you perhaps looking at perhaps other non cannabis or other types of investments?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

I think that we have broadened our investment opportunities, but we are primarily focused on the cannabis industry. We think that there are unique opportunities to invest within the financial side of the cannabis industry, obviously generating real estate related income. And so we're looking at a variety of ways to enhance the revenue producing aspect of the company using our balance sheet and our very strong balance sheet and our available liquidity.

Eric Des Lauriers
Senior Research Analyst at Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC

I appreciate that. And could you elaborate on some of the green shoots that you've been referring to in the industry? And I guess overall level of competition in cannabis markets, they've obviously been challenging for some time here, wondering if you're seeing a plateauing of sorts or sort of continuing to get perhaps increasingly challenging, but just overall kind of elaboration on the green shoots that you're seeing?

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Yes. Hey, Eric, this is Paul. I think we gave some specifics in our prepared remarks, but we start with the projection of a 10% growth for 25%, which is not insignificant. Then we look at some of the state by state analysis. For example, Tennessee just introduced the bills for both medical and rec.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

That's Tennessee. We haven't seen that. We talked about Illinois breaking a record, a $2,000,000,000 record. That's substantial. We look at Governor Shapiro in Pennsylvania, who again calls for adult use as part of Shapiro in Pennsylvania who again calls for adult use as part of his budget for 2025.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

We just saw a recent poll in Florida. If the rec boat was held today, it would get 67% support, which of course is over the 60% threshold. So that would pass if today it was held. We look at other things. We look at with more border enforcement.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

Do we see the possibility of with enforcement we have a decrease in illegal supply crossing the border? Do we see a decrease in aliens working in the black market perhaps on the growth? So that may be in effect. Then again state by state, we look at good records in New York and Ohio. Ohio did $300,000,000 in its first six months.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

That was very impressive. And we see New York hit the $1,000,000,000 mark. So these are all very state specific. But when viewed in the aggregate, it supports what we think is still a pretty robust industry and along with the 10% growth, we're pretty optimistic that this industry will continue to grow. It's going to have some headwinds as we discussed, primarily the black market in some of the larger states.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

And you talked about competition. We are seeing the states the larger states certainly. We're seeing some of the less successful growers drop out. And that's market dynamics that we've always talked about for years that we do believe there will be a consolidation in these larger states and that's coming to pass. So we've always while we've tried to put our dollars with the MSOs that we see as the larger growers in these states and the ones that we support.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

So we think they will continue to do well as the markets grow.

Eric Des Lauriers
Senior Research Analyst at Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC

All right. I appreciate that color. And then last one for me. Regarding the PharmaCann resolution, which also echo my congratulations on a swift resolution there. So part of that did come with a certainly modest reduction in rents.

Eric Des Lauriers
Senior Research Analyst at Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC

I'm just wondering if you're getting calls from existing tenants to sort of follow on with that. I would imagine some of them are looking to do so. And just if so, how are you handling those discussions? Is that something that we should perhaps be on the lookout for of some of this minor or modest rent reductions to other tenants?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

It's an interesting question. It's very difficult one for us to answer because if we were receiving calls, we wouldn't want to talk about that. And if we but we have said that we are monitoring all of our tenants and we are monitoring all of our tenants. And but the thing that we want to make very, very clear is that this company relies on our leases that we do what we say we're going to do and we expect our tenants to live to their agreements and that's what we should be focused on.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

I think as we've described in the past that the resolution we reached with PharmaCann was just not a reduction in rent and taking back properties. PharmaCann has committed to some substantial policy changes and some financial commitments by their investors. Of course, the note that we take and other commitments such as not taking any more debt. So the fact that it was a fair question, are other tenants going to try and get a rent reduction? But if they do, they're going to be met if they default.

Paul Smithers
Paul Smithers
President & Chief Executive Officer at Innovative Industrial Properties

We will meet them with the same swiftness that we did with PharmaCann immediately filing default notices on all those properties proceeding to eviction. And if there is a way to work something out, we will get something to compensate us for the loss of rent. So that's an important point that needs to be stressed I think and to have any potential tenants to realize that we're not open for business just to cut rents. If there is a rent reduction, there will be something on the back end.

Eric Des Lauriers
Senior Research Analyst at Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC

That's very helpful. Thank you for the color.

Operator

And the next question comes from Bill Kirk with Roth Capital Partners. Please go ahead.

Bill Kirk
Managing Director at Roth Capital Partners, LLC

Hey, good afternoon, everyone. Sorry for my tech difficulties earlier. I kind of have like a two part question here. The portfolio today is primarily cultivation properties. How do you see the mix of forward opportunities between cultivation and retail assets?

Bill Kirk
Managing Director at Roth Capital Partners, LLC

And then related to kind of the second part is most of the business today is multi state operators. How do you see kind of the opportunities with the multi state operators going forward versus maybe some smaller single state operators?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

So first of all, we've been very, very clear that we're focused on the cultivation assets and highly focused on that. We will look at retail assets and our opportunities are primarily focused within the same percentage of our portfolio, again the cultivation assets. And then, I mean, your second part of your question had to do with I'm sorry, what?

Bill Kirk
Managing Director at Roth Capital Partners, LLC

Multistate tenants versus single state.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Yes. We've made a our underwriting criteria has continued to be one of looking at the best whether they're multistate or single state, but highly focused on the multistate operators and we're going to continue to do that.

Bill Kirk
Managing Director at Roth Capital Partners, LLC

Thank you.

Operator

And the next question comes from Alexander Goldfarb with Piper Sandler. Please go ahead.

Alexander Goldfarb
Alexander Goldfarb
Managing Director at Piper Sandler Companies

Hey, good morning out there.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Hi, Alex.

Alexander Goldfarb
Alexander Goldfarb
Managing Director at Piper Sandler Companies

And Paul, appreciate your warning to other tenants trying to pull a pharma can. So I'd like the public address. Two questions here. First, you commented on the growth of the industry and certainly in your slide deck you talk about 9% CAGR and yet investments since 2020 have declined despite 20 plus states legalizing some sort of medical or recreational, etcetera. So how much over capacity do you think is out there?

Alexander Goldfarb
Alexander Goldfarb
Managing Director at Piper Sandler Companies

Like when do you think that this growth translates to commensurate renewed interest in investments such that we'd see like 9% investment growth in the space? So when do you think this turns?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

I think that the industry still has headwinds as we've described. And those headwinds come from the illicit market and the illicit growers. And as that as Paul alluded to is that is reduced whether through border enforcement or other types of enforcement. I think that's going to allow the industry to have to be able to continue the the capital growth within the industry. That's number one.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Number two, the other real factor is really the safer banking type provision, which will allow capital providers to feel more comfortable in providing capital to the industry. And that's something that's been talked about and something that everybody has been looking for a long period of time. So do we see that in the short term? Not particularly, but we do believe that it is coming and it will be something very important for the industry.

Alexander Goldfarb
Alexander Goldfarb
Managing Director at Piper Sandler Companies

Okay. And then the second question is, again, you guys have always been very vocal about MCO exposure and the credit improvement that that provides. Yet obviously, PharmaCann was an MCO that had issues. King's Garden was another. So my question is, is MCO really a good metric of credit or are there other things as the business has evolved that you guys are starting to look more towards that provide greater comfort to you on the credit side that the operator is money good?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

The MSO, the multi state operator

Alexander Goldfarb
Alexander Goldfarb
Managing Director at Piper Sandler Companies

Sorry, MSO, not MCO, sorry, MSO, sorry.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

That is an aspect, which is why we have single state operators that we're very excited about. But it is it does show the ability for a company to raise significant amount of capital and to be able to operate in multiple states does provide a diverse a form of diversification that we've looked at and why we have focused on that. We really are looking at the operators themselves and their ability to raise capital and their ability to have the experience and expertise to grow product and sell product in a very challenging environment. And that's what we're looking for.

Alexander Goldfarb
Alexander Goldfarb
Managing Director at Piper Sandler Companies

So have you had any reassessments of credit of tenants that before you would have ranked highly and now you are looking at them going, Jeez, they are current and they are fine, but we may want to reduce exposure going forward?

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

I think we are as I said, we are watching all of our tenants. We're doing deep dives into every single one of our tenants, including the strongest ones and the single state operators.

Alexander Goldfarb
Alexander Goldfarb
Managing Director at Piper Sandler Companies

Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Thanks, Alan.

Operator

This concludes our question and answer session. I would like to turn the conference back over to Alan Gold for any closing remarks.

Alan Gold
Alan Gold
Executive Chairman at Innovative Industrial Properties

Thank you. And once again, thank you all for joining us today. Thanks to I really want to say thank you to the team for all the hard smart work we've done over the last year and this last quarter. And with that, we conclude.

Operator

The conference is now concluded. Thank you for attending today's presentation. You may now disconnect.

Executives
    • Eli Kanter
      Eli Kanter
      Senior Associate
    • Alan Gold
      Alan Gold
      Executive Chairman
    • Paul Smithers
      Paul Smithers
      President & Chief Executive Officer
    • Ben Regin
      Ben Regin
      Chief Investment Officer
    • David Smith
      David Smith
      CFO & Treasurer
Analysts
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