8-KThe Red FlagsRed Alert
Restatement · Results of Operations
Filed Apr 21, 2020 · 6y ago · Accession 0001213900-20-009757
Plain English
Material event — a significant development the company must disclose promptly.
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STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
8-K
CURRENT
REPORT
Pursuant
to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
April 20, 2020
BRT
APARTMENTS CORP.
(Exact
name of Registrant as specified in charter)
Maryland
001-07172
13-2755856
(State
or other jurisdiction
(Commission
file No.)
(IRS
Employer
of incorporation)
I.D.
No.)
60
Cutter Mill Road , Suite 303 , Great Neck , New York 11021
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code: 516 - 466-3100
Check
the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant
under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
☐ Written
communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐ Soliciting
material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐ Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐ Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock
BRT
New York Stock Exchange
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405)
of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
☐ Emerging
growth company
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period
for complying with any new or revised financial standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
☐
Items
2.02 and 7.01 Results of Operations and Financial Condition; Regulation FD Disclosure.
On
April 21, 2020, we issued the press release annexed to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by this
reference. The information in this Item 2.02 and 7.01, including the information included in the press release, shall not be
deemed to be “filed” for purposes of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the
Exchange Act, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed under the
Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such
filing.
Item
4.02 Non-Reliance on Previously Issued Financial Statements or a Related Audit Report or Completed interim Review.
(a)
On March 12, 2020, we announced that we were evaluating whether certain revisions with respect to the presentation of our
consolidated financial statements are required relating to whether joint ventures that have historically been presented on a
consolidated basis should instead be presented on an unconsolidated basis. On April 20, 2020, our audit committee concluded
that with respect to entities that own three properties ( i.e., The Avenues Apartments - Ocoee, Florida, Parc@980 -
Lawrenceville, Georgia and Vive at Kellswater - Kannapolis, North Carolina (collectively, the “Three
Properties”)), our previously issued (i) unaudited consolidated financial statements contained in our Quarterly Reports
on Form 10-Q (“10-Qs”) and (ii) audited financial statements (and any related audit reports of our independent
registered public accounting firm, BDO USA, LLP(“BDO”)), contained in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K
(“10-Ks”), in each case filed on or after March 31, 2018 through November 7, 2019 (the “Relevant
Period”), should no longer be relied upon for the reasons described below. Therefore, all earnings press releases and
similar prior communications issued by us as well as other prior statements made by or on our behalf relating to the Relevant
Period (the foregoing, together with the 10-Ks and 10-Qs, referred to collectively to as the “Previously Reported
Information”), should not be relied upon.
During
the Relevant Period, our consolidated financial statements included, on a consolidated basis, the accounts and operations of the
Three Properties because we believed that they either qualified as variable interest entities (“VIEs”) or otherwise
met the requirements of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 810 (the “Consolidation Standard”)
regarding consolidation.
On
April 20, 2020, our audit committee determined that the consolidation of the accounts and operations of the Three Properties
is inconsistent with the Consolidation Standard and that the information with respect to Three Properties should instead be
presented under the equity method of accounting. Accordingly, we (i) have restated our unaudited consolidated balance sheets
as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 and our unaudited consolidated statement of operations for the nine months
ended September 30, 2019 and the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, which are filed herewith as exhibit 99.2 (the
“Restated Financial Statements”), to de-consolidate the financial position and results of operations of the Three
Properties in our consolidated financial statements and report our investment in the Three Properties under the equity method
of accounting; and (ii) will file such further restatements, if any, with respect to the Three Properties as may be
appropriate after consultation with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
The
de-consolidation of these Three Properties and their presentation under the equity method of accounting will result in a reduction
in our revenues, operating expenses, assets and liabilities as presented in our historical consolidated financial statements during
the Relevant Period. However, the de-consolidation to reflect the Three Properties under the equity accounting method will not
have any impact on our previously reported net income attributable to common stockholders, funds from operations, adjusted funds
from operations, or our cash flows, capital resources, liquidity, ability to pay dividends or multi-family operations.
1
We
and BDO have requested guidance from the Office of the Chief Accountant (“OCA”) of the SEC with respect to
whether our other 24 properties that historically have been consolidated should continue to be consolidated. Once we receive
such guidance, we will file our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 (the “2019 Annual Report”), and
restated financial statements for the Relevant Periods and other applicable periods, if any, as soon as practicable,
conforming to the guidance we receive from the OCA.
We have concluded that the control
deficiency that resulted in our consolidating the accounts and operations of the Three Properties constituted a material
weakness in internal control over financial reporting as of March 31, 2018. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a
combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a
material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a
timely basis. The existence of one or more material weaknesses precludes a conclusion by management that a company’s
disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting are effective. We intend to report the
material weakness in our 2019 Annual Report and intend to create a plan of remediation to address such weakness.
Our
audit committee has discussed the matters disclosed in this Item 4.02(a) with management and BDO.
Caution
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This
report, including the exhibit hereto, may include information that constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. We intend such forward looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward looking
statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and include this statement for purposes of
complying with these safe harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and
describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use of the words “may,”
“will,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,”
“estimate,” “project,” or similar expressions or variations thereof. Forward looking
statements, including statements with respect to our multi-family property acquisition, development and ownership activities,
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which, in some cases, are beyond our control and could
materially affect actual results, performance or achievements. Other factors that could cause our actual results,
performance or achievements to differ materially from our expectations include: the ongoing review of our financial
statements, accounting, accounting policies and internal control over financial reporting; the preparation of, and the audit
or review, as applicable, of restated filings; and the subsequent discovery of additional adjustments to our previously
issued financial statements. In addition, our financial results and stock price may suffer as a result of the guidance sought
from the OCA described above and any subsequent determinations from this process or any actions taken by governmental or
other regulatory bodies in connection with or as a result of this process. Investors are cautioned not to place undue
reliance on any forward-looking statements and to carefully review the disclosures in this report and the sections entitled
“Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations” in BRT’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2018 and in the Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed thereafter. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking
statements, except as required by applicable law.
Item
8.01 Other Information
Risk
Factor Update
We
are also filing this Current Report on Form 8-K to supplement the risk factors described in (i) Part 1, Item 1A of our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 (the “2018 Annual Report”), (ii) the
Registration Statement on Form S-3 declared effective on November 26, 2019 (the “S-3”) and (iii) the prospectus
supplement dated November 26, 2019 (the Supplement”) with the following additional risk factors, which should be read
in conjunction with the risk factors described in the 2018 Annual Report, the S-3 and the Supplement.
We
face risks related to an epidemic, pandemic or other health crisis, such as the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19),
which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects.
We
face risks related to epidemics, pandemics or other health crisis, including the risks presented by the recent outbreak of
the novel coronavirus or COVID-19, which has spread and may continue to spread, to markets in which we operate. Our rental
revenue and operating results depend significantly on the occupancy levels at our properties and the ability of our
workforce residents to pay rent. If our residents are laid off due to disruptions in the economy or if we reduce or defer the
rent payable by our tenants, our rental revenue will be reduced without a corresponding decrease in the expenses we incur in maintaining
our properties. Additionally, we typically conduct leasing activity at our properties and the reductions in the ability and
willingness of prospective residents to visit our properties due to the COVID-19 outbreak could reduce rental revenue and ancillary
operating revenue produced by our properties. Concerns relating to such an outbreak could also cause on-site personnel not to
report for work at our properties, which could adversely affect the management of our properties. Further, in response to the
outbreak, Federal, state and local legislation has recently been enacted that limits our ability to exercise various remedies
with respect to tenants that do not pay rent. The ultimate extent of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our business, financial
condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot
be predicted with confidence, including the duration of the outbreak, the short-term and long-term economic impact of the outbreak
(including the effect on employment levels in the markets in which we own and operate properties), on the severity of the virus
and the actions taken to contain the virus or treat its impact, among others.
2
We identified a material weakness in our internal control
over financial reporting and we may identify additional material weaknesses in internal controls in in the future.
We are required by law to engage in an ongoing
review of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Our review resulted in our identifying
a material weakness in as described under Item 4.02 of this report. While we plan to take remedial action to address this material
weakness, we cannot provide any assurance that such remedial measures, or any other remedial measures we take, will be effective.
If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial
results, detect or prevent fraud, or file our periodic reports in a timely manner, which may, among other adverse consequences,
cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and lead to a decline in our stock price.
Items
9.01 Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit No.
Description of Exhibit
99.1
Press Release dated April 21, 2020
99.2
The Restated Financial Statements
3
SIGNATURE
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
BRT APARTMENTS CORP.
Date: April 21, 2020
By:
/s/ George Zweier
George Zweier,
Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
4
Filing details
- Company
- BRT Apartments Corp.
- Ticker
- BRT
- CIK
- 14846
- Form type
- 8-K
- Filing date
- Apr 21, 2020
- Report date
- Apr 20, 2020
- Document
- ea120877-8k_brtapartm.htm
- Size
- 355 KB