Global private equity real estate firm Taurus Investment Holdings has acquired a 19-property portfolio in Arizona and Texas, bolstering its holdings in three prominent industrial hubs in the southwest United States.
The Boston-based company recently purchased the shallow-bay industrial portfolio totaling nearly 1.3 million square feet from an undisclosed seller for an undisclosed sum in an off-market deal. This portfolio was spun out from a recently closed billion-plus-dollar acquisition, said Bill Garey, director of acquisitions for Taurus Investment Holdings.
The addresses in the acquired portfolio spanning the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and greater Phoenix regions were acquired in July by Brookfield Asset Management as part of a portfolio totaling nearly 15 million square feet in 20 high-growth U.S. markets. Media reports pegged the value of the deal at $1.3 billion.
Garey said when the opportunity arose to spin out certain assets in markets where Taurus already has a presence and expertise, the firm quickly stepped up to compete — and win — the portfolio. At the close of the acquisition, the Class B portfolio was occupied by 81 tenants and more than 95% leased.
This was a "bread and butter" deal for Taurus, which has been seeking out portfolio deals of this size in U.S. markets with in-migration and population growth, Garey told CoStar News.
"This is a good size portfolio for us," he added. "We usually buy between 3 million square feet to 4 million square feet a year — so 1.3 million square feet is a big chunk of what we'll be doing this year."
Taurus has also sold roughly 5 million square feet of industrial space this year as hold periods expire on properties in Atlanta, Chicago and Memphis, Tennessee. The firm now no longer holds property in Memphis, although Atlanta and Chicago remain core markets for future acquisitions, Garey said.
The firm's acquisition pipeline this year has been among its biggest in recent years with less of a delta between the buyer's bid and seller's ask prices, he said. Debt liquidity has also come back to the market, he added, with Taurus receiving over 10 bids from a range of lenders, including life insurance companies and banks.
The recent half-percentage-point rate cut from the Federal Reserve helps, Garey said, but real estate values are also settling into place, and there seems to be more certainty in the market.
"Industrial has continued to do well, and it seems there's a new wave of confidence beginning," he added.
Here's a look at the 19 properties included in the firm's recent acquisition:
- Dallas-Fort Worth region: 901-947 Avenue North in Grand Prairie
- Greater Houston region: 17401 Village Green in Houston; 17497 Village Green in Houston; 5700-5710 Savoy Lane in Houston; 12300 Dairy Ashford in Sugar Land; 12320 Cardinal Meadow in Sugar Land; 4230-4246 Bluebonnet in Stafford; 4248-4264 Bluebonnet in Stafford; 4007 Greenbriar in Stafford; 4111 Greenbriar in Stafford; 4115 Greenbriar in Stafford; 300 S. Sheldon Road in Channelview; 9402-9408 N. Loop E in Houston.
- Greater Phoenix, Arizona, region: 8960 W. Larkspur in Peoria; 9040 W. Larkspur in Peoria; 8957 W. Windsor in Peoria; 1555 W. 10th Place in Tempe; 3401 W. Papago in Phoenix; 3401 W. Papago in Phoenix.
Taurus Investment Holdings is preparing to buy even more properties next year as "values are settling into place" and "rates have more certainty around them," bringing debt financing to the market, Garey said. Industrial real estate remains one of the top-favored real estate types for lenders, he added.