Company Description
Douglas Emmett, Inc. (NYSE: DEI) is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). According to its public disclosures and investor communications, the company is one of the largest owners and operators of high-quality office and multifamily properties located in the premier coastal submarkets of Los Angeles, California and Honolulu, Hawaii. Its common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DEI.
Douglas Emmett focuses on owning and acquiring a substantial share of top-tier office properties and premier multifamily communities in neighborhoods that it describes as having significant supply constraints, high-end executive housing and key lifestyle amenities. This focus on specific coastal submarkets and on office and multifamily assets defines the core of its real estate strategy.
Business model and property focus
As a REIT, Douglas Emmett centers its activities on owning, acquiring, developing and managing office and multifamily properties. The company describes itself as an owner and operator of these properties, with an emphasis on high-quality assets in targeted coastal submarkets. Its strategy highlights a concentration in areas characterized by limited new supply and established executive housing and lifestyle infrastructure.
Douglas Emmett reports that its properties are located in coastal submarkets in Los Angeles and Honolulu. Based on prior descriptions, its Los Angeles County presence includes submarkets such as Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Burbank, Century City, the Olympic Corridor, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks/Encino, Warner Center/Woodland Hills and Westwood, along with properties in Honolulu, Hawaii. Within these markets, the company focuses on what it characterizes as top-tier office properties and premier multifamily communities.
Operating segments
Douglas Emmett organizes its operations into two primary business segments:
- Office segment – This segment relates to the ownership and operation of office properties in the company’s targeted coastal submarkets.
- Multifamily segment – This segment relates to the ownership and operation of multifamily residential communities in those same coastal markets.
This two-segment structure reflects the company’s stated focus on both commercial office space and residential multifamily communities within a defined geographic footprint.
Geographic footprint and submarket strategy
Douglas Emmett’s disclosures emphasize a geographic concentration in Los Angeles County, California and Honolulu, Hawaii. Within Los Angeles County, the company references submarkets including Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Burbank, Century City, the Olympic Corridor, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks/Encino, Warner Center/Woodland Hills and Westwood. In Honolulu, it focuses on coastal submarkets.
The company highlights neighborhoods that feature significant supply constraints, high-end executive housing and key lifestyle amenities. This indicates a deliberate focus on established, higher-end coastal neighborhoods rather than a broad, nationwide footprint.
Corporate structure and regulatory status
Douglas Emmett, Inc. is incorporated in Maryland, as reflected in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company files reports under Commission file number 001-33106 and lists a principal office location in Santa Monica, California (without limiting its operations to that city alone). As a publicly traded REIT, it makes regular SEC filings, including current reports on Form 8-K related to earnings releases and corporate governance matters.
In its SEC filings, Douglas Emmett describes itself as a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed REIT. This language indicates that the company internally manages its real estate operations rather than outsourcing those functions to an external manager.
Capital markets activity and financing
Douglas Emmett periodically announces financing transactions related to its properties. For example, the company has disclosed obtaining new secured, non-recourse, interest-only loans covering multiple residential properties, with proceeds used to refinance existing loans and adjust its debt maturity profile. In one such transaction, the company reported that the debt encumbering The Landmark Residences (formerly Barrington Plaza) was repaid and that the property was added to its pool of unencumbered assets.
These types of transactions illustrate how Douglas Emmett manages its property-level financing and loan maturities over time, while maintaining a portfolio of encumbered and unencumbered assets within its office and multifamily segments.
Dividends and REIT characteristics
As a REIT, Douglas Emmett regularly announces quarterly cash dividends on its common stock. The company’s press releases describe Board of Directors’ decisions to declare dividends payable on specific future dates to shareholders of record as of specified record dates. While the exact dividend amounts and payment dates may change over time, these recurring announcements underscore the company’s use of dividends as a means of returning cash to shareholders, consistent with typical REIT structures.
Earnings communication and investor relations
Douglas Emmett frequently communicates its financial and operating results through earnings results and operating information packages, which it posts to its investor relations website. The company also hosts live conference calls to discuss quarterly results, with participation from senior executives. These calls are typically accessible via telephone and webcast, with replays made available for a defined period.
In addition, Douglas Emmett participates in real estate and property-focused investor conferences, where its leadership may join roundtable discussions or presentations. These activities provide investors and analysts with additional context on the company’s office and multifamily portfolio and its approach to coastal submarkets in Los Angeles and Honolulu.
Corporate governance disclosures
Through its SEC filings, Douglas Emmett discloses changes in key executive roles and other governance matters. For example, the company has reported the appointment of its Chief Operating Officer to the additional position of President, along with related details about compensation arrangements and the continuing roles of other senior executives. These disclosures reflect the company’s obligations as a public REIT to report material changes in leadership and governance.
Summary
In summary, Douglas Emmett, Inc. is a publicly traded Maryland corporation operating as a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed REIT. It is one of the largest owners and operators of high-quality office and multifamily properties in the premier coastal submarkets of Los Angeles and Honolulu. The company focuses on owning and acquiring a substantial share of top-tier office properties and premier multifamily communities in neighborhoods characterized by supply constraints, high-end executive housing and key lifestyle amenities, and it organizes its activities into office and multifamily segments.