SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
Filed by the Registrant x Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ¨
Check the appropriate box:
¨ | Preliminary Proxy Statement | |
¨ | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) | |
¨ | Definitive Proxy Statement | |
x | Definitive Additional Materials | |
¨ | Soliciting Material Under Rule 14a-12 |
LMP REAL ESTATE INCOME FUND INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
x | No fee required. | |||
¨ | Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and 0-11. | |||
(1) | Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
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(2) | Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
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(3) | Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
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(4) | Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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(5) | Total fee paid:
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¨ | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials: | |||
¨ | Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. | |||
(1) | Amount Previously Paid:
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(2) | Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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(3) | Filing Party:
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(4) | Date Filed:
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INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
LMP Real Estate Income Fund Inc. (RIT)
May 6, 2015
ISS Presentation |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
2
Executive Summary
RIT has delivered on its investment objectives with exceptionally strong investment
performance and attractive income to shareholders
RITs discount is in-line with its Lipper peers as well as equity
closed-end funds more broadly
The Board is highly experienced and overwhelmingly comprised of independent
directors (89%)
The Board continues to be focused on delivering results to investors and will
consider any option that is in the long- term
best
interests
of
all
shareholders
Bulldogs actions are not aligned with the long-term interests of all
shareholders |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
3
RIT has delivered strong investment performance
RIT
has
outperformed
its
Lipper
real
estate
peers
1
for
the
1-,
3-,
5-
and
10-year
periods
based
on
NAV
and
market
price
Since
the
Board
changed
RITs
sub-advisor
in
August
15,
2011,
RIT
has
outperformed
its
Lipper
real
estate
peers
as well as the MSCI U.S. REIT Index
1
Lipper real estate peers excludes non-exchange traded closed-end funds and
Storage Group Inc., a fund in the process of converting into a REIT. Source:
Lipper. Data as of 4/30/15 19.10
12.54
12.92
7.57
15.84
13.97
12.10
13.12
5.96
14.58
13.11
11.11
12.67
6.41
13.32
12.41
11.94
12.36
5.69
13.62
13.08
10.82
12.93
8.36
13.79
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
18.00
20.00
1 Year
3 Year
5 Year
10 Year
Current Sub-advisor
8/15/11 -
4/30/15
Average Annualized Total Returns
(for periods ended April 30, 2015)
RIT Market Price
RIT NAV
Lipper Peers --
Market Price
Lipper Peers -
NAV
MSCI U.S. REIT Index |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
4
RIT has delivered attractive monthly distributions since inception
Since
inception,
RIT
has
paid
$16.71
per
share
in
total
distributions
1
to
investors.
This
equates
to
an
annualized
rate of 8.85% based on the IPO price of $15.00
RIT has paid a monthly distribution of $0.06 per share since December 2008.
The monthly distribution equates to an annualized rate based on market price
of 5.70% and a rate on NAV of 5.12%. This compares to 2.07% on
the
10-year
Treasury,
3.85%
for
the
MSCI
REIT
Index
2
,
and
1.98%
for
the
S&P
500
Index
2
RIT has had a managed distribution policy in place since 2004 that allows payment
of long-term capital gains throughout the year
Source: Bloomberg, Legg Mason. Data as of 4/30/15.
1
Total distributions includes all regular and special distributions paid since
inception July 31, 2002 through April 30, 2015 2
Rate based on trailing twelve month data |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
5
The
Feds
change
in
monetary
policy
and
the
ensuing
taper
tantrum
in
May
2013
drove
discounts
wider
for
the
broader
closed-end fund market. Current discount levels are not unique to RIT:
88% of all CEFs trade at discounts: median -8.24%, average -6.60%
92% of all equity CEFs trade at discounts: median -9.84%, average
-8.28%
100%
of
Lipper
real
estate
peers
1
trade
at
discounts:
median
-12.43%,
average
-10.97%
70%
of
Lipper
real
estate
peers
1
have
discounts
greater
than
-10%
RITs current discount of -10.10% is consistent with its Lipper
peers RITs discount is in-line with the market and its peers
Source: Bloomberg, Lipper. Data as of 4/30/15
1
Lipper real estate peers excludes non-exchange traded closed-end funds and
Storage Group Inc., a fund in the process of converting into a REIT.
4/30/15
-45.0
-35.0
-25.0
-15.0
-5.0
5.0
15.0
5/6/2005
5/6/2006
5/6/2007
5/6/2008
5/6/2009
5/6/2010
5/6/2011
5/6/2012
5/6/2013
5/6/2014
RITs premium / discount level has fluctuated with its peers
and reflects market events
Premium / Discount of RIT vs. Lipper peers
1
(May 6, 2005
April 30, 2015)
RIT
Peer Group Average
Peer Group Median |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
6
The Board is comprised of nine individuals who have substantial professional
accomplishments and experience
Eight of the nine directors (89%), including the Funds 2015 nominees William
R. Hutchinson, Eileen A. Kamerick and Robert D. Agdern, are independent
under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and NYSE rules.
The Boards actions demonstrate its commitment to all investors and have
benefited all shareholders:
The current Board and its 2015 nominees are highly experienced, independent and
focused on the interests of all shareholders with a proven track record of
performance
RITs Board is highly experienced and independent
The Board reviews and discusses performance and premiums/discounts when they
meet. The Board believes that in the current market environment a
tender offer will not benefit shareholders in the long term
Bulldog proposed its own slate of directors, but does not articulate how they will
aid ALL shareholders
In August 2011, replaced the sub-advisor
In August 2011, negotiated a fee waiver of 5 bps
In August 2008, redeemed all $95 million ARPS at liquidation value
In 2004, adopted a managed distribution policy
The Bulldog nominees have a history and relationship with Bulldog and Philip
Goldstein and will pursue actions that benefit Bulldog investors, not all
RIT shareholders |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
Bulldogs actions are self serving and may hurt long-term investors
7
The vast majority of RIT shareholders are long-term investors who initially
invested in RIT because of performance and monthly distributions. It
is obvious that our shareholders are not short-term players
Bulldog has a short-term investment agenda to benefit its own investors
In September 2014, Bulldog reported ownership in RIT of 5.54%, but only eight days
later reduced its position to 4.77%. Bulldog sold shares for a quick
gain
Bulldog
submitted
a
letter
to
RIT
on
February
24,
2015,
informing
senior
management
that
it
would
be
presenting
a proposal to shareholders at the annual meeting to seek a tender offer.
Bulldog was purchasing shares before it sent
the
letter
and
continued
to
accumulate
shares
after
sending
the
letter
From January 15, 2015 to April 6, 2015, (less than 4 months), Bulldog purchased
over 50% of its current holdings
A tender offer in the current market environment is not in the best interests of
all shareholders, as it would:
Force the sale of securities at inopportune times and could result in a taxable
event for remaining shareholders
Increase RITs expense ratio and potentially reduce future earnings and
distributions to shareholders
Reduce market trading liquidity as fewer shares would be outstanding
Given current market conditions, the discount levels of the broader closed-end
fund space and RITs Lipper peers, and as independent research has
shown, a tender offer cannot reasonably be expected to have a lasting impact on RITs
discount |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
Bulldogs claims are misguided
8
Bulldog claims the Board concedes that the persistent discount is a
problem
At each meeting the Board reviews and discusses RITs performance and
premium/discounts with portfolio managers
The Board is committed to delivering results to all investors and believes that any
action that can narrow the discount over the longer-term would benefit
all investors and should be explored
Tender
offers
are
not
new;
the
Board
has
evaluated
them
in
the
past.
Historical
analysis
shows
that
tender
offers do not have a lasting effect on discounts and can negatively impact
long-term investors who do not tender shares
Bulldog says the Board refused to include its proposal on the Funds proxy
card
Bulldog
missed
the
shareholder
proposal
submission
deadline
of
November
26
th
by
three
months
and
never
submitted or requested its proposal appear in the Funds proxy until after
mailing its own proxy to investors
The Board believes proxy rules are in place for a reason -
to protect retail investors and the integrity of the
process -
and should be followed
Bulldog questions board independence based on the number of funds they serve and
overall compensation
RITs board oversees multiple funds in the Legg Mason family of funds in
conformity with best practices in the industry. See for example: The
Independent Directors Council Task Force Report (May 2005)
Eight of nine current directors are independent under the 1940 Act and NYSE
rules
Each director received approximately $3,000 last year for their service to
RIT |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
Bulldogs claims are misguided (continued)
9
Bulldog appears to equate following the rules regarding disclosure of sensitive
shareholder information to cheating?
RITs shareholder list contains personal information that mandates taking
precautions under applicable law to protect it
Because RIT is a Maryland corporation doing business in New York, the Fund must
follow both the Maryland General Corporation Law and New York Business
Corporation Law in safeguarding shareholder information
Under Maryland law, shareholders must meet certain requirements in order to inspect
a list of shareholders.
This includes a requirement to have held at least 5% of a funds outstanding
stock for six months or more prior to the request.
Based upon Bulldogs public filings, the Fund determined that Bulldog did not
satisfy the ownership requirements
New York law permits shareholders who are New York residents to access fund
shareholder records, but only after
satisfying
certain
safeguards
designed
to
protect
shareholder
privacy.
These
include
a
requirement
that
the requesting shareholder furnish to the fund an affidavit stating that:
the
shareholder
does
not
desire
to
conduct
such
inspection
for
a
purpose
which
is
in
the
interest
of
a
business or object other than the business of the fund, and
the shareholder has not within five years sold or offered for sale any list of
stockholders of any corporation, or aided or abetted any person in
procuring any such record of stockholders for any such purpose
RIT furnished the shareholder list to Bulldog only after these requirements were
satisfied
Bulldog received the shareholder list on April 13, 2015. This is 47 days in
advance of the May 29, 2015 annual meeting. As of May 5, 2015, Bulldog
has not commenced a calling campaign, nor has Bulldog mailed any subsequent
communications to shareholders |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
10
Conclusion
RIT has delivered on its investment objectives with exceptionally strong investment
performance and attractive income to shareholders
All of
RITs
directors
are
focused
on
increasing
value
for
all
shareholders
over
the
long-term
The Board is focused on the current discount
RITs
discount
is
in-line
with
its
Lipper
real
estate
peers
1
and
reflects
market
events
that
have
impacted
the
broader closed-end fund market
The Board will consider any option that is in the long-term best interests of
all shareholders 1
Lipper real estate peers excludes non-exchange traded closed-end funds and
Storage Group Inc., a fund in the process of converting into a REIT. |
Appendix
11
FOR HOME OFFICE USE ONLY. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE PUBLIC.
|
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
Directors biographies
12
*Nominated
as
a
Class
III
Director
to
serve
until
the
2018
Annual
Meeting
of
Stockholders
ROBERT D. AGDERN*
CAROL L. COLMAN
Investment, Performance & Pricing Committee Chair
Born 1946
Board Member since 2007
President, Colman Consulting.
Ms.
Colman
began
her
career
with
the
United
States
Trust
Company
of
New
York
in
1968.
After
ten
years
in research, she became a portfolio
manager for both domestic and international clients. From 1980 to 1983 she
worked at J.P. Morgan, Madison Fund and William G. Campbell and
Company. For seven years starting in 1983 she was a Managing Director of
Inferential Focus, a research and consulting organization.
Additionally,
she
is
a
member
of
the
Chartered
Financial
Analysts
Association.
Ms. Colman
is
a
member
of
two
not-for-profit
boards,
Audobon,
Florida
and
the
North
Salem
Open
Land
Foundation.
Ms. Colman is a graduate of St. Lawrence University.
Born
1950
Board Member since 2015. Member of the Advisory Committee of the Dispute
Resolution Research Center at the Kellogg Graduate School of Business,
Northwestern University. Mr.
Agdern
held
various
executive
positions
with
Amoco
Corporations
from
1975
through
1998,
including
Exploration
and
Production
Company
General
Counsel
and
Executive
Vice
President
Natural
Gas;
Chemical
Company
General
Counsel;
and
Associate
General
Counsel,
Amoco
Corporation. Mr. Agdern also served as Deputy General Counsel, BP plc,
responsible for Western Hemisphere matters. Mr. Agdern holds a
B.S. in Engineering from the University of Michigan, a J.D., National Law Center, George Washington University and
attended the Parker School of International Law, Columbia University and the
Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
Directors biographies
13
DANIEL CRONIN
Nominating Committee Chair
Born
1946
Board
Member
since
2007
Retired.
Mr. Cronin retired in 2004 from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Inc., ending his
30-year career as Associate General Counsel of the company. During
his tenure with Pfizer he conceived and developed, with New York Universitys Stern School of Business, the
Pfizer Legal Leadership Series to teach business, financial and management
principles to Pfizers attorneys. He supervised major product
liability, intellectual property and commercial litigations, as well as structuring and negotiating business transactions. He
was
the
chief
lawyer
for
all
Pfizer
global
business
units
as
well
as
tax,
treasury
and
licensing
and
development
divisions.
Mr. Cronin holds a B.S. from Fordham College and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.
PAOLO M. CUCCHI
Born
1941
Board
Member
since
2002
Emeritus Professor of French and Italian, Drew University.
Dr.
Cucchi
began
his
career
at
Princeton
University,
first
as
an
instructor
of
French
and
Italian,
from
1967
to
1970,
becoming
an
assistant professor in 1970 and Assistant Dean of the College and Lecturer of
French and Italian in 1975. In 1984 he began his association with Drew
University as Dean of the College and Professor of French and Italian until 1996 when he assumed the
position of Vice
President
and
Dean,
College
of
Liberal
Arts,
Drew
University until 2009. Dr. Cucchi is a member of Phi Beta
Kappa and served on the Council of Deans of Arts and Sciences, Modern Language
Association, American Council of Education,
Association
of
American
Higher
Education,
Association
of
American
Colleges
and
Universities,
and
the
Association
of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey.
Dr. Cucchi holds a B.A. from Fordham University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from
Princeton University. |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
Directors biographies
14
KENNETH D. FULLER
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Born -
1958. Managing Director, Legg Mason & Co., LLC. Chairman, Closed End
Funds; President and CEO of the Legg Mason-Affiliated Funds since 2013.
Prior
to
assuming
his
current
role,
Mr.
Fuller
was
Director
Legg
Mason
Enterprise
Risk
Management
unit,
specializing
in
investment
risk
analysis
since
2009.
Prior
to
joining
the
Firm,
Mr.
Fuller
held
various
positions
at
T.
Rowe
Price
since
1993,
most recently, Vice President of the Equity Division.
Mr.
Fuller
holds
an
MA
and
BA
from
the
State
University
of
New
York
at
Buffalo
and
an
MBA
from
University
of
Chicago
Booth
School of Business.
LESLIE H. GELB
Born
1937
Board
Member
since
2007.
Dr. Gelb is the President Emeritus and Board Senior Fellow of the Council on
Foreign Relations. He has also served as the Foreign
Affairs
columnist,
the
Deputy
Editorial
Page
Editor,
the
Op-Ed
Page
Editor
and
diplomatic
and
national
security
correspondent
at
The
New
York
Times,
earning
a
Pulitzer
Prize
during
this
tenure.
He
also
served
for
two
years
starting
in
1966
as
Executive
Assistant
to
U.S.
Senator
Jacob
Javits,
as
Director
of
Policy
Planning
in
the
Pentagon
from
1967
to
1969,
and
as
Assistant
Secretary
of
State
for
Politico-Military
Affairs
from
1977
to
1979.
Dr.
Gelb
serves
as
a
member
of
numerous
not-for-profit
and commercial boards including Trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace; Trustee Emeritus, Tufts University; Emeritus Board Member, James A.
Baker, III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University; Board Member, The Center for the National
Interest;
Board
Member,
The
India
Fund,
Inc.
and
The
Asia
Tigers
Fund,
Inc.;
and
Board
Member
of
Britannica.com.
Dr. Gelb holds a B.A. from Tufts University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard
University. |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
Directors biographies
15
*Nominated
as
a
Class
III
Director
to
serve
until
the
2018
Annual
Meeting
of
Stockholders
WILLIAM
R.
HUTCHINSON*
Lead
Independent Director
Born
1942
Board
Member
since
2002
President,
W.R.
Hutchinson
&
Associates Inc.
Prior to opening his energy consulting business in 2001, Mr. Hutchinson was
associated with BP Amoco, PLC, from 1968 until his retirement in 2001.
There he held various positions at Amoco and BP Amoco: Treasurer; Vice President and Controller; Vice
President of Mergers, Acquisitions and Negotiations; Vice President of Financial
Operations; and finally as Group Vice President Worldwide Mergers and
Acquisitions. Mr. Hutchinson is a director (Non-Executive Chairman of
the Board (since December 1, 2009)), Associated Banc-Corp (since
1994). Mr. Hutchinson holds a B.A. from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, an
M.Sc. from Cranfield College, Bedford, England and an M.B.A. from Harvard
University. EILEEN
A.
KAMERICK*
Audit
Committee
Chair
Born
1958
Board
Member
since
2013
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, ConnectWise, Inc (software and
services company) (since 2015) and Adjunct Professor, Washington
University in St. Louis and University of Iowa law schools
(since 2014).
Ms. Kamerick was the CFO at Press Ganey, a leading health care informatics company,
serving over 10,000 hospitals in the US from 2012-2014. From May
2010 to October 2012, she served as Managing Director and CFO of Houlihan Lokey, an international
investment bank. She also served as the President of the Houlihan Lokey
Foundation. For two years starting in 2008, she was Senior Vice
President, CFO and Chief Legal Officer of Tecta America Corporation, the largest commercial roofing company in the
country. During her 25 year career as a senior financial and legal expert,
she has served with Heidrick & Struggles; Bcom3; BP Amoco Americas and
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Ms. Kamerick is a director of Associated Banc-Corp (since 2007)
and Westell Technologies, Inc. (since 2003).
Ms. Kamerick graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Boston
College. She received a law degree from the University of Chicago Law
School and holds an MBA from the Graduate School of Business of the University of Chicago. |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
Directors biographies
16
RIORDAN ROETT
Born
1938
Board
Member
since
2007
Professor/Director
Johns
Hopkins
University.
Dr. Roett holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Dr. Roett is the Sarita and Don Johnston Professor of Political Science and Director of Western
Hemisphere Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in
Washington, D.C. Previously, Dr. Roett served as a consultant at Chase Manhattan
Bank where he was Senior Political Analyst in Emerging Markets Division of the banks International Capital Markets Group.
From 1989 to 1997 he served as a Faculty Fellow of the World Economic Forum at the annual meeting in
Davos, Switzerland. Dr. Roett is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The
Bretton Woods Committee and a former national president of the Latin American Studies
Association. In 2000 the President of Brazil named Dr. Roett as Commander of the Order of Rio Branco. The government of
Chile named Dr. Roett to the order of Bernardo OHiggins with the rank of Gran
Oficial in 2009. In 2004, SAIS established the Riordan Roett Chair in Latin American
Studies. |
INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE. SINGULAR FOCUS.
Disclosure
17
On March
27, 2015, the Fund filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and
began mailing to stockholders a notice of annual meeting and a definitive
proxy statement, together with a White Proxy Card that can be used to elect
the Boards three current incumbent nominees. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION,
STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING AND PROXY STATEMENT,
AND ANY
OTHER
RELEVANT
DOCUMENTS
FILED
WITH
THE
SEC
WHEN
THEY
BECOME
AVAILABLE,
BECAUSE
THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND AND THE UPCOMING MAY 29, 2015
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS. Stockholders can obtain additional copies of
the notice of annual meeting and proxy statement and other documents filed
by the Fund with the SEC when they become available, by contacting the Fund,
620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018, or by calling
1-888-777-0102. You may also visit the Funds Web site at www.lmcef.com. Additional copies of the proxy materials will be delivered promptly upon request. Free copies of
these
materials
can
also
be
found
on
the
SECs
Web
site
at
http://www.sec.gov. |