Capital and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

(a) 5.850% Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock

On March 13, 2019 and March 15, 2019, the Operating Partnership issued in the aggregate a total of 8,400,000 shares of its 5.850% series K cumulative redeemable preferred units, or the series K preferred units, to Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (the General Partner) in conjunction with the General Partner’s issuance of an equivalent number of shares of its 5.850% series K cumulative redeemable preferred stock, or the series K preferred stock. Distributions are cumulative on the series K preferred units from the date of original issuance in the amount of $1.46250 per unit each year, which is equivalent to 5.850% of the $25.00 liquidation preference per unit. Distributions on the series K preferred units are payable quarterly in arrears. The first distribution payable on the series K preferred units on June 28, 2019 will be a pro rata dividend from and including the original issue date to and including June 30, 2019 in the amount of $0.43875 per unit. The series K preferred units do not have a stated maturity date and are not subject to any sinking fund or mandatory redemption provisions. The Operating Partnership is required to redeem the series K preferred units in the event that the General Partner redeems the series K preferred stock. The General Partner is not allowed to redeem the series K preferred stock prior to March 13, 2024 except in limited circumstances to preserve the General Partner’s status as a REIT. On or after March 13, 2024, the General Partner may, at its option, redeem the series K preferred stock, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time, for cash at a redemption price of $25.00 per share, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends on such series K preferred stock up to but excluding the redemption date. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the series K preferred units will rank senior to the Operating Partnership’s common units with respect to the payment of distributions and other amounts and rank on parity with the Operating Partnership’s series C cumulative redeemable perpetual preferred units, series G cumulative redeemable preferred units, series H cumulative redeemable preferred units, series I cumulative redeemable preferred units and series J cumulative redeemable preferred units. Except in connection with specified change of control transactions of the General Partner, the series K preferred units are not convertible into or exchangeable for any other property or securities of the Operating Partnership.

(b) Allocations of Net Income and Net Losses to Partners

Except for special allocations to holders of profits interest units described below in Note 14(a) under the heading “Incentive Plan—Long-Term Incentive Units,” the Operating Partnership’s net income will generally be allocated to Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (the General Partner) to the extent of the accrued preferred return on its preferred units, and then to the General Partner and the Operating Partnership’s limited partners in accordance with the respective percentage interests in the common units issued by the Operating Partnership. Net loss will generally be allocated to the General Partner and the Operating Partnership’s limited partners in accordance with the respective common percentage interests in the Operating Partnership until the limited partner’s capital is reduced to zero and any remaining net loss would be allocated to the General Partner. However, in some cases, losses may be disproportionately allocated to partners who have guaranteed our debt. The allocations described above are subject to special allocations relating to depreciation deductions and to compliance with the provisions of Sections 704(b) and 704(c) of the Code, and the associated Treasury Regulations.

On September 27, 2018, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. completed an underwritten public offering of 9,775,000 shares of its common stock (including 1,275,000 shares from the exercise in full of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares), all of which were offered in connection with forward sale agreements it entered into with certain financial institutions acting as forward purchasers. The forward purchasers borrowed and sold an aggregate of 9,775,000 shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s common stock in the public offering. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. did not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the forward purchasers in the public offering. The Company expects to receive net proceeds of approximately $1.1 billion (net of fees and estimated expenses) upon full physical settlement of the forward sale agreements, which is anticipated to be no later than September 27, 2019. Upon physical settlement of the forward sale agreements, the Operating Partnership is expected to issue partnership units to Digital Realty Trust, Inc. in exchange for contribution of the net proceeds.

(d) Partnership Units

Limited partners have the right to require the Operating Partnership to redeem part or all of their common units for cash based on the fair market value of an equivalent number of shares of the General Partner’s common stock at the time of redemption. Alternatively, the General Partner may elect to acquire those common units in exchange for shares of the General Partner’s common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, stock dividends, issuance of stock rights, specified extraordinary distributions and similar events. Pursuant to authoritative accounting guidance, Digital Realty Trust, Inc. evaluated whether it controls the actions or events necessary to issue the maximum number of shares that could be required to be delivered under the share settlement of the noncontrolling Operating Partnership common and incentive units. Based on the results of this analysis, we concluded that the common units and incentive units of the Operating Partnership met the criteria to be classified within capital, except for certain common units issued to certain former DFT Operating Partnership unitholders in the DFT Merger, which are subject to certain restrictions and, accordingly, are not presented as permanent capital in the condensed consolidated balance sheet.

In connection with the initial public offering of DFT in 2007, DFT, the DFT Operating Partnership and certain DFT Operating Partnership unitholders entered into a tax protection agreement to assist such unitholders in deferring certain U.S. federal income tax liabilities that may have otherwise resulted from the contribution transactions undertaken in connection with the initial public offering and the ownership of interests in the DFT Operating Partnership and to set forth certain agreements with respect to other tax matters. In connection with the DFT Merger, certain DFT Operating Partnership unitholders entered into a new tax protection agreement with Digital Realty Trust, Inc. and the Operating Partnership that replaced and superseded the DFT tax protection agreement, effective as of the closing of the DFT Merger. Pursuant to the new tax protection agreement, such DFT Operating Partnership unitholders entered into a guarantee of certain debt of a subsidiary of the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership must offer such DFT Operating Partnership unitholders a new guarantee opportunity in the event any guaranteed debt is repaid prior to March 1, 2023. If the Operating Partnership fails to offer the guarantee opportunity or to allocate guaranteed debt to any such DFT Operating Partnership unitholder as required under the new tax protection agreement, the Operating Partnership generally would be required to indemnify each such DFT Operating Partnership unitholder for the tax liability resulting from such failure, as determined under the new tax protection agreement.

The redemption value of the limited partners’ common units and the vested incentive units was approximately $1,070.7 million and $1,076.9 million based on the closing market price of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s common stock on March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.

(e) Distributions

All distributions on the Operating Partnership’s units are at the discretion of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.’s board of directors. The Operating Partnership has declared and paid the following distributions on its common and preferred units for the three months ended March 31, 2019 (in thousands, except for per unit data):



Date distribution declared	Distribution payment date	Series C Preferred Units		Series G Preferred Units		Series H Preferred Units		Series I Preferred Units		Series J Preferred Units		Common Units
February 21, 2019	March 29, 2019	$	3,333	$	3,672	$	6,730	$	3,969	$	2,625	$	235,256

Annual rate of distribution per unit		$	1.65625	$	1.46875	$	1.84375	$	1.58750	$	1.31250	$	4.32000

(f) Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

The accumulated balances for each item within other comprehensive income are as follows (in thousands):



	Foreign currency translation adjustments			Cash flow hedge adjustments			Foreign currency net investment hedge adjustments		Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Balance as of December 31, 2018	$	(163,531	)	$	16,986		$	26,152	$	(120,393	)
Net current period change	9,193			(3,775		)	—		5,418
Reclassification of foreign currency translation adjustment due to deconsolidation of Ascenty	21,687			—			—		21,687
Reclassification to interest expense from interest rate swaps	—			(2,094		)	—		(2,094		)
Balance as of March 31, 2019	$	(132,651	)	$	11,117		$	26,152	$	(95,382	)