REAL ESTATE SOLD AND HELD FOR SALE DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

Real Estate Sold and Held For Sale and Discontinued Operations

REAL ESTATE SOLD AND HELD FOR SALE/DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

The Company considers a real estate property to be held for sale when it meets the criteria established under ASC 360, Property, Plant and Equipment, including when it is probable that the property will be sold within a year.  Real estate properties held for sale are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less estimated costs to sell and are not depreciated while they are held for sale.  

In accordance with FASB ASU 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360), Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, the Company would report a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity in discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results when the component or group of components meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale or when the component or group of components is disposed of by sale or other than by sale. In addition, the Company would provide additional disclosures about both discontinued operations and the disposal of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations presentation in the financial statements. EastGroup performs an analysis of properties sold to determine whether the sales qualify for discontinued operations presentation.

The Company did not classify any properties as held for sale as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

The Company does not consider its sales in 2016 and the first three months of 2017 to be disposals of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity representing a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on the entity's operations and financial results.

The Company did not sell any operating properties during the first three months of 2017. During the first quarter of 2017, the Company sold 5 acres of land in Dallas for $850,000 and recognized a loss of $40,000.

During 2016, EastGroup sold the following operating properties: Northwest Point Distribution and Service Centers, North Stemmons II and III, America Plaza, Lockwood Distribution Center, West Loop Distribution Center 1 & 2, two of its four Interstate Commons Distribution Center buildings, Castilian Research Center and Memphis I. The properties, which contain 1,256,000 square feet and are located in Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Santa Barbara and Memphis, were sold for $75.7 million and the Company recognized net gains on the sales of $42.2 million. The Company also sold 25 acres of land in Houston, Dallas and Orlando for $5.4 million and recognized gains on sales of $733,000.

The results of operations and gains and losses on sales for the properties sold during the periods presented are reported in continuing operations on the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. The gains and losses on the sales of land are included in Other, and the gains on the sales of operating properties are included in Gain on sales of real estate investments.