Malibu REIT Files for Offering of $1.2 Billion

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American Homes 4 Rent, a Malibu real estate investment firm with a portfolio of more than 14,000 single-family homes in 20 states, plans to go public in a $1.2 billion offering.

The date and number of shares offered by the company, founded by Public Storage Inc. Chairman B. Wayne Hughes Sr., were not specified in its regulatory filing last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If it reaches its target, however, it would far eclipse the amounts raised by other real estate investment trusts that have come to market in recent months.

A frothy residential real estate market has led to renewed interest by real estate companies in the public markets. Silver Bay Realty Trust Corp. of Minnetonka, Minn., raised $245 million in an IPO in December and American Residential Properties Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz., raised $288 million in early May.

Another residential real estate company, Colony American Homes Inc., run by L.A. billionaire Thomas Barrack Jr.’s Colony Capital, planned to price its offering last week as well, but postponed, citing market volatility.

After the offering, American Home, which buys, renovates and then leases single-family homes, will move most of its staff to a 43,000-square-foot space in Agoura Hills as part of the expansion of operations to be funded by the offering.

American Homes plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AMH. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are managing the offering.

The company, which had $1.7 billion in assets as of March 31, posted a loss of $10.2 million in 2012.