


60 Seconds with Swett: SNFs Get a Boost from CMS
Support for the skilled nursing sector continues to flow from the government, both state and federal, and CMS finalized its FY2026 SNF Prospective Payment System rate increase of 3.2%, based on the final SNF market basket increase of 3.3% plus a 0.6% market basket forecast error adjustment and a negative 0.7% productivity adjustment, amounting to an increase in SNF PPS payments of $1.16 billion compared with FY2025. That is down from the 4.2% increase in reimbursement from the previous fiscal year but up from CMS’s initial proposed increase of 2.8%, announced back in April. And it comes after numerous states have already started to reconcile their Medicaid rates more closely with the... Read More »
60 Seconds with Swett: Welltower Continues To Climb
The Welltower juggernaut just keeps on rolling, as another great earnings report sent shares up by more than 4.7% from their previous close to a new record high of $165.87 as of this filming. Its market cap pushed well beyond $100 billion, solidifying the REIT’s position as our industry’s first $100 billion dollar company. The board of directors may have also surprised a few by declaring a cash dividend for the second quarter of $0.74 per share, or a 10.4% increase from the prior quarter. The REIT is still sitting on approximately $9.5 billion of available liquidity too, including $4.5 billion of available cash and restricted cash plus full capacity under its $5 billion line of credit. So... Read More »
60 Seconds with Steve Monroe: What Do People Really Think?
In our Second Quarter 2025 investment webinar, moderator Ben Swett asked our audience of a few hundred what they thought about several important topics. Overwhelmingly, 82% of the attendees indicated they would rather buy than build in today’s market, which was surprising given two facts. One, the current inventory is aging and showing it, and two, with very little new development, when the new ones do open, they will have a commanding market presence and should be in high demand. On the labor front, 48% of the attendees thought scarcity of labor would be the most pressing issue moving forward, with 24% believing it will be the cost of labor. It was admitted, however, that scarcity will... Read More »
60 Seconds with Steve Monroe: Brookdale Senior Living, What’s Next?
So, the big vote occurred last week, and shareholders of Brookdale Senior Living have spoken. We are sure that the recent increases in occupancy convinced some shareholders to stick with management and its “plan.” But the nominees from activist shareholder Ortelius Advisors were not off-the-wall candidates. It was an excellent group, and despite what Brookdale stated, again and again, they would have provided a new perspective and a lot of expertise. The current and temporary CEO could have learned from several of them, specifically Steven Vick, Steven Insoft and Lori Whitman. Oh well, a lost opportunity for many of the shareholders. Not to mention other members of the management team, the... Read More »