• Sabra’s Q4 Deals Push 2025 New Investments to $450 Million

    Sabra Health Care REIT released its fourth quarter results. On a year-over-year basis, same-store cash NOI increased 12.6% for the fourth quarter of 2025, while the 2025 quarterly year-over-year average increase was 15.0%, inclusive of the stabilized facilities formerly operated by Holiday Retirement.  Its Q4 acquisitions brought the... Read More »
  • CareTrust Closes 2025 with 169 New Property Investments

    CareTrust REIT came out with its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 earnings and is continuing on its growth trajectory. In Q4, the REIT added 19 properties to its portfolio, comprising 14 triple-net leased skilled nursing facilities, two triple-net leased seniors housing communities and three SHOP communities, all totaling $561.5 million in... Read More »
  • Separate Sellers Divest in Florida

    Berkadia announced two seniors housing closings, both involving communities in the Sunshine State. First, Berkadia represented a Maryland-based private equity investment firm in its divestment of a 130-unit independent living, assisted living and memory care community in the Jacksonville, Florida MSA. The asset was built in 2015. Ross Sanders,... Read More »
  • Idaho IL/AL Community Receives HUD Financing

    Berkadia secured $27.5 million in financing for a seniors housing community in Idaho. The asset comprises 191 independent living and assisted living units, and was 97% occupied at the time of closing. Bianca Andujo and Steve Muth closed the financing through HUD’s 232/223(f) program for a first-time Berkadia client based in Tennessee. The loan... Read More »
  • Welltower Releases Strong Results, Again

    Welltower announced its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 results, which reflected a strong year, as anticipated. Investors seemed to agree, with shares rising to an intraday high of 5.9% above the prior close the day following the release, before finishing up 3.5%.  In the fourth quarter, the REIT saw 400 basis points of average occupancy... Read More »
HHS and CMS Appointments

HHS and CMS Appointments

It could be a turbulent year for SNF valuations in 2017. After the election….that one….we thought we might be in for a wild ride with the unpredictable Donald Trump taking over. Healthcare M&A, which had slowed down a bit this year, seemed to be picking up, and interest in our products spiked after the election, which is always a telltale sign. But with yesterday’s announcements of the new heads of HHS and CMS, the ride could get a little wilder. By naming Tom Price to run Health and Human Services, one of the more anti-ObamaCare members of Congress and a physician to boot, you know what is going to happen. And apparently, he has been opposed to the rush to value-based Medicare... Read More »
HHS and CMS Appointments

Cap Rates and Interest Rates

With the recent jump in interest rates, cap rates have no where to go but up. Since the end of September, the 10-year Treasury note has increased by 60 basis points, or 38%, to 2.22% yesterday. More than half of that increase occurred after the results of the presidential election. It seems that Trump’s pro-business reputation is making investors believe that increased infrastructure spending and economic growth will soon be upon us, followed by inflation. It doesn’t usually happen that fast. That said, with the recent jump in rates, it is almost a certainty that the Fed will increase short-term rates within a month. And there is now talk of further rate increases next year. So what does... Read More »

When a Deal Is Not a Sale

Kindred Healthcare (NYSE: KND) and Ventas (NYSE: VTR) have agreed on a plan that allows Kindred to exit the skilled nursing business, or at least mostly. Of the 90 or so SNFs that Kindred still operates, Ventas owns 36 of them and leases them to Kindred. The two companies have agreed that Kindred can purchase the 36 properties for $700 million (current rent is $49 million), or renew the current lease on all unpurchased SNFs through 2015 at the current rent level. If they all get purchased (and then re-sold at different prices) for $700 million, that would come to $160,000 per bed, which strikes us as above market for the Kindred SNFs. Most likely, the price represents a premium that KND... Read More »
Kindred Healthcare Plunges

Kindred Healthcare Plunges

Exiting the SNF business, Kindred’s decision is just part of a national transformation of the sector that started a year ago. And I thought last week was a tough one. When Kindred Healthcare released its third quarter earnings on Monday night, I knew it would open significantly down, but 33% down? The company has decided to exit the skilled nursing sector – sound familiar? This was a bit surprising because even though they had already gone from 300 SNFs to around 92 today, I assumed the remaining facilities were the best ones, and in the markets close to its LTACs, rehab hospitals and home health services. That was the entire theory around being the post-acute provider of choice in... Read More »
Brookdale Senior Living Disappoints Again

Brookdale Senior Living Disappoints Again

Brookdale Senior Living’s stock price plunged 20% on disappointing third quarter news….and forecasts. My, my, my. Brookdale Senior Living just doesn’t seem to be able to get a break. Despite having a 40 basis point increase in same-community occupancy from the second quarter, which beat the market as a whole, problems continue. They are seeing new properties having a big impact on their secondary market properties, they revised downward full year 2016 forecasts, former employees are soliciting staff and customer leads, and Dan Decker has decided to become even more involved, becoming Executive Chairman as opposed to Chairman of the Board. On top of all of this, they are forming... Read More »
Brookdale Senior Living Disappoints Again

Values in the Seniors Housing and Care M&A Market Jump

For the four quarters ended September 30, average prices in the independent living market have increased, as have assisted living prices and skilled nursing prices. The seniors housing and care M&A market has seen less activity this year than in recent years, but that doesn’t mean buyers are not paying up for the assets they want. The best example is in the independent living market, where the average price paid in the four quarters ended September 30 was $234,000 per unit, or 21% higher than in calendar year 2015. The average cap rate remained steady at 7.0%. Assisted living prices have risen as well, jumping a smaller 5% for the past four quarters compared with 2015 to an average... Read More »