


The Ensign Group Strikes Again
Ensign the Energizer Bunny, our pet name for several years now for one of two publicly traded companies that continue to make a GAAP profit, quarter after quarter, did it again. And they did it during what could have been a disruptive third quarter when they spun out their senior living operations and home health and hospice business into The Pennant Group. Obviously, it was not disruptive. To sum up some of the key numbers, there was a 33% year-over-year quarterly increase in income from operations, plus a 36% increase in net income to $27.8 million. This is after rent, depreciation and interest, or in other words, the real thing. And, net income per share increased by 25% year over year.... Read More »
Sabra Health Care REIT Strengthens
Sabra Health Care REIT continues to defy the naysayers, posting a decent third quarter overall, with its skilled nursing portfolio holding the line and its seniors housing portfolio growing revenues, cash net operating income and cash operating margin. Investors sent the shares to a new 52-week high, 56% above its 52-week low, and the forward yield of 7.3% is the lowest it has been in a while. Sabra’s skilled nursing triple-net leased occupancy remained stable at 82.4%, and the EBITDAR coverage remained at 1.24x from the second quarter to the third. While we like to see at least a 1.4x lease coverage, if not higher, the coverage appears to have bottomed out. The seniors housing leased... Read More »
Of Ventas, Welltower and NIC
I know as one gets older, confusion can become more common. And today, I am a little confused about the state of the senior living industry. -Sponsored by The Senior Care Acquisition Reports NIC MAP has reported that maybe we have hit bottom in the third quarter, and that new construction starts are starting to decline, even though new openings remain high. Assisted living occupancy, while posting a small sequential increase, still remains far too low to get excited, but bottoming out would be welcome news. Then, Ventas reported its third quarter earnings, painting a not-so-pretty picture. Their RIDEA operating portfolio has not been performing well, posting a 5.0% decline in... Read More »
Ventas Reports Third Quarter Results
Ventas’ third quarter results are in and were less than optimal for its seniors housing operating portfolio (SHOP). Comparing the third quarter of 2019 with the same quarter in 2018, same-store cash NOI for its SHOP fell by 5.0%. Occupancy figures were not pretty either, with the quarter ending approximately 115 basis points lower than the end of the third quarter of 2018. The average third quarter occupancy compared with the average of Q3:18 was a less drastic 70-basis point drop. The company acknowledged that overbuilding in some markets led to price competition and pressure on revenues (a refreshingly honest admission when compared with other public companies), which contributed to the... Read More »