ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
There are many significant factors that could materially adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, distributions and stock price. The following are risks we believe are material to our stockholders. There may be additional risks and uncertainties that we have not presently identified or have not deemed material. Some of the following risk factors constitute forward-looking statements. Please refer to “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” at the beginning of this Annual Report.
Risks Related to Our Managers, Tenants and Borrowers
We depend on the operating success of our managers, tenants and borrowers and if their financial condition or business prospects deteriorate, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We rely on our managers, tenants and borrowers and their ability to perform their obligations to us. Any of our managers, tenants or borrowers may experience a weakening in their overall financial condition as a result of deteriorating operating performance, changes in industry or market conditions, such as rising interest rates or inflation, or other factors. In late September 2024, Senior Living Management (“SLM”) notified us that ongoing liquidity constraints raised doubts about SLM’s ability to sustain its operations and pay its rent and interest obligations prospectively. In the fourth quarter of 2024, one property was transitioned to a new operator under a new lease agreement, as previously planned, one property classified as assets held for sale was sold, and the remaining two leased properties with a net book value of $6.8 million as of December 31, 2024 were transitioned pursuant to interim management agreements and were subsequently transitioned to a new tenant pursuant to a new triple-net lease in January 2025. In addition, we had a $10.0 million mortgage note receivable and a $14.5 million mezzanine loan due from affiliates of SLM that were designated as non-performing. In February 2025, we received ownership of the property securing the $10.0 million mortgage note receivable in lieu of foreclosure. If the financial condition of any of our other managers, tenants or borrowers deteriorates, they may be unable or unwilling to make payments or perform their obligations to us in a timely manner, if at all.
Revenues for the operators of our properties are primarily driven by occupancy rates and reimbursement by Medicare, Medicaid and private payors. Revenues from government reimbursement have, and may continue to, come under pressure due to reimbursement cuts resulting from federal and state budget shortfalls and other constraints, and both governmental and private payors are increasingly imposing more stringent cost control measures. Periods of weak economic growth in the U.S. that affect housing sales, investment returns and personal incomes may adversely affect senior housing occupancy rates. An oversupply of senior housing real estate may also apply downward pressure to the occupancy rates of our operators. Expenses for the facilities are driven by the costs of labor, food, utilities, taxes, insurance and rent or debt service. Liability insurance and staffing costs continue to increase for our operators. Historically low unemployment has created significant wage pressure for our operators.
In addition, inflation, both real and anticipated, as well as any resulting governmental policies, have affected and could continue to adversely affect the economy and the costs of labor, goods and services for our operators. Because our operators are typically required to pay all property operating expenses, increases in property-level expenses at our leased properties generally do not directly affect us. Increased operating costs could have an adverse impact on our operators if increases in their operating expenses exceed increases in their revenue, which may adversely affect their ability to pay rent and make loan payments owed to us. An increase in our operators’ expenses and a failure of their revenues to increase at least with inflation could adversely affect our operators’ and our financial condition and our results of operations.
To the extent any decrease in revenues and/or any increase in operating expenses of our operators results in a property not generating enough cash to make scheduled payments to us, our revenues, net income and funds from operations would be adversely affected. Such events and circumstances would cause us to evaluate whether there was an impairment of the real estate or mortgage loan that should be charged to earnings. Such impairment would be measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeded its fair value. Consequently, we might be unable to maintain or increase our current dividends and the market price of our stock may decline.
We are exposed to the risk that our managers, tenants and borrowers may become subject to bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings.
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Although our lease agreements provide us the right to evict a tenant/operator and demand immediate payment of rent and exercise other remedies, and our mortgage loans provide us the right to terminate any funding obligations, demand immediate repayment of principal and unpaid interest, foreclose on the collateral and exercise other remedies, in the event our counterparty has filed for bankruptcy or reorganization, the bankruptcy laws afford certain rights to a party that has filed for bankruptcy or reorganization. A tenant or borrower in bankruptcy may be able to limit or delay our ability to collect unpaid rent in the case of a lease or to receive unpaid principal and/or interest in the case of a mortgage loan and to exercise other rights and remedies. For example, a tenant may reject its lease with us in a bankruptcy proceeding. In such a case, our claim against the tenant for unpaid and future rents would be limited by the statutory cap of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This statutory cap could be substantially less than the remaining rent owed under the lease, and any claim we have for unpaid rent might not be paid in full. In addition, a tenant may assert in a bankruptcy proceeding that its lease should be re-characterized as a financing agreement. If such a claim is successful, our rights and remedies as a lender, compared to a landlord, are generally more limited. We may be required to fund certain expenses (e.g., real estate taxes, maintenance and capital improvements) to preserve the value of a property, avoid the imposition of liens on a property and/or transition a property to a new tenant or borrower. In some instances, we have terminated our lease with a tenant and leased the facility to another tenant. In certain of those situations, we provided working capital loans to, and limited indemnification of, the new tenant. If we cannot transition a leased facility to a new tenant, we may take possession of that property, which may expose us to certain successor liabilities. Should such events occur, our revenue and operating cash flow may be adversely affected.
A small number of tenants in our portfolio account for a significant percentage of the rent we expect to generate from our portfolio, and the failure of any of these tenants to meet their obligations to us could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
The successful performance of our real estate investments is materially dependent on the financial stability of our tenants/operators. For the year ended December 31, 2024, approximately 40% of our total revenue was generated by three tenants, Senior Living (16%), NHC (12%) and Bickford (12%). As previously disclosed, Bickford has been on the cash basis of revenue recognition since the second quarter of 2022 based upon information obtained from Bickford regarding its financial condition. Payment or other tenant defaults, the failure of tenants to meet their other obligations to us or a decline in the operating performance by any of these tenants or other tenants/operators could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, and our ability to pay expected dividends to our stockholders. In the event of a tenant default, we may experience delays in enforcing our rights as landlord and may incur substantial costs in protecting our investment and re-leasing our property. Further, we may not be able to re-lease the property for the rent previously received, or at all, or lease terminations may cause us to sell the property at a loss. The realization of any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
Actual or perceived risks associated with pandemics, epidemics or outbreaks have had and may in the future have a material adverse effect on our operators’ business and results of operations.
The business and results of operations of the operators of our properties and the Company are subject to health and economic effects of public health conditions. If a pandemic, epidemic, outbreaks of infectious disease or other public health crisis were to affect the markets in which our properties are located, our business could be adversely affected. Revenues for the tenants and operators of our properties are significantly impacted by occupancy rates. A public health crisis may diminish the public trust in senior housing properties or medical facilities, especially those that have treated or house consumers affected by contagious diseases, which may result in a decline in consumers seeking services offered through our properties. Consumer volumes and occupancy rates may also decline as a result of economic circumstances surrounding a public health crisis, particularly if the volume of uninsured and underinsured consumers increases. The business of the operators of our properties and the Company may be more vulnerable to the effects of a public health crisis because most of our properties are designed for elderly consumers, a population that may experience complex medical conditions or socioeconomic factors. Due to the physical proximity required to offer many of the services provided by the operators of our properties, our operators may encounter difficulties attending to consumers due to social distancing policies or infection control protocols and face heightened workforce challenges. In addition, actions our operators take to address contagious diseases may materially increase their operating costs, including those related to enhanced health and safety precautions and increased retention and recruitment labor costs, among other measures. A decrease in occupancy rates or increase in costs is likely to have a material adverse effect on the ability of our tenants and operators to meet their financial and other contractual obligations to us, including the payment of rent, as well as on our results of operations. In some cases, we have had to, and we may in the future have to, write-off unpaid rental payments, incur lease accounting charges due to the uncollectibility of rental payments and/or restructure our tenants’ and operators’ long-term rent obligations. Furthermore, infections of contagious diseases at our facilities could lead to material increases in litigation costs for which our operators, or possibly we, may be liable.
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The measures that federal, state and local governments, agencies and health authorities implement to address an epidemic, pandemic, outbreaks of infectious disease or other public health crisis may be insufficient to offset any downturn in business of our tenants and operators, may increase operating costs for our managers, tenants and borrowers or may otherwise disrupt or affect the operation of our properties. The rapid development, fluid nature and other factors related to an epidemic, pandemic, outbreaks of infectious disease or other public health crisis makes it difficult to predict the potential impact of such a crisis on NHI or its operators. Nevertheless, a public health crisis, and the public and government responses to such future public health crisis, could have a material, adverse effect on our business.
A member of our Board of Directors is also the chairman of the board of directors of NHC, and his interests may differ from those of our stockholders.
One of our board members is also a member of NHC’s board of directors. This director may have conflicting interests with holders of the Company’s common stock with respect to the NHC properties. During the year ended December 31, 2024, revenue from NHC represented 12% of our total revenue. With respect to all decisions by our Board of Directors related to the NHC properties, the director that is also a member of NHC’s board of directors is recused and does not participate in the NHI board discussions or vote related to such matters. In addition, our former chairperson, Mr. W. Andrew Adams, was also a director of NHC. Mr. W. Andrew Adams retired from our Board of Directors effective December 31, 2024. However, these relationships could influence the Board of Directors’ decisions with respect to the properties leased to and operated by NHC. As of December 31, 2024, NHC owned 1,630,642 shares of our common stock.
We are exposed to risks related to governmental regulations and payors, principally Medicare and Medicaid, and the effect of changes to laws, regulations and reimbursement rates on our tenants’ and borrowers’ business.
Our managers, tenants and borrowers are subject to complex federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to governmental healthcare programs. See “Item 1. Business - Government Regulation.” in this Annual Report. Regulation of the healthcare industry generally has intensified over time both in the number and type of regulations and in the efforts to enforce those regulations. Federal, state and local laws and regulations affecting the healthcare industry include those relating to, among other things, licensure; certification and enrollment with government programs; facility operations; addition or expansion of services or facilities; services and equipment; allowable costs; the preparation and filing of cost reports; privacy and security of health-related and other personal information; prices for services; quality of medical equipment and services; necessity and adequacy of medical care; patient rights; billing and coding for services and properly handling overpayments; maintenance of adequate records; relationships with physicians and other referral sources and referral recipients; debt collection; communications with patients and consumers; interoperability; and information blocking. If our tenants, operators or borrowers fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, they may be subject to liabilities and other consequences including civil penalties, loss of facility licensure, exclusion from participation in the Medicare, Medicaid, and other government healthcare programs, civil lawsuits and criminal penalties. In addition, different interpretations or enforcement of, or changes to, applicable laws and regulations in the future could subject current or past practices to allegations of illegality or impropriety or could require our managers, tenants and borrowers to make changes to their facilities, equipment, personnel, services, and operating expenses. If the operations, cash flows or financial condition of our tenants, operators and/or borrowers are materially adversely impacted by current or future government regulation, our revenue and operations may be adversely affected as well. In addition, if an operator, borrower or tenant defaults on its lease or loan with us, our ability to replace the operator or tenant may be delayed by federal, state, or local approval processes.
Our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ businesses are also affected by government and private payor reimbursement rates and policies. Payments from government programs and private payors are subject to statutory and regulatory changes, retroactive rate adjustments, recovery of program overpayments or set-offs, administrative rulings, policy interpretations, payment or other delays by fiscal intermediaries, government funding restrictions (at a program level or with respect to specific facilities) and interruption or delays in payments due to delays or issues implementing reimbursement-related rules and any ongoing governmental investigations and audits at specific facilities. In recent years, legislative and regulatory changes have resulted in limitations and reductions in payments for certain services under government programs. For example, the Budget Control Act of 2011 requires automatic spending reductions to reduce the federal deficit, resulting in a uniform payment reduction across all Medicare programs of 2% per fiscal year that extends through the first eight months of 2032. State budgetary pressures have resulted, and will likely continue to result, in reduced spending or reduced spending growth for Medicaid programs in many states, including measures such as tightening patient eligibility requirements, reducing coverage, and enrolling Medicaid recipients in managed care programs. In addition, legislation and administrative actions at the federal level may impact the funding for, or structure of, Medicaid programs and may shape administration of Medicaid programs at the state level. CMS may implement or oversee changes affecting reimbursement, including through new or modified demonstration projects, such as those authorized pursuant to Medicaid waivers.
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Any reductions in Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement could have an adverse effect on the financial operations of our borrowers, operators and tenants who operate SNFs. Further, reductions in payments under government healthcare programs may negatively impact payments from private payors, as some private payors rely on government payment systems to determine payment rates. There can be no assurance that adequate reimbursement levels will continue to be available for services provided by any facility operator, whether the facility receives reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid or private payor sources. Significant limits on the scope of services reimbursed and on reimbursement rates and fees could have a material adverse effect on an operator’s liquidity, financial condition and results of operations, which could adversely affect the ability of an operator to meet its obligations to us.
More generally, the legislative and regulatory environment for healthcare products and services is dynamic, and Congress and certain state legislatures have considered or enacted a large number of laws and regulations intended to make major changes in the healthcare system, including laws that affect how healthcare services are delivered and reimbursed. Recent government initiatives and proposals relevant to our properties include those focused on transparency of SNF ownership and minimum long-term care facility staffing requirements. For example, a final rule issued by CMS in November 2023 requires Medicare-enrolled SNFs and Medicaid-enrolled nursing homes to disclose additional information about owners, operators, and management, including whether they are a REIT or private equity company. This information will be publicly available. This rule may result in increased scrutiny of REITs, private equity companies, and similar entities involved in owning or operating SNFs and nursing homes. In addition, CMS issued a final rule in May 2024 that establishes minimum staffing standards for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing facilities, to be phased in over five years. This rule is the subject of legal challenges. If implemented in its current form, the staffing standards rule is expected to result in increased costs and operational challenges for long-term care providers, including as a result of increased competition for labor. Other industry participants, such as private payors, may also introduce financial or delivery system reforms. There is uncertainty with regard to whether, when and what health reform initiatives will be adopted in the future and the impact of such reform efforts on providers and other healthcare industry participants, including our managers, tenants and borrowers.
We are exposed to the risk that the cash flows of our managers, tenants and borrowers may be adversely affected by increased liability claims and liability insurance costs.
ALF and SNF operators have experienced substantial increases in both the number and size of patient care liability claims in recent years. As a result, general and professional liability costs have increased and may continue to increase. Nationwide, long-term care liability insurance rates are increasing because of large jury awards in states like Texas and Florida. Both Texas and Florida have adopted SNF liability laws that modify or limit tort damages. Despite some of these reforms, the long-term care industry overall continues to experience very high general and professional liability costs. Insurance companies have responded to this claims crisis by severely restricting their capacity to write long-term care general and professional liability policies. No assurance can be given that the climate for long-term care general and professional liability insurance will improve in either of the foregoing states or any other states where the facilities operators conduct business. Insurance companies may continue to reduce or stop writing general and professional liability policies for ALFs and SNFs. Thus, general and professional liability insurance coverage may be restricted, very costly or not available. Increased general and professional liability costs may adversely affect our tenants’ or operators’ future operations, cash flows and financial condition and may have a material adverse effect on the tenants’ or operators’ ability to meet their obligations to us.
We are exposed to the risk that we may not be fully indemnified by our managers, tenants and borrowers against future litigation.
Our facility leases and loans require that the managers, tenants, borrowers name us as an additional insured party on their insurance policies covering professional liability or personal injury claims. These instruments also require the tenants, borrowers to indemnify and hold us harmless for all claims arising out of or incidental to the occupancy and use of each facility. However, claims could exceed the policy limits, the insurance company could fail or coverage may not otherwise be available. We cannot give any assurance that these protective measures will eliminate any risk to us related to future litigation, the costs of which could have a material adverse impact on us.
Risks Related to Our Business and Operations
We depend on the success of property development and construction activities, which may fail to achieve the operating results we expect.
When we decide to invest in the renovation of an existing property or in the development of a new property, we make assumptions about the future potential cash flows of that property. We estimate our return based on expected occupancy rates, rental rates and future capital costs. If our projections prove to be inaccurate due to increased capital costs, lower occupancy
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rates or other factors, our investment in that property may not generate the cash flow we expected. Construction and development projects involve risks such as (i) development of a project could be abandoned after expending significant resources resulting in loss of deposits or failure to recover expenses already incurred; (ii) development and construction costs of a project could exceed original estimates due to increased interest rates and higher material costs; (iii) project delays could result in increases in construction costs and debt service expenses as a result of a variety of factors that are beyond our control, including natural disasters, labor conditions, material shortages, and regulatory hurdles; and (iv) financing for a project could be unavailable on favorable terms or at all. Recently developed properties may take longer than expected to achieve stabilized operating levels, if ever. In addition, international trade disputes, including threatened or implemented tariffs imposed by the U.S. and threatened or implemented tariffs imposed by foreign countries in retaliation, could result in inflationary pressures that directly impact costs, such as costs for steel, lumber and other materials applicable to our development and construction projects. Trade disputes could also adversely impact global supply chains which could further increase costs or delay delivery of key inventories and supplies. Tariffs and trade restrictions can be announced with little or no advance notice, and we may not be able to effectively mitigate all adverse impacts from such measures. To the extent such facilities experience such increases in cost or delays in construction or financing, or otherwise fail to reach stabilized operating levels or achieve stabilization later than expected, it could materially adversely affect our tenants’ abilities to make payments to us under their leases and thus adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We are exposed to the risk that the illiquidity of real estate investments could impede our ability to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our properties.
Real estate investments are relatively illiquid and, therefore, our ability to quickly sell or exchange any of our properties in response to changes in economic and other conditions, including rising interest rates, may be limited. All of our properties are "special purpose" properties that cannot be readily converted to general residential, retail or office use. Facilities that participate in Medicare or Medicaid must meet extensive program requirements, including physical plant and operational requirements. Transfers of operations of these facilities are subject to regulatory approvals not required for transfers of other types of real estate. Thus, if the operation of any of our properties becomes unprofitable due to competition, age of improvements or other factors such that our tenant or borrower becomes unable to meet its obligations on the lease or mortgage loan, the liquidation value of the property may be less than the net book value or the amount owed on any related mortgage loan, because the property may not be readily adaptable to other uses. The sale of the property or the replacement of an operator that has defaulted on its lease or mortgage loan could also be delayed by the approval process of any federal, state or local agency necessary for the transfer of the property or the replacement of the operator with a new operator licensed to manage the facility. No assurances can be given that we will recognize full value for any property that we are required to sell for liquidity reasons. Should such events occur, our results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.
Our investments are concentrated in healthcare properties.
We acquire, develop, and make investments in healthcare real estate. In addition, we selectively make investments in healthcare operators. A downturn in the healthcare property sector could have a greater adverse effect on our business and financial condition than if we had investments in multiple industries and sectors. A downturn in the healthcare property sector also could adversely impact the ability of our operators to meet their obligations to us and maintain residents and occupancy rates. Additionally, a downturn in the healthcare property sector could adversely affect the value of our properties and our ability to sell properties at prices or on terms acceptable to us.
We are subject to risks related to our investment with Life Care Services for Timber Ridge, an entrance fee CCRC, associated with Type A benefits offered to the residents of the CCRC and related accounting requirements.
Effective January 31, 2020, we entered into an investment with Life Care Services (“LCS”) which consists of two parts, NHI-LCS JV I, LLC (“Timber Ridge PropCo”), which owns the real estate and is owned 80% by NHI and 20% by LCS, and Timber Ridge OpCo, LLC (“Timber Ridge OpCo”), which operates the property and is owned 25% by NHI’s TRS and 75% by LCS. Rents received from the Timber Ridge OpCo in the RIDEA structure are treated as qualifying rents from real property for REIT tax purposes only if (i) they are paid pursuant to a lease of a “qualified healthcare property” and (ii) the operator qualifies as an “eligible independent contractor,” as defined in the Internal Revenue Code. If either of these requirements are not satisfied, then the rents will not be qualifying rents.
As part of acquisition of the real estate in January 2020, Timber Ridge PropCo accepted the property subject to trust liens previously granted to residents of Timber Ridge. Beginning in 2008, early residents of Timber Ridge executed mortgage loans to the then-owner/operators backed by liens and entered into a Deed of Trust and Indenture of Trust (the “Deed and Indenture”) for the benefit of the trustee on behalf of all residents who made mortgage loans to the owner/operator in accordance with a resident agreement. The Deed and Indenture granted a security interest in the Timber Ridge property to secure the loans made
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by the early residents of the property. This practice was discontinued at Timber Ridge in 2008, prior to our investment. However, the remaining outstanding “old” loans made by the residents are still secured by a security interest in the Timber Ridge property. The trustee for all of the residents who made “old” loans in accordance with the resident agreements entered into a subordination agreement concurrent with Timber Ridge PropCo’s acquisition of the property, pursuant to which the trustee acknowledged and confirmed that the security interests created under the Deed and Indenture were subordinate to any security interests granted in connection with the loan made by NHI to Timber Ridge PropCo. With the periodic settlement of some of the outstanding resident loans in the course of normal entrance-fee community operations by Timber Ridge OpCo, the balance owing on the Deed and Indenture at December 31, 2024 was $10.3 million. By terms of the resident loan assumption agreement, during the term of the lease (seven years with two five-year renewal options), Timber Ridge OpCo is to indemnify Timber Ridge PropCo for any repayment by Timber Ridge PropCo of these liabilities under the guarantee. We cannot give any assurance that these protective measures will eliminate any risk to us related to claims under the Deed and Indenture.
As a result of the RIDEA structure, we have an investment in the operations of Timber Ridge, which is a Class A quality, Type A CCRC. As a Type A CCRC, the entrance fee is divided into a refundable and non-refundable portion depending upon the resident’s chosen contract program. The refundable portion of the upfront entrance fee is recorded as a liability on the financial statements of Timber Ridge OpCo. The non-refundable portion of the upfront entrance fee is recorded as deferred revenue and amortized over the actuarial life of the resident. We believe the structure of our investment does not require that Timber Ridge OpCo’s financial statements be consolidated into NHI, but if we are unable to properly maintain that structure or become required for any reason to consolidate Timber Ridge OpCo’s financial statements into ours, the results would have a material adverse impact on our financial results.
We are exposed to risks associated with our investment in Timber Ridge OpCo, including our lack of sole decision-making authority and our reliance on the financial condition of other interests and related healthcare operations of the entity.
Our investment in an unconsolidated entity, Timber Ridge OpCo, could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority regarding major decisions, our reliance on the financial condition of other interests, any disputes that may arise between us and other partners, and our exposure to potential losses from the actions of partners. Risks of dealing with parties outside of NHI include limitations on unilateral major decisions opposed by other interests, the prospect of divergent goals of ownership, including disputes regarding management, ownership or disposition of a property, or limitations on the transfer of our interests without the consent of our partners. Risks of the unconsolidated entity extend to areas in which the financial health of our partners may impact our plans. Our partners might become bankrupt or fail to fund their share of required capital contributions, which may hinder significant action in the entity. We may disagree with our partners about decisions affecting a property or the entity itself, which could result in litigation or arbitration that increases our expenses, distracts our officers and directors and disrupts the day-to-day operations of the property, including by delaying important decisions until the dispute is resolved; and finally, we may suffer losses as a result of actions taken by our partners with respect to our investments.
In addition, our investment in Timber Ridge OpCo exposes us to various operational risks with respect to this investment that may increase our costs or adversely affect our ability to increase revenues. These risks include fluctuations in resident occupancy rates, operating expenses, and economic conditions; competition; certification and inspection laws, regulations, and standards; the availability and increases in cost of general and professional liability insurance coverage; litigation; federal, state and local taxes and regulations; costs associated with government investigations and enforcement actions; the availability and increases in cost of labor; and other risks applicable to any operating business. Any one or a combination of these factors may adversely affect our revenue and operations.
Inflation and increased interest rates may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Although inflation has not materially impacted our operations in the past, inflation was recently at a 40-year high and between March 2022 and July 2023, the Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate in an effort to curb inflation. Although the federal funds rate has been lowered in recent months, the federal funds rate and inflation are still higher than they were prior to 2022. In addition, President Trump’s administration has announced various policies which may impact inflation, including the implementation of tariffs on U.S. imports and immigration enforcement, as well as other policies, which could increase inflation. High inflation and interest rates could have an adverse impact on our variable rate debt, our ability to borrow money, and general and administrative expenses, as these costs could increase at a rate higher than our rental and other revenue. Increases in the costs of owning and operating our properties due to inflation could reduce our net operating income and the value of an investment in us to the extent such increases are not reimbursed or paid by our tenants. If we are materially impacted by increasing inflation because, for example, inflationary increases in costs are not sufficiently offset by the contractual rent increases and operating expense reimbursement provisions or escalations in the leases with our tenants, our
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results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, due to high interest rates, we may experience restrictions in our liquidity based on certain financial covenant requirements, our inability to refinance maturing debt in part or in full as it comes due and higher debt service costs and reduced yields relative to cost of debt. If we are unable to find alternative credit arrangements or other funding in a high interest environment, our financial results may be negatively impacted.
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults, or nonperformance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, or our prospects.
The funds in our accounts are held in banks or other financial institutions. Our cash held in non-interest bearing and interest-bearing accounts may periodically exceed any applicable Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits. Should events, including limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments occur with respect to the banks or other financial institutions that hold our funds, or that affect financial institutions or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, our liquidity may be adversely affected. For example, on March 10, 2023, the FDIC announced that Silicon Valley Bank had been closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Although we did not have any funds in Silicon Valley Bank or other institutions that have been closed, we cannot guarantee that the banks or other financial institutions that hold our funds will not experience similar issues.
In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on terms favorable to us in connection with a potential business combination, or at all, and could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity, our business, financial condition or results of operations, and our prospects.
Adverse geopolitical developments could have a material adverse impact on our business.
Currently, there are several geopolitical concerns that could, indirectly, have an adverse impact on our business, such as armed conflicts in various regions of the world, including, but not limited to, the Russia/Ukraine conflict and the conflicts in the Middle East. The conditions, and the responses thereto, such as sanctions imposed by the United States and other western democracies, and any expansion thereof is likely to have unpredictable and wide-ranging effects on the domestic and global financial markets, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Already, these conditions have led to market volatility and an increasing number and frequency of cybersecurity threats. So far, we have not experienced any direct impact from the conflict and, as our business is conducted exclusively in the United States, we are less vulnerable than companies with international operations. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully and, if necessary, take action to protect our business, operations, and financial condition.
We are exposed to operational risks with respect to our SHOP structured communities.
During 2022, we transitioned 15 of our legacy Holiday properties to be SHOP structured communities. Our SHOP structured communities expose us to various operational risks that may increase our costs or adversely affect our ability to generate revenues. As the owner of a property under a SHOP structure, we are ultimately responsible for all operational risks and other liabilities of the property, other than those arising out of certain actions by our manager, such as gross negligence or willful misconduct. Operational risks include, and our revenues therefore depend on, among other things: (i) occupancy rates; (ii) rental rates charged to residents; (iii) our operators’ reputations and ability to attract and retain residents; (iv) general economic conditions and market factors that impact seniors including those exacerbated by public health conditions; (v) competition from other senior housing providers; (vi) compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations and industry standards, including but not limited to licensure requirements, where applicable; (vii) litigation involving our properties or residents; (viii) the availability and cost of general and professional liability insurance coverage or increases in insurance policy deductibles; and (ix) the ability to control operating expenses, which have increased, and may continue to increase. In addition, the success of our SHOP structured communities will depend largely on our ability to establish and maintain good relationships with our managers. Although the SHOP structure gives us certain oversight approval rights (e.g., budgets, material contracts, etc.) and the right to review operational and financial reporting information, we have outsourced to our third-party managers the day-to-day operations of the communities. Therefore, we depend on our managers to operate these communities in a manner that complies with applicable law, minimizes legal risk and maximizes the value of our investment. Failure by our managers to adequately manage these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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From time to time, disputes may arise between us and our managers regarding their performance or compliance with the terms of the agreements we have entered into with them, which in turn could adversely affect our results of operations. We will generally attempt to resolve any such disputes through discussions and negotiations; however, if we are unable to reach satisfactory results through discussions and negotiations, we may choose to terminate the applicable agreement, litigate the dispute or submit the matter to third-party dispute resolution, the outcome of which may be unfavorable to us.
In the event that any of the agreements with our managers are terminated, we can provide no assurances that we could find a replacement manager or that any replacement manager will be successful in managing our SHOP structured communities.
A cybersecurity incident or other form of data breach involving Company information could cause a loss of confidential consumer and other personal information, give rise to remediation and other expenses, expose us to liability under privacy and security and consumer protection laws, subject us to federal and state governmental inquiries, damage our reputation, and otherwise be disruptive to our business.
Our business, like that of other REITs, involves the receipt, storage and transmission of information about our Company, our managers, tenants and borrowers, and our employees, some of which is entrusted to third-party service providers and vendors. We also work with third-party service providers and vendors to provide technology, systems and services that we use in connection with the receipt, storage and transmission of this information. As a matter of course, we may store or process the personal data of employees and other persons as required to provide our services and such personal data or other data may be hosted or exchanged with our partners and other third-party providers. The secure maintenance of this information and technology is critical to our business operations.
As with all companies that utilize information systems, our information systems, and those of our third-party service providers and vendors, may be vulnerable to continually evolving cybersecurity risks. We employ industry standard administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect the integrity and security of personal data we collect or process. We have implemented and regularly review and update processes and procedures designed to protect against unauthorized access to or use of secured data and to prevent data loss. Unauthorized parties may attempt to gain access to these systems or our information through fraud or deception of our associates, ransomware, malware, and other malicious software, third-party service providers or vendors. Hardware, software or applications we obtain from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security. The methods used to obtain unauthorized access, disable, misappropriate, manipulate, or degrade service or sabotage systems are also constantly changing and evolving and may be difficult to anticipate or detect for long periods of time. The ever-evolving threats mean we and our third-party service providers and vendors must continually evaluate and adapt our respective systems and processes, and there is no guarantee that these systems and processes will be adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches or misuses of data. Furthermore, because threat actors may leverage new and evolving technologies, including aritifical intelligence, that may not be immediately recognized, the Company may experience security or data breaches that remain undetected for an extended time. Despite the security measures we have in place, and any additional measures we may implement in the future, our facilities and systems, and those of our third-party service providers and vendors, could be vulnerable to damage and service interruptions from a variety of sources including telecommunications or network failures, cyber-attacks and security breaches and incidents (including data theft, computer viruses, ransomware and other malicious software), human error, fires, natural disasters, power losses, fraud, military or political conflicts, terrorist attacks and other geopolitical unrest.
Any significant failure of or interruption in the availability of our information systems, compromise or breach of our data security, whether external or internal, or misuse of our data, could disrupt our operations, result in loss, misappropriation or unauthorized access of information subject to privacy laws, result in significant costs, harm our business relationships, increase our security and insurance costs and damage our reputation, any of which could have a material, adverse effect on our business. A security or data breach could also subject us to litigation and government enforcement actions, which could result in fines and other penalties. Moreover, any significant cybersecurity events could require us to devote significant management resources to address the problems created by such events, interfere with the pursuit of other important business strategies and initiatives, and cause us to incur additional expenditures, which could be material, including to investigate such events, remedy cybersecurity problems, recover lost data, prevent future compromises and adapt systems and practices in response to such events. There is no assurance that any remedial actions will meaningfully limit the success of future attempts to breach our information technology systems.
In addition, as the regulatory environment related to information security, data collection and use, and privacy becomes increasingly rigorous at the federal and state levels, with new and constantly changing requirements applicable to our business, compliance with those requirements could also result in significant additional costs.
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We are exposed to risks related to environmental laws and the costs associated with liabilities related to hazardous substances.
Under various federal and state laws, owners or operators of real property may be required to respond to the release of hazardous substances on the property and may be held liable for property damage, personal injuries or penalties that result from environmental contaminationof currently or formerly owned real estate, often regardless of knowledge of or responsibility for the contamination. These laws also expose us to the possibility that we may become liable to reimburse the government for damages and costs it incurs in connection with the contamination. Generally, such liability attaches to a person based on the person’s relationship to the property. Although our tenants and operators are primarily responsible for the condition of the property they occupy, we also could be held liable to a governmental authority or to third parties for property damage, personal injuries, and investigation and clean-up costs incurred in connection with the contamination or we could be required to incur additional costs to change how the property is constructed or operated due to presence of such substances. However, we review environmental site assessments of the properties that we purchase or encumber prior to taking an interest in them. Those assessments are designed to meet the “all appropriate inquiry” standard, which qualifies us for the innocent purchaser defense if environmental liabilities arise. Notwithstanding these assessments, however, environmental liabilities, including mold, may be present in our properties and we may incur costs to remediate contamination, which could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. In addition, the presence of hazardous substances or a failure to properly remediate any resulting contamination could adversely affect our ability to lease, mortgage, or sell an affected property.
We are subject to risks of damage from catastrophic weather and other natural or man-made disasters and the physical effects of climate change.
Natural and man-made disasters, including terrorist attacks and acts of nature such as hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, flooding and wildfires, may cause damage to our properties or business disruption to our managers, tenants and borrowers. These adverse weather and natural or man-made events could cause substantial damage or loss to our properties which could exceed applicable property insurance coverage. Such events could also have a material adverse impact on our tenants’, operators’ and borrowers’ operations and ability to meet their obligations to us. In the event of a loss in excess of insured limits, we could lose our capital invested in the affected property, as well as anticipated future revenue from that property. Any such loss could materially and adversely affect our business and our financial condition and results of operations.
Climate change may also have indirect effects on our business by increasing the cost of (or making unavailable) property insurance on terms we find acceptable. To the extent that significant changes in the climate occur in areas where our properties are located, we may experience more frequent extreme weather events which may result in physical damage to, or a decrease in demand for, properties located in these areas or affected by these conditions. In addition, changes in federal and state legislation and regulation on climate change could result in increased capital expenditures to improve the energy efficiency of our existing properties and could also require us to spend more on our new development properties without a corresponding increase in revenue. Should the impact of climate change be material in nature, including destruction of our properties, or occur for lengthy periods of time, our financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected.
We depend on the success of our future acquisitions and investments.
We are exposed to the risk that our future acquisitions may not prove to be successful. We could encounter unanticipated difficulties and expenditures relating to any acquired properties, including contingent liabilities, and newly acquired properties might require significant attention of our management that would otherwise be devoted to our existing business. If we agree to provide construction funding to a borrower and the project is not completed, we may need to take steps to ensure completion of the project. Moreover, if we issue equity securities or incur additional debt, or both, to finance future acquisitions, it may reduce our per share financial results.
We depend on our ability to reinvest cash in real estate investments in a timely manner and on acceptable terms.
From time to time, we will have cash available from principal payments on our mortgage and other notes receivable and the sale of properties, including tenant purchase option exercises, under the terms of master leases or similar financial support arrangements. We must reinvest these proceeds, on a timely basis, in new investments or in qualified short-term investments. We compete for real estate investments with a broad variety of potential investors. This competition for attractive investments may negatively affect our ability to make timely investments on terms acceptable to us. Delays in reinvesting our cash may negatively impact revenues and the amount of distributions to stockholders.
Competition for acquisitions may result in increased prices for properties.
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We may face increased competition for acquisition opportunities from other well-capitalized investors, including publicly traded and privately held REITs, private real estate funds, partnerships and others. This may mean that we are unsuccessful in a potential acquisition of a desired property at an acceptable price, or even if we are able to acquire a desired property, competition from other real estate investors may significantly increase the purchase price.
We depend on our ability to retain our management team and other personnel and attract suitable replacements should any such personnel leave.
The management and governance of the Company depends on the services of certain key personnel, including senior management. The departure of any key personnel could have an adverse effect on the Company and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Our senior management team possesses substantial experience and expertise and has strong business relationships with our tenants and operators and other members of the business communities and industries in which we operate. As a result, the loss of these personnel could jeopardize our relationships and operations. We cannot predict the impact that any such departures could have on our ability to achieve our objectives. Furthermore, such a loss could be negatively perceived in the capital markets. Other than Mr. Mendelsohn, our Chief Executive Officer, we do not have employment agreements with any of our management team. In addition, we do not have key man insurance on any of our key employees. Our failure to retain and motivate our management team and other personnel and attract suitable replacements should any such personnel leave, could have a significant impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
We are exposed to the risk that our assets may be subject to impairment charges.
As a REIT, a significant percentage of our assets is invested in real estate. We regularly evaluate our real estate investments and other assets for impairment indicators. The judgment regarding the existence of impairment indicators is based on factors such as market conditions, operator performance and legal structure. If we determine that a significant impairment has occurred, we would be required to make an adjustment to the net carrying value of the asset, which could have a material adverse effect on our reported results of operations in the period in which the impairment charge occurs.Such impairment charges may make it more difficult for us to meet the financial ratios in our indebtedness and may reduce the borrowing base, which may reduce the amounts of cash we would otherwise have available to pay expenses, make dividend distributions, service other indebtedness and operate our business.
In 2024, we recorded impairment charges totaling $0.7 million on one property. In 2023, we recorded impairment charges of $1.6 million on four properties.
Our ability to raise capital through equity sales is dependent, in part, on the market price of our common stock, and our failure to meet market expectations with respect to our business, or other factors we do not control, could negatively impact such market price and availability of equity capital.
As of December 31, 2024, we had the potential to access $480.0 million through the issuance of common stock under our at-the-market (“ATM”) equity program. In addition, we maintain an effective automatic shelf registration statement through which capital could be raised via the issuance of equity securities. As with other publicly traded companies, the availability of equity capital will depend, in part, on the market price of our common stock which, in turn, will depend upon various market conditions and other factors, some of which we cannot control, that may change from time to time including:
•the extent of investor interest;
•the general reputation of REITs and the attractiveness of their equity securities in comparison to other equity securities, including securities issued by other real estate-based companies;
•the financial performance of us and our managers, tenants and borrowers;
•investment and tenant concentrations in our investment portfolio;
•concerns about our operators’, tenants’ and borrowers’ financial condition due to uncertainty regarding reimbursement from governmental and other third-party payor programs;
•our credit ratings and analyst reports on us and the REIT industry in general, including recommendations, and our ability to meet our guidance estimates or analysts’ estimates;
•general economic, global and market conditions, including changes in interest rates on fixed income securities, which may lead prospective purchasers of our common stock to demand a higher annual yield from future distributions;
•our failure to maintain or increase our dividend, which is dependent, to a large part, on the increase in funds from operations, which in turn depends upon increased revenues from additional investments and rental increases; and
•other factors such as governmental regulatory action and changes in REIT tax laws, as well as changes in litigation and regulatory proceedings.
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The market value of the equity securities of a REIT is generally based upon the market’s perception of the REIT’s growth potential and its current and potential future earnings and cash distributions. Our failure to meet the market’s expectation with regard to future earnings and cash distributions would likely adversely affect the market price of our common stock and, as a result, the availability of equity capital to us.
Settlement provisions contained in the August 2024 forward sale agreements, the ATM forward sale agreements or any other forward sale agreement we may enter into could result in substantial dilution to our earnings per share or result in substantial cash payment obligations.
In August 2024, the Company entered into forward sale agreements to sell up to an aggregate of 2.76 million shares of common stock (the “August 2024 forward sale agreements”). As of December 31, 2024, 1.0 million shares remain available for settlement under the August 2024 forward sale agreements. In November 2024, the Company entered into forward sale agreements with respect to its ATM program (the “ATM forward sale agreements”). If any forward purchaser or its affiliate does not deliver and sell all of the shares of our common stock that it has agreed to deliver and sell to the underwriters (including because insufficient shares of our common stock were made available by securities lenders for borrowing at a stock loan cost below a specified threshold), then we will issue and sell to the underwriters a number of shares of our common stock equal to the number of shares of our common stock that such forward purchaser or its affiliate does not deliver and sell, and the number of shares of our common stock underlying the relevant forward sale agreement will be decreased by the number of shares of our common stock that we issue and sell.
Each forward purchaser has the right to accelerate its forward sale agreement (with respect to all or, in certain cases, any portion of the transaction under such forward sale agreement that such forward purchaser determines is affected by an event described below) and require us to settle on a date specified by such forward purchaser if:
•the forward purchaser determines in its good faith and commercially reasonable judgment that it (or its affiliate) (x) is unable to hedge its exposure under the applicable forward sale agreement because insufficient shares of our common stock have been made available for borrowing by securities lenders or (y) would incur a stock loan cost in excess of a specified threshold to hedge its exposure thereunder;
•we declare any dividend, issue or distribution on our common stock payable in (x) cash in excess of specified amounts, (y) securities of another company that we acquire or own (directly or indirectly) as a result of a spin-off or similar transaction or (z) any other type of securities (other than our common stock), rights, warrants or other assets for payment at less than the prevailing market price;
•certain ownership thresholds applicable to the applicable forward purchaser and its affiliate are exceeded;
•an event (x) is announced that, if consummated, would result in a specified extraordinary event (including certain mergers or tender offers, events involving our nationalization, or insolvency, or a delisting of shares of our common stock) or (y) occurs that would constitute a delisting or change in law; or
•certain other events of default or termination events occur, including, among others, any material misrepresentation made in connection with the applicable forward sale agreement or our insolvency (each as more fully described in the applicable forward sale agreement).
A forward purchaser’s decision to exercise its right to accelerate the settlement of its forward sale agreement will be made irrespective of our interests, including our need for capital. In such case, we could be required to issue and deliver shares of our common stock under the physical settlement provisions of such forward sale agreement, which would result in dilution to our earnings per share, National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) funds from operations per share, normalized funds from operations per share, dividends per share and other per share metrics.
We have settled a portion of the August 2024 forward sale agreements and a portion of the ATM forward sale agreements and expect to physically settle the remaining August 2024 forward sale agreements and ATM forward sale agreements and receive proceeds from the sale of those shares of our common stock upon one or more forward settlement dates no later than approximately August 14, 2025 for the August forward sale agreements and no later than December 31, 2025 for the ATM forward sales agreement. However, the August 2024 forward sale agreements and the ATM forward sale agreements may be settled earlier in whole or in part at our option. Subject to certain conditions, we have the right to elect physical, cash or net share settlement under the August 2024 forward sale agreements or the ATM forward sale agreements at any time and from time to time, in part or in full. We expect that each forward sale agreement will be physically settled by delivery of shares of our common stock unless we elect to cash settle or net share settle a particular forward sale agreement. Upon physical settlement, or, if we elect net share settlement, upon such settlement to the extent we are obligated to deliver shares of our common stock, delivery of shares of our common stock will result in dilution to our earnings per share, NAREIT funds from operations per share, normalized funds from operations per share, dividends per share and other per share metrics.
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If we elect cash settlement or net share settlement with respect to all or a portion of the shares of our common stock underlying a forward sale agreement, then we expect the applicable forward purchaser (or its affiliate) to purchase a number of shares of our common stock in secondary market transactions over an unwind period to:
•return shares of our common stock to securities lenders to unwind its hedge (after taking into consideration any shares of our common stock to be delivered by us to such forward purchaser, in the case of net share settlement); and
•if applicable, in the case of net share settlement, deliver shares of our common stock to us to the extent required in settlement of such forward sale agreement.
In addition, the purchase of shares of our common stock in connection with a forward purchaser or its affiliate unwinding its hedge positions could cause the price of shares of our common stock to increase over such time (or reduce the amount of a decrease over such time), thereby increasing the amount of cash we would be required to pay to such forward purchaser (or decreasing the amount of cash that such forward purchaser would be required to pay us) upon a cash settlement of the applicable forward sale agreement or increasing the number of shares of our common stock we would be required to deliver to such forward purchaser (or decreasing the number of shares of our common stock that such forward purchaser would be required to deliver to us) upon net share settlement of the applicable forward sale agreement.
The forward sale price that we expect to receive upon physical settlement of a forward sale agreement will be subject to adjustment on a daily basis based on a floating interest rate factor determined by reference to a specified daily rate less a spread and will be decreased by amounts related to expected dividends on our common stock during the term of the applicable forward sale agreement. If the specified daily rate is less than the spread on any day, the interest rate factor will result in a reduction of the forward sale price for that day. If the prevailing market price for our common stock during the unwind period under a forward sale agreement is above the relevant forward sale price, in the case of cash settlement, we would pay the applicable forward purchaser an amount per share in cash equal to the difference or, in the case of net share settlement, we would deliver to the applicable forward purchaser a number of shares of our common stock having a value equal to the difference. Thus, we could be responsible for a potentially substantial cash payment in the case of cash settlement.
In case of our bankruptcy or insolvency, any forward sale agreement then in effect will automatically terminate, and we would not receive the expected proceeds from such forward sale of shares of our common stock.
If we institute, or a regulatory authority with jurisdiction over us institutes, or we consent to, a proceeding seeking a judgment in bankruptcy or insolvency or any other relief under any bankruptcy or insolvency law or other similar law affecting creditors’ rights, or we or a regulatory authority with jurisdiction over us presents a petition for our winding-up or liquidation, or we consent to such a petition, then the August 2024 forward sale agreements and the ATM forward sale agreements in effect will automatically terminate. If any such forward sale agreement so terminates, then we would not be obligated to deliver to the relevant forward purchaser any shares of our common stock not previously delivered, and the relevant forward purchaser would be discharged from its obligation to pay the forward sale price per share in respect of any shares of our common stock not previously settled. Therefore, to the extent that there are any shares of our common stock with respect to which the relevant forward sale agreement has not been settled at the time of the commencement of any such bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, we would not receive the relevant forward sale price per share in respect of those shares of our common stock.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of the cash that we might receive from cash settlement of the forward sale agreements is unclear and could jeopardize our ability to meet the REIT qualification requirements.
In the event that we elect to settle any forward sale agreement for cash and the settlement price is below the applicable forward sale price, we would be entitled to receive a cash payment from the relevant forward purchaser. Under Section 1032 of the Internal Revenue Code, generally, no gains and losses are recognized by a corporation in dealing in its own shares, including pursuant to a “securities futures contract,” as defined in the Internal Revenue Code by reference to the Exchange Act. Although we believe that any amount received by us in exchange for our shares of our common stock would qualify for the exemption under Section 1032 of the Internal Revenue Code, because it is not entirely clear whether a forward sale agreement qualifies as a “securities futures contract,” the U.S. federal income tax treatment of any cash settlement payment we receive is uncertain. In the event that we recognize a significant gain from the cash settlement of a forward sale agreement, we might not be able to satisfy the gross income requirements applicable to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code. In that case, we may be able to rely upon the relief provisions under the Internal Revenue Code in order to avoid the loss of our REIT status. Even if the relief provisions apply, we will be subject to a 100% tax based upon the amount by which we fail to satisfy the particular gross income test. In the event that these relief provisions were inapplicable, we could lose our REIT status under the Internal Revenue Code.
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We may in the future enter into additional forward sale agreements that subject us to risks similar to those described above.
We may in the future enter into additional forward sale agreements under our “at-the-market” equity distribution program or otherwise. These forward sale agreements subject us to risks that are substantially similar to the risks described above in this section relating to forward sales agreements.
Risks Related to Our Debt
We may need to refinance existing debt or incur additional debt in the future, which may not be available on terms acceptable to us.
We operate with a policy of incurring debt when, in the opinion of our Board of Directors, it is advisable. Currently, we believe that our current liquidity, availability under our unsecured credit facility, potential proceeds from our ATM equity program and our capacity to service additional debt will enable us to meet our obligations, including dividends, and continue to make investments in healthcare real estate. We have a $700.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”), which was amended and restated on October 24, 2024 to extend the maturity date from March 2026 to October 2028, which may be further extended by us pursuant to (i) one or both of the two six-month extension options or (ii) one twelve-month extension option. In June 2023, we entered into a two -year term loan agreement providing for a $200.0 million term loan (the “2025 Term Loan”) bearing interest at a variable rate which is Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) based with a margin determined according to our credit ratings plus a 0.10% credit spread adjustment. In September 2024, we repaid $75.0 million of the private placement notes due September 2024 primarily with proceeds from the Credit Facility. We may incur additional debt by borrowing under our Credit Facility, mortgaging properties we own and/or issuing debt securities in a public offering or in a private transaction. As a result, as of January 31, 2025 we had approximately $1.2 billion in outstanding indebtedness and approximately $327.3 million available to draw under the Credit Facility. Our ability to raise reasonably priced capital is not guaranteed. We may be unable to raise reasonably priced capital because of reasons related to our business or for reasons beyond our control, such as market conditions and rising interest rates. If our access to capital becomes limited, it could have an impact on our ability to refinance our debt obligations, fund dividend payments, acquire properties and fund acquisition activities.
We have covenants related to our indebtedness which impose certain operational limitations and a breach of those covenants could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
The terms of our current indebtedness are, and debt instruments that the Company may enter into in the future may be, subject to customary financial and operational covenants. Among other things, these provisions require us to maintain certain financial ratios and minimum net worth and impose certain limits on our ability to incur indebtedness, create liens and make investments or acquisitions. Our continued ability to incur debt and operate our business is subject to compliance with these covenants, which limit operational flexibility. Breaches of these covenants could result in a default under applicable debt instruments, even if payment obligations are satisfied. Financial and other covenants that limit our operational flexibility, as well as defaults resulting from a breach of any of these covenants in our debt instruments, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Downgrades in our credit ratings could have a material adverse effect on our cost and availability of capital.
We plan to manage the Company to maintain a capital structure consistent with our current profile, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current credit ratings. Moody's Investors Services (“Moody's”) reaffirmed its Baa3 rating and “Stable” outlook on the Company on November 1, 2024; Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”) reaffirmed its BBB- and “Stable” outlook on the Company on April 5, 2024; and S&P Global Ratings (“S&P Global”) also reaffirmed its BBB- and “Stable” outlook on the Company on October 16, 2024. Any downgrades of ratings or changes to outlooks by any or all of the rating agencies could have a material adverse effect on our cost and availability of capital, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, liquidity, cash flows, the trading/redemption price of our securities and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to pay dividends and distributions to our equity holders.
We rely on external sources of capital to fund future capital needs, and if we encounter difficulty in obtaining such capital, we may not be able to make future investments necessary to grow our business or meet maturing commitments.
As a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code, we are required to, among other things, distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction or our net capital gain or loss) each year to our stockholders. Because of this distribution requirement, we may not be able to fund, from cash retained from operations, all
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future capital needs, including capital needed to make investments and to satisfy or refinance maturing commitments. As a result, we rely on external sources of capital, including debt and equity financing. If we are unable to obtain needed capital at all or only on unfavorable terms from these sources, we might not be able to make the investments needed to grow our business, or to meet our obligations and commitments as they mature, which could negatively affect the ratings of our debt and even, in extreme circumstances, affect our ability to continue operations. We may not be in a position to take advantage of future investment opportunities in the event that we are unable to access the capital markets on a timely basis or we are only able to obtain financing on unfavorable terms.
We depend on revenues derived mainly from fixed rate investments in real estate assets, while a portion of our debt used to finance those investments bears interest at variable rates, which subjects us to interest rate risk.
Our business model assumes that we can earn a spread between the returns earned from our investments in real estate as compared to our cost of debt and/or equity capital. Interest rates increased during 2022 and 2023 and, while they have decreased during 2024, they remain above levels prior to 2022. We are exposed to interest rate risk in the potential for a narrowing of our spread and profitability if interest rates increase in the future. Certain of our debt obligations are floating rate obligations with interest rates that vary with the movement of the SOFR or other indexes. Our revenues are derived mainly from fixed rate investments in real estate assets. Although our leases generally contain escalating rent clauses that provide a partial hedge against interest rate fluctuations, if interest rates rise, our interest costs for our existing floating rate debt and any new debt we incur would also increase. This increasing cost of debt could reduce our profitability by increasing the cost of financing our existing portfolio and our investment activity. Rising interest rates could limit our ability to refinance existing debt upon maturity or cause us to pay higher rates upon refinancing. We manage a portion of our exposure to interest rate risk by accessing debt with staggered maturities and through the use of derivative instruments, such as interest rate swap agreements with major financial institutions. Increased interest rates may also negatively affect the market price of our common stock and increase the cost of new equity capital.
Risks Related to Our Status as a REIT
We depend on the ability to continue to qualify for taxation as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
We intend to operate as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code and believe we have and will continue to operate in such a manner. In addition, we currently hold an interest in a Subsidiary REIT (and may in the future own or acquire additional interests in Subsidiary REITs). Since REIT qualification requires us to meet a number of complex requirements, it is possible that we (or our Subsidiary REIT) may fail to fulfill them. If we (or our Subsidiary REIT) fail to qualify as a REIT:
•we (or our Subsidiary REIT) will not be allowed a deduction for distributions to stockholders in computing our taxable income;
•we (or our Subsidiary REIT) will be subject to corporate-level income tax, on taxable income at regular corporate rates;
•we (or our Subsidiary REIT) could be subject to increased state and local income taxes;
•For tax years beginning after December 31, 2022, we (or our Subsidiary REIT) would possibly be subject to certain taxes enacted by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that are applicable to non-REIT corporations, including the nondeductible 1% excise tax on certain stock repurchases; and
•unless we (or our Subsidiary REIT) are entitled to relief under relevant statutory provisions, we (or our Subsidiary REIT, as applicable) will be disqualified from taxation as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which we (or our Subsidiary REIT, as applicable) fail to qualify as a REIT.
Because of all these factors, our (or our Subsidiary REIT’s) failure to qualify as a REIT could also impair our ability to expand our business and could materially adversely affect the value of our common stock. The present federal income tax treatment of REITs may be modified, possibly with retroactive effect, by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time, which could affect the federal income tax treatment of an investment in us. The federal income tax rules dealing with REITs are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and the U.S. Treasury Department, which results in statutory changes as well as frequent revisions to regulations and interpretations. Revisions in federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could affect or cause us to change our investments and commitments and affect the tax considerations of an investment in us.
There are no assurances of our ability to pay dividends in the future.
Our ability to pay dividends may be adversely affected upon the occurrence of any of the risks described herein. Our payment of dividends is subject to compliance with restrictions contained in our credit agreements, notes and any preferred
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stock that our Board of Directors may from time to time designate and authorize for issuance. All dividends will be paid at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our REIT status and such other factors as our Board of Directors may deem relevant from time to time. There are no assurances of our ability to pay dividends in the future. In addition, our dividends in the past have included, and may in the future include a return of capital.
Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive acquisition opportunities or liquidate otherwise attractive investments, which could materially hinder our performance.
To qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we (and any Subsidiary REIT of ours) must continually satisfy certain tests, including tests concerning the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders and the ownership of our stock. To meet these tests, we may be required to forgo investments or acquisitions we might otherwise make. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may materially hinder our performance.
We believe that the ownership and management of assets in our SHOP structures is in compliance with the REIT requirements; however; application of the REIT rules to such assets is complex, fact dependent and subject to interpretation. There can be no assurances that the IRS will agree with our characterization of these assets and if the IRS were to successfully contend that our SHOP structures do not meet the REIT requirements, all or a portion of the rent that we receive under these structures could be non-qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests. In such event, we may be required to rely on the REIT savings provisions under the Internal Revenue Code, reorganize our SHOP structures, or take such other steps to avoid incurring non-qualifying income, any of which could be at a significant financial cost.
Our ownership of and relationship with any TRS that we have formed or will form will be limited, and a failure to comply with the limits would jeopardize our REIT status and may result in the application of a 100% excise tax.
A REIT may own up to 100% of the stock of one or more TRSs. A TRS may earn income that would not be qualifying income if earned directly by its parent REIT. Both the subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS. A corporation (other than a REIT) of which a TRS directly or indirectly owns securities possessing more than 35% of the total voting power or total value of the outstanding securities of such corporation will automatically be treated as a TRS. Overall, no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s total assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs.
Rents received from a TRS in a RIDEA structure are treated as qualifying rents from real property for REIT tax purposes only if (i) they are paid pursuant to a lease of a “qualified healthcare property” and (ii) the operator qualifies as an “eligible independent contractor,” as defined in the Internal Revenue Code. If either of these requirements is not satisfied, then the rents will not be qualifying rents. The Internal Revenue Code also imposes a 100% excise tax on certain transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s length basis. Any domestic TRS that we form will pay U.S. federal, state and local income tax on its taxable income, and its after-tax net income will be available for distribution to us but is not required to be distributed to us unless necessary to maintain our REIT qualification.
Legislative, regulatory, or administrative tax changes could adversely affect us or our security holders.
The tax laws or regulations governing REITs or the administrative interpretations thereof may be amended at any time. We cannot predict if or when any new or amended law, regulation, or administrative interpretation will be adopted, promulgated, or become effective, and any such change may apply retroactively. Changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws, including the possibility of major tax legislation, could have a material and adverse effect on us or our security holders.
Investors are urged to consult with their tax advisors with respect to the status of any tax legislation and any other regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on investment in our securities.
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure
We have ownership limits in our charter with respect to our common stock and other classes of capital stock which may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.
Our charter, subject to certain exceptions, contains restrictions on the ownership and transfer of our common stock and preferred stock that are intended to assist us in preserving our qualification as a REIT. Our charter provides that any transfer that would cause NHI to be beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons or would cause NHI to be “closely held” under the Internal Revenue Code would be void, which, subject to certain exceptions, results in no person or entity being allowed to own,
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actually or constructively, more than 9.9% of the outstanding shares of our stock. Our Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may exempt a proposed transferee from the ownership limit and such an exemption has been granted through Excepted Holder Agreements to members of the Carl E. Adams family. Based on the Excepted Holder Agreements currently outstanding, the individual ownership limit for all other stockholders is approximately 7.5%. Our charter gives our Board of Directors broad powers to prohibit and rescind any attempted transfer in violation of the ownership limits. These ownership limits may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.
We are subject to certain provisions of Maryland law and our charter and bylaws that could hinder, delay or prevent a change in control transaction, even if the transaction involves a premium price for our common stock or our stockholders believe such transaction to be otherwise in their best interests.
The Maryland Business Combination Act provides that, unless exempted, a Maryland corporation may not engage in business combinations, including mergers, dispositions of 10% or more of its assets, issuances of shares of stock and other specified transactions with an “interested stockholder” or an affiliate of an interested stockholder for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder became an interested stockholder, and thereafter, unless specified criteria are met. An interested stockholder is generally a person owning or controlling, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting power of the outstanding stock of a Maryland corporation. Unless our Board of Directors takes action to exempt us, generally or with respect to certain transactions, from this statute in the future, the Maryland Business Combination Act will be applicable to business combinations between us and other persons. The Company’s charter and bylaws also contain certain provisions that could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or discouraging a third party from attempting to acquire, control of the Company. These provisions include a staggered Board of Directors, blank check preferred stock, and the application of Maryland corporate law provisions on business combinations and control shares. Such provisions could limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for the common stock. The foregoing matters may, together or separately, have the effect of discouraging or making more difficult an acquisition or change of control of the Company.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
Risk Management and Strategy
The Board of Directors recognizes the importance of maintaining the trust and confidence of our tenants/borrowers/operators and employees to safeguard sensitive information and the integrity of our information systems. We have systems in place to assess, identify and manage cybersecurity incidents and we invest in technology and third-party support to identify, mitigate, and quickly respond to cybersecurity incidents. We have maintained a strong focus on consistently reviewing our cybersecurity practices. We also conduct periodic information security and awareness training to ensure that employees are aware of information security risks and to enable them to take steps to mitigate those risks. As part of this program, we also take steps designed to provide appropriate guidance regarding security to our executive management and employees, including any employee who may come into possession of confidential financial information.
We have engaged the services of various third-party service providers to, among other things, review and evaluate our processes and procedures designed to control access to our information systems, perform penetration testing on our cybersecurity systems on a biannual basis, and provide regular information technology reviews based upon the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) Cybersecurity Framework. In addition, we contracted with a third-party managed detection and response security company (“MDR”) in the fourth quarter of 2023 to commence testing for cyber vulnerabilities on a continual basis.
In order to identify and mitigate cybersecurity threats related to our use of material third-party vendors, we conduct periodic reviews of internal controls of certain third-party service providers to assess their procedures to mitigate material security risks.
Board & Management Responsibilities
We have formed an Information Technology Steering Committee comprised of employees from multiple departments within the Company including the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”); the Chief Financial Officer; the Chief Accounting Officer; the Vice President, Controller; the Vice President, Investor Relations & Finance; and the Vice President of Human Resources and Compliance & Information Security Officer (“ISO”) to more effectively prevent, detect and respond to information security
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threats. The ISO has served in various roles in corporate compliance for over 20 years and reports directly to the Company’s CEO. To enhance our cybersecurity capabilities, we actively collaborate with third-party vendors. Notably, we engage a Managed Service Provider (“MSP”) and an MDR provider who specializes in cybersecurity issues. Our MSP plays a critical role in supporting our IT infrastructure, offering expertise and resources that complement our in-house capabilities. The MDR provides advanced cybersecurity solutions, including continuous monitoring and threat detection services, which are integral to our cybersecurity program.
The ISO is responsible for overseeing a company-wide information security strategy, including policy, standards, architecture, and processes, and managing many of the security services that run on personal computers and servers. The Audit Committee meets with the ISO at least annually to review and discuss the Company’s cyber risks and threats, incident responses, technology, the status of projects to strengthen the Company’s information security systems, assessments of the Company’s security program and the emerging threat landscape.
In the event of an incident that jeopardizes the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the information technology systems we use, we utilize a regularly updated information security incident response plan (“IRP”). The IRP is overseen by the Information Technology Steering Committee and sets forth the processes for containment, review, escalation, recovery from and remediation of any cybersecurity incidents identified by the Company. Pursuant to our IRP and its escalation protocols, designated personnel are responsible for assessing the severity of the incident and associated threat, containing the threat, remediating the threat, including recovery of data and access to systems, analyzing the reporting obligations associated with the incident, and performing post-incident analysis and program improvements. The IRP also specifies the approach to reporting findings and keeping senior management and other key stakeholders (including the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors for certain incidents) informed and involved as appropriate and specifies the use of third-party experts for legal advice, consulting and cyber incident response.
The Company periodically conducts cybersecurity “tabletop” exercises administered by an independent third-party in which members of a cross-functional team and relevant third-party vendors engage in simulated cybersecurity incident scenarios. These exercises are intended to provide hand-on training for the participants and assists the Company with assessing its processes and capabilities in addressing cybersecurity threats.
As of December 31, 2024, we have not experienced any material risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous cybersecurity incidents or threats, that have materially affected the business strategy, results of operations or financial condition of the Company or are reasonably likely to have such a material effect. We also maintain cyber liability insurance to help mitigate potential liabilities resulting from cyber issues. However, there can be no assurance that our cyber risk insurance coverage will be sufficient to cover incurred losses in the event of a cyber-attack.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.
PROPERTIES OWNED AS OF AND FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024 ($ in thousands)
Real Estate Investments SHOP Gross Net Operating
Location SHO SNF HOSP ILF Investment Income
Corporate office 2,583
Non-geographic — 50
Net operating income from properties sold — 8,788
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Net Interest
Location SHO SNF HOSP Investment Income
Current year note payoffs — 1,242
10-YEAR LEASE EXPIRATIONS
The following table provides additional information on our leases that are scheduled to expire based on the maturity contained in the most recent lease agreement or extension.
Annualized Percentage of
Number Number Gross Rent** Annualized
Year of Properties of Units/Beds ($ in thousands) Gross Rent
**Annualized Gross Rent refers to the amount of lease revenue that our portfolio would have generated in 2024 if all leases were in effect for the twelve-month calendar year, regardless of the commencement date, maturity date, or renewals.
The above table does not reflect purchase options. See Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements for discussion of purchase options.
The lease that expires in 2026 is the NHC lease, which covers three ILFs and 32 SNFs under a master lease. These facilities are leased to NHC under the terms of an amended master lease agreement that expires on December 31, 2026. There are two additional five-year renewal options at a fair rental value as negotiated between the parties. We have engaged Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors, a national advisory firm focused on skilled nursing and senior housing, to assist with underwriting, diligence, and market analysis with respect to the master lease renewal.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Healthcare facilities in our portfolio are subject to claims and suits in the ordinary course of business. Our managers, tenants and borrowers have indemnified, and are obligated to continue to indemnify us, against all liabilities arising from the operation of the facilities, and are further obligated to indemnify us against environmental or title problems affecting the real estate underlying such facilities. Such claims may include, among other things, professional liability and general liability claims, as well as regulatory proceedings related to our SHOP segment. While there may be lawsuits pending against us and certain of the
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managers, owners and/or tenants of the facilities, management believes that the ultimate resolution of all such pending proceedings will have no direct material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. See Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report for further discussion of the Company’s legal proceedings.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable
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PART II.
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.
The Company’s charter contains certain provisions which are designed to ensure that the Company’s status as a REIT is protected for federal income tax purposes. One of the provisions ensures that any transfer of shares which would cause NHI to be beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons or would cause NHI to be “closely-held” under the Internal Revenue Code would be void which, subject to certain exceptions, result in no stockholder being allowed to own, either directly or indirectly pursuant to certain tax attribution rules, more than 9.9% of the Company’s common stock with the exception of prior agreements entered into in 1991 which were confirmed in writing in 2008 with the Company’s founders Dr. Carl E. Adams and Jennie Mae Adams and their lineal descendants. Based on these agreements, the ownership limit for all other stockholders is approximately 7.5%. If a stockholder’s stock ownership exceeds the limit, then such shares over the limit become “Excess Shares” within the meaning in the Company’s charter and lose rights to vote and receive dividends in certain situations. Our charter gives our Board of Directors broad powers to prohibit and rescind any attempted transfer in violation of the ownership limits. In addition, W. Andrew Adams’ Excess Holder Agreement also provides that he will not own shares of stock in any tenant of the Company if such ownership would cause the Company to constructively own more than a 9.9% interest in such tenant. The purpose of these provisions is to protect the Company’s status as a REIT for tax purposes.
In order to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment accorded to a REIT, we must make distributions to holders of our common stock on an annual basis equal to at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (excluding net capital gains), as defined in the Internal Revenue Code. Cash available for distribution to our stockholders is primarily derived from rental payments received under our leases and from interest payments received on our mortgage and other notes receivable. All distributions will be made by us at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on our cash flow and earnings, our financial condition, covenants contained in our financing documents and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant. Our REIT taxable income is calculated without reference to our cash flow. Therefore, under certain circumstances, our required distributions may exceed the cash available for distribution.
Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NHI.” As of February 19, 2025, there were approximately 618 holders of record of shares and 59,262 beneficial owners of shares.
The following graph demonstrates the performance of the cumulative total return to the holders of our common stock during the previous five years in comparison to the cumulative total return on the MSCI US REIT Index and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index. The MSCI US REIT Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is comprised of equity REIT securities. The MSCI US REIT Index includes securities with exposure to core real estate (e.g. residential and retail properties), as well as securities with exposure to other types of real estate (e.g. casinos and theaters).
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The graph above is not deemed to be “soliciting material” and is “furnished” and shall not be deemed to be “filed” with the SEC or incorporated by reference in any filing under Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in any such filing.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
None.
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ITEM 6. RESERVED.
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
The following discussion and analysis is based primarily on the consolidated financial statements of National Health Investors, Inc. for the periods presented and should be read together with the notes thereto contained in this Annual Report. Other important factors are identified in “Item 1. Business” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors” above. This section of this Annual Report generally discusses 2024 and 2023 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2024 and 2023. Discussions of 2022 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2023 and 2022 that are not included in this Annual Report can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Executive Overview
National Health Investors, Inc., established in 1991 as a Maryland corporation, is a self-managed REIT specializing in sale-leaseback, joint venture, and mortgage and mezzanine financing of need-driven and discretionary senior housing and medical facility investments. We operate through two reportable segments: Real Estate Investments and SHOP. Our Real Estate Investments segment consists of real estate investments, leases, and mortgage and other notes receivable in ILFs, ALFs, EFCs, SLCs, SNFs and HOSPs. We fund our real estate investments primarily through: (1) operating cash flow, (2) debt offerings, including bank lines of credit and term debt, both unsecured and secured, and (3) the sale of equity securities. Our SHOP segment is comprised of two ventures that own the operations of 15 ILFs that provide residential living and other services for residents located throughout the United States that are operated on behalf of the Company by independent managers pursuant to the terms of separate management agreements that commenced April 1, 2022. The third-party managers, or related parties of the managers, own equity interests in the respective ventures.
Real Estate Investments
As of December 31, 2024, we had investments in real estate and mortgage and other notes receivable involving 188 facilities located in 31 states. These investments were comprised of 116 senior housing properties, 70 SNFs and two HOSPs, with an aggregate gross investment of approximately $2.6 billion, rented under primarily triple-net leases to 27 tenants, and with $289.2 million in aggregate carrying value of mortgage and other notes receivable, excluding an allowance for expected credit losses of $20.2 million, due from 17 borrowers.
We classify all of the properties in our Real Estate Investments segment as either senior housing or medical facilities. Because our leases represent different underlying revenue sources and result in differing risk profiles, we further classify our senior housing properties as either need-driven (ALFs and SLCs) or discretionary (ILFs and EFCs).
Senior Housing – Need-Driven includes ALFs and SLCs which primarily attract private payment for services from residents who require assistance with activities of daily living. Need-driven properties are subject to regulatory oversight.
Senior Housing – Discretionary includes ILFs and EFCs which primarily attract private payment for services from residents who are making the lifestyle choice of living in an age-restricted multi-family community that offers social programs, meals, housekeeping and in some cases access to healthcare services. Discretionary properties are subject to limited regulatory oversight. There is a correlation between demand for this type of community and the strength of the housing market.
Medical Facilities within our Real Estate Investments segment receive payment primarily from Medicare, Medicaid and health insurance. These properties include SNFs and HOSPs that attract patients who have a need for acute or complex medical attention, preventative medicine, or rehabilitation services. Medical properties are subject to state and federal regulatory oversight and, in the case of hospitals, Joint Commission accreditation.
Senior Housing Operating Portfolio
Effective April 1, 2022, 15 senior housing ILFs were transferred from a triple-net lease to two separate ventures comprising our SHOP segment. These ventures, consolidated by the Company, are structured to comply with REIT requirements and utilize the TRS for activities that would otherwise be non-qualifying for REIT purposes. The properties are operated by two third-party property managers in exchange for a management fee, and as such, we are not directly exposed to the credit risk of the property managers in the same manner or to the same extent as we are to our triple-net tenants. However, we rely on the property managers’ personnel, expertise, technical resources and information systems, proprietary information, good faith and judgment to manage our communities efficiently and effectively. We also rely on the property managers to set appropriate resident fees and otherwise operate our communities in compliance with the terms of our management agreements and all applicable laws
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and regulations. As of December 31, 2024, our SHOP segment consisted of 15 ILFs located in eight states with a combined 1,732 units.
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The following tables summarize our portfolio, excluding $2.6 million for our corporate office and a credit loss reserve of $20.2 million, as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024 ($ in thousands):
Real Estate Investments and SHOP
Properties Beds/Units NOI1 % Total Gross Investment
Real Estate Properties
Senior Housing - Need-Driven
Senior Housing - Discretionary
Medical Facilities
Mortgage and Other Notes Receivable
Current Year Note Payoffs 1,242 0.4 % —
SHOP
1Excludes Non-segment/Corporate NOI
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Portfolio Summary Properties NOI % Portfolio Gross Investment
Portfolio by Operator Type
Current Year Note Payoffs 1,091 0.4 %
As of December 31, 2024, our average effective annualized NOI for the lease properties in our Real Estate Investments segment was $9,917 per bed for SNFs, $14,315 per unit for SLCs, $17,627 per unit for ALFs, $8,281 per unit for ILFs, $21,633 per unit for EFCs, and $66,759 per bed for the HOSP. As of December 31, 2024, our average effective annualized NOI for the SHOP segment was $7,506 per unit.
Rent Concessions
During 2022, we granted approximately $9.3 million in rent concessions to tenants whose operations were adversely affected by COVID-19. These concessions were accounted for as variable lease payments, reducing rental income. Bickford accounted for $4.0 million of the concessions. There were no rent concessions accounted for as variable lease payments granted for the years ended December 31, 2024 or 2023.
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These accounting principles require us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, we reconsider and evaluate our estimates and assumptions. Management has discussed the development and selection of its critical accounting policies and estimates with the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
We base our estimates on historical experience, current trends and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
We consider an accounting estimate or assumption critical if:
1.the nature of the estimates or assumptions is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters or the susceptibility of such matters to change; and
2.the impact of the estimates and assumptions on financial condition or operating performance is material.
If actual experience differs from the assumptions and other considerations used in estimating amounts reflected in our consolidated financial statements, the resulting changes could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, liquidity and/or financial condition.
Our significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report. We believe the accounting estimates listed below are the most critical to fully understanding and evaluating our financial results, and require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments.
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Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, its wholly owned subsidiaries and subsidiaries in which we have a controlling interest. We also consolidate certain entities, known as variable interest entities (“VIEs”), when control of such entities can be achieved through means other than voting rights if the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of such entities. We make judgments about which entities are VIEs based on an assessment of whether (i) the total equity investment at risk is insufficient to finance that entity’s activities without additional subordinated financial support, (ii) as a group, the holders of the equity investment at risk do not have a controlling financial interest, or (iii) the equity investors have voting rights that are not proportional to their economic interests, and substantially all of the entity’s activities either involve, or are conducted on behalf of, an investor that has disproportionately few voting rights. Additionally, we make judgments with respect to our level of influence or control of an entity and whether we are the primary beneficiary of a VIE. These considerations include, but are not limited to, our power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance, the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the VIE that could be significant to the entity, and our ability and the rights of other investors to participate in policy making decisions, replace the manager and/or liquidate the entity. Our ability to correctly determine the primary beneficiary of a VIE at inception of our involvement impacts the presentation of these entities in our consolidated financial statements.
Real Estate Properties
Real property we develop is recorded at cost, including the capitalization of interest during construction. The cost of real property investments we acquire is allocated to net tangible and identifiable intangible assets and liabilities based on their relative fair values. We make estimates as part of our allocation of the purchase price of acquisitions to the various components of the acquisition based upon the fair value of each component. For properties acquired in transactions accounted for as asset purchases, the purchase price, which includes transaction costs, is allocated based on the relative fair values of the assets and liabilities acquired. Cost includes the amount of contingent consideration, if any, deemed to be probable at the acquisition date. Contingent consideration is deemed to be probable to the extent that a significant reversal in amounts recognized is not likely to occur when the uncertainty associated with the contingent consideration is subsequently resolved. The most significant components of our allocations are typically the allocation of fair value to land, equipment, buildings and other improvements, and intangible assets and liabilities, if any. Our estimates of the values of these components will affect the amount of depreciation and amortization we record over the estimated useful life of the property acquired or the remaining lease term. While we believe our assumptions are reasonable, changes in these assumptions may have a material impact on our financial results. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use for real estate allocation.
Impairments of Real Estate Properties
We evaluate the recoverability of the carrying values of our properties on a property-by-property basis. We review each property for recoverability when events or circumstances, including significant physical changes in the property, significant adverse changes in general economic conditions, reclassification of real estate property as held for sale, or significant deterioration of the underlying cash flows of the property, indicate that the carrying amount of the property may not be recoverable. The need to recognize an impairment charge is based on estimated undiscounted future cash flows from a property compared to the carrying value of that property. Accordingly, management’s evaluation requires judgment to determine the existence of indicators of impairment and estimates of undiscounted cash flows. If recognition of an impairment charge is necessary, it is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the property exceeds the fair value of the property. Refer to Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for more details.
There were no material changes in the accounting methodology we use to assess impairment charges during the year ended December 31, 2024. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded impairment charges of approximately $0.7 million related to one property within the Real Estate Investments segment.
Lease Classification
Lease accounting standards require that, for purposes of lease classification, we assess whether the lease, by its terms, transfers substantially all of the fair value of the asset under lease. This consideration will drive accounting for the alternative classifications among operating, sales-type, or direct financing types of leases. For classification purposes, we distinguish cash flows that follow under terms of the lease from those that will be derived, subsequent to the lease, from the ultimate disposition or re-deployment of the asset. From this segregation of the sources of cash flow, we are able to establish whether the lease is, in essence, a sale or financing based on it having transferred substantially all of the fair value of the leased asset. Accordingly, management’s projected residual values represent significant assumptions in our accounting for leases.
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While we do not incorporate residual value guarantees in our lease provisions, the contractual structure of other provisions provides a basis for expectations of realizable value from our properties, upon expiration of their lease terms. Additionally, we consider historical, demographic and market trends in developing our estimates. For each new lease, we discount our estimate of unguaranteed residual value and include this amount along with the stream of lease payments (also discounted) called for in the lease. We assess the stream of lease payments and the value deriving from eventual return of our property to establish whether the lease payments themselves comprise a return of substantially all of the fair value of the property under lease. We do not use a “bright line” in considering what constitutes “substantially all of the fair value,” but we undertake a more focused assessment when the lease payments approach 90% of the composition of all future cash flows expected from the asset.
We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to assess lease classifications.
Allowance for Credit Losses
For our mortgage and other notes receivable, we evaluate the estimated collectability of contractual loan payments amid general economic conditions on the basis of a like-kind pooling of our loans. We estimate credit losses over the entire contractual term of the instrument from the date of initial recognition of that instrument. In developing our expectation of losses, we will consider financial assets that share similar risk characteristics such as rate, age, type, location and adequacy of collateral on a collective basis. Other note investments which do not share common features will continue to be evaluated on an instrument-by-instrument basis.
The determination of fair value and whether a shortfall in operating revenues or the existence of operating losses is indicative of a loss in value involves significant judgment. Our estimates consider all available evidence including, as appropriate, the present value of the expected future cash flows discounted at market rates, general economic conditions and trends, the duration of the fair value deficiency, and any other relevant factors. When an economic downturn whose duration is expected to span a year or more is encountered, we consider projections about an expected economic recovery before we conclude that evidence of impairment exists. While we believe that the net carrying amounts of our mortgage and other notes receivable are realizable, it is possible that future events could require us to make significant adjustments or revisions to these estimates. For the year ended December 31, 2024, we recognized credit loss charges of $4.6 million. The credit loss reserve was increased by $3.6 million during the third quarter of 2024 related to the $14.5 million mezzanine loan due from SLM based upon further deterioration in SLM’s liquidity.
While we believe our assumptions are reasonable, changes in these assumptions may have a material impact on our financial results. Our model utilizes estimates of probability of default and loss given default. We review our assumptions and adjust these estimates accordingly on a quarterly basis. A 10% increase or decrease in either the probability of default or loss given default would result in an additional provision or recovery of approximately $2.0 million.
2024 Activity
The following summarizes significant activity that occurred for the year ended December 31, 2024:
•Completed new real estate investments of approximately $160.3 million, for which the consideration included the conversion of a $22.2 million construction loan.
•Completed new mortgage notes receivable investments of $61.2 million.
•Amended a mezzanine loan with Capital Funding Group, Inc. in November 2024. Pursuant to the terms of the amended agreement, the loan increased from $25.0 million to $50.0 million. The loan bears interest at an annual rate of 10.0% and matures December 31, 2028.
•Amended the leases with Senior Living to extend the maturity dates by two years and to provide up to $10.0 million of capital improvements on various properties.
•Reset the combined rent for the Bickford leased portfolio effective April 1, 2024 was reset to $34.5 million per year with nominal increases through April 1, 2026. As part of the related lease amendments, we agreed to fund up to $8.0 million of capital improvements on various properties.
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•Disposed of four facilities from our Real Estate Investments segment for aggregate net proceeds of $15.2 million, with an aggregate net real estate investment of $8.9 million.
•Transitioned three leased properties in our Real Estate Investments segment to new operators and wrote off to “Rental income” the straight-line rents receivable of approximately $1.6 million associated with two of the terminated leases.
•The SHOP segment NOI was $12.2 million.
•Amended and restated our unsecured revolving credit agreement in October 2024 to extend the maturity date of the Credit Facility to October 2028.
•Repaid $75.0 million of private placement notes.
•Partially settled our forward equity sale agreements, entered into August 2024, in the fourth quarter by issuing 1.8 million shares of common stock for net proceeds of $122.4 million.
•Issued 0.3 million shares of common stock in the fourth quarter through the ATM forward sale program with an average price of $75.22, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $20.0 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we completed or committed to the following real estate acquisitions and mortgage notes receivable investments within our Real Estate Investments segment ($ in thousands):
Date Properties Asset Class Amount
Real Estate Investments
Mortgage Note Investments
In June 2024, we acquired a 110-unit ALF located in Sussex, Wisconsin, from Encore Senior Living. The acquisition price was $32.1 million, including $0.1 million in closing costs, and the cancellation of an outstanding construction note receivable held by us of $22.2 million including interest. We added the facility to an existing master lease with Encore Senior Living for a term of 15 years at an initial lease rate of 8.25% and annual escalators of 2.21%.
In October 2024, we acquired a portfolio of ten assisted living and memory care communities located in North Carolina for a total purchase price of $121.0 million, excluding $0.3 million in closing costs. The 15-year master lease, which includes two five-year extension options, has an initial lease rate of 8.25% with fixed annual escalators of 2%. The master lease includes a $10.0 million earnout incentive which will be added to the respective lease base if funded.
In December 2024, we acquired an assisted living and memory care community located in Georgia for a total purchase price of $6.9 million, including $0.1 million in closing costs. We added the facility to an existing 10-year master lease, which includes two five-year extension options, at an initial lease rate of 8.5% with fixed annual escalators of 2%.
In February 2024, we funded $15.0 million on a mortgage note receivable with Carriage Crossing Senior Living Bloomington (“Carriage Crossing”), with an additional $2.0 million available to be funded contingent upon the performance of facility operations until March 31, 2027. The five-year loan agreement provides for an annual interest rate of 8.75% and two one-year extensions with an option for the Company to purchase the facility after February 2026
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In June 2024, we funded $9.5 million on a mortgage note receivable secured by two facilities with Compass Senior Living, LLC. The five-year loan agreement provides for an annual interest rate of 8.5% with an option for the Company to purchase one or both facilities after July 2026.
In August 2024, we entered into an agreement to fund up to $27.7 million on a construction loan with TST Lake City IRF, LLC for the development of an in-patient rehabilitation facility to be located in Lake City, Florida. The four-year loan agreement provides for an annual interest rate of 9.0% and two one-year extensions. As of December 31, 2024, $7.4 million was outstanding on the loan.
In November 2024, we amended a mezzanine loan with Capital Funding Group, Inc. Pursuant to the terms of the related amended loan agreement, the loan balance increased from $25.0 million to $50.0 million. The loan bears interest at an annual rate of 10.0% and matures on December 31, 2028.
In December 2024, we provided aggregate financing to affiliates of Mainstay Healthcare in connection with its acquisition of an SLC, of approximately $9.4 million, net of discounts, in the form of mortgage and other notes receivable, which is included in net proceeds. See “2024 Assets Dispositions” table below.
2025 Acquisitions and New Leases of Real Estate
In January 2025, we acquired a 109-unit assisted living and memory care community in Montrose, Colorado. The acquisition price was $21.2 million, including $0.2 million in closing costs. The 10-year lease, which includes two five-year extension options, has an initial lease rate of 8.0% with fixed annual escalators of 2%.
Asset Dispositions
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we completed the following real estate property dispositions within our Real Estate Investments segment ($ in thousands):
1Total aggregate impairment charges previously recognized on the property were $0.7 million and $1.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
2The Company provided aggregate financing of approximately $9.4 million, net of discounts, on the transaction in the form of mortgage and notes receivable, which is included in net proceeds.
Total rental income related to the disposed properties was $1.3 million, $2.6 million and $1.0 million for years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Assets Held for Sale and Long-Lived Assets
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded impairment charges of approximately $0.7 million for one property sold in the fourth quarter of 2024 in our Real Estate Investments segment. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded impairment charges of approximately $1.6 million for four properties of which $0.5 million related to three properties either sold or classified as assets held for sale in our Real Estate Investments segment. Impairment charges are included in “Loan and realty losses, net” in the Consolidated Statements of Income.
We lease a SLC that is subject to an outstanding purchase and sale agreement which provides for the tenant to acquire the property for approximately $38.5 million. The purchase and sale agreement, as amended, expires in June 2025. The property continues to be classified as held and used and is leased pursuant to the existing triple-net lease that generates approximately $2.8 million in annual rent and expires in July 2027. The property will be reclassified to assets held for sale when the sale becomes probable, including when the tenant demonstrates its ability to obtain sufficient financing to close on the sale of the
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property within the terms of the purchase and sale agreement. The property had a net investment of $19.1 million as of December 31, 2024.
Tenant Purchase Options
Certain of our leases contain purchase options allowing tenants to acquire the leased properties. A summary of these tenant options is presented below ($ in thousands):
Asset Number of Lease 1st Option Option Contractual Rent For Year Ended
Type Properties Expiration Open Year Basis1 December 31, 2024
1 Tenant purchase options generally give the lessee an option to purchase the underlying property for consideration determined by (i) a fixed base price plus a specified share in any appreciation; (ii) a fixed base price; or (iii) a fixed minimum internal rate of return on our investment.
We cannot reasonably estimate at this time the probability that any purchase options will be exercised in the future. Consideration to be received from the exercise of any tenant purchase option is expected to exceed our net investment in the leased property or properties.
Other
Our leases for real estate are typically structured as “triple-net leases” on single-tenant properties having an initial leasehold term of 10 to 15 years with one or more five-year renewal options. As such, there may be reporting periods in which we experience few, if any, lease renewals or expirations. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we did not have any significant renewing or expiring leases. Most of our existing leases contain annual escalators in rent payments. For financial statement purposes, rental income is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.
Tenant Transitions
In addition to the ALF previously leased to SLM that was transitioned as discussed below, we transitioned an SNF in Wisconsin and an ALF in Alabama to new operators in 2024. We wrote off to “Rental income” the straight-line rents receivable of approximately $1.6 million associated with two of the terminated leases.
Tenant Concentration
As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report, we have three tenants (including their affiliated entities, which are the legal tenants) from whom we individually derive at least 10% of our total revenues.
Cash Basis Operators
We had three operators on the cash basis of accounting for revenue recognition for their leasing arrangements based on our assessment of each tenant’s ability to satisfy its contractual obligations as of December 31, 2024. Cash rents received from these tenants for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 were as follows ($ in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
Total cash rent received from cash basis operators $ 49,981 $ 45,796 $ 35,331
1Excludes $2.5 million and $3.0 million of rental income related to the reduction of rent deferrals recognized in connection with the acquisition of two ALFs located in Virginia from Bickford for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
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2Excludes the impact of write-offs of $18.1 million in total straight-line rents receivable and $7.1 million of lease incentives during the year ended December 31, 2022.
3Excludes the impact of write-offs of $9.0 million in total straight-line rents receivable during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Included in rental income are amounts received from prior rent deferrals granted to cash basis tenants totaling $9.0 million, $2.8 million and $0.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Senior Living Management
In 2022, we converted the four properties leased to SLM to the cash basis of accounting. In late September 2024, SLM notified us that ongoing liquidity constraints raised doubts about SLM’s ability to sustain its operations and pay its contractual rent and interest obligations prospectively. In the fourth quarter of 2024, one property was transitioned to a new operator under a new lease agreement, as previously planned, one property classified as assets held for sale in 2023 was sold, and the remaining two leased properties with a net book value of $6.8 million as of December 31, 2024, were transitioned pursuant to interim management agreements and were subsequently transitioned to the interim manager pursuant to a new triple-net lease in January 2025.
Total cash rent received from SLM recognized for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 was $2.7 million, $5.4 million and $3.7 million, respectively. Reference Note 4 for further discussion on the two non-performing notes receivable from SLM.
Occupancy
The following table summarizes the average portfolio occupancy for Senior Living, Bickford and SHOP for the periods indicated, excluding development properties in operation less than 24 months, notes receivable, and properties transitioned to new tenants or disposed of.
1All prior periods restated for the sale of an ALF in Indiana that occurred in October 2024.
2Includes the Chesapeake, Virginia building which opened in the second quarter of 2022. NHI exercised its purchase option in February 2023.
Tenant Monitoring
Our operators report to us the results of their operations on a periodic basis, which we in turn subject to further analysis as a means of monitoring potential concerns within our portfolio. We have identified EBITDARM (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, rent and management fees) as a primary performance measure for our tenants, based on results they have reported to us. We believe EBITDARM is useful in our most fundamental analyses, as it is a property-level measure of an operator’s success, by eliminating the effects of the operator’s method of acquiring the use of its assets (interest and rent), its non-cash expenses (depreciation and amortization), and expenses that are dependent on its level of success (income taxes), and also excluding the effect of the operator’s payment of its management fees, as typically those fees are contractually subordinate to our lease payment. For operators of our EFCs, our calculation of EBITDARM includes other cash flow adjustments typical of the industry which may include, but are not limited to, net cash flows from entrance fees; amortization of deferred entrance fees; adjustments for tenant rent obligations; and management fee true-ups. The eliminations and adjustments reflect covenants in our leases and provide a comparable basis for assessing our various relationships.
We believe that EBITDARM is a useful way to analyze the cash potential of a group of assets. From EBITDARM we calculate a coverage ratio (EBITDARM/cash rent), measuring the ability of the operator to meet its monthly obligation. In addition to EBITDARM and the coverage ratio, we rely on a careful balance sheet analysis, and other analytical procedures to help us identify potential areas of concern relative to our operators’ ability to generate sufficient liquidity to meet their obligations, including their obligation to continue to pay the amount due to us. Typical among our operators is a varying lag in reporting to us the results of their operations. Across our portfolio, however, our operators report their results, typically within
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either 30 or 45 days and at the latest, within 90 days of month’s end. For computational purposes, we exclude mortgage and other notes receivable, and development and lease-up properties that have been in operation less than 24 months. For stabilized acquisitions in the portfolio less than 24 months and renewing leases with changes in scheduled rent, we include pro forma cash rent. Same-store portfolio coverage excludes properties that have transitioned operators in the past 24 months or assets subsequently sold except as noted.
The results of our coverage ratio analysis are presented below on a trailing twelve-month basis, as of September 30, 2024 and 2023 (the most recent periods available).
NHI Real Estate Investments Portfolio1
Property Type SHO SNF MEDICAL NON-SNF TOTAL
Customers NHC2 Senior Living3 Bickford3
1All tables based on trailing 12 months; excludes transitioned properties under cash-flow based leases, loans, and mortgages; excludes development and lease up properties in operation less than 24 months; and includes proforma cash rent for stabilized acquisitions in the portfolio less than 24 months.
2 NHC Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio and displayed occupancies are on corporate-level. The occupancies are for the SNF portfolio only as can be seen in NHC’s public filings.
3 There are no longer any significant paycheck protection program funds included in any of the coverages above. Senior Living operates nine discretionary CCRC properties and one need-driven assisted living community. Bickford pro forma coverages at the increased rent, effective April 2024, are 1.63x for the trailing twelve months ending September 30, 2024 and 1.41x for the trailing twelve months ending September 20, 2023.
Coverage ratios may include amounts provided by state and federal government programs to support businesses, including healthcare providers, that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds were largely distributed in 2020 and 2021 and as such do not substantially impact the reported coverage ratios.
Fluctuations in portfolio coverage are a result of market and economic trends, local market competition, and regulatory factors as well as the operational success of our tenants. We use the results of individual leases to inform our decision making with respect to specific tenants, but trends described above by property type and operator bear analysis. For many of the affected operators, as is typical of our portfolio in general, NHI has security deposits in place and/or corporate guarantees should actual cash rental shortfalls eventually materialize. In certain instances, our operators may increase their security deposits with us in an amount equal to the coverage shortfall, and, upon subsequent compliance with the required lease
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coverage ratio, the operator would then be entitled to a full refund. The sufficiency of credit enhancements (e.g. tenant deposits and guarantees) as a protection against economic downturn will be a focus as we monitor economic and financial conditions. The metrics presented in the tables above give no effect to the presence of these security deposits.
Other Portfolio Activity
Real Estate and Mortgage Write-downs
In addition to inflation risk and increased interest rates, our borrowers and tenants experience periods of significant financial pressures and difficulties similar to those encountered by other healthcare providers.
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had three loans designated as non-performing including a mortgage note receivable of $10.0 million and a mezzanine loan of $14.5 million due from affiliates of SLM. As of December 31, 2023, we had designated an additional mortgage note receivable of $2.1 million, due from Bickford, as non-performing. In the fourth quarter of 2024, we received $0.7 million to settle this mortgage note receivable upon sale of the underlying property securing the loan. We executed a new unsecured loan with Bickford for the remaining balance of the mortgage loan of approximately $1.4 million, on which we maintain a full reserve.
We have established a reserve for estimated credit losses of $20.2 million and a liability of $0.1 million for estimated credit losses on unfunded loan commitments as of December 31, 2024. The provision for expected credit losses, reflected in “Loan and realty losses, net” on the Consolidated Statements of Income, totaled $4.64 million, $(0.3) million and $10.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We evaluate the reserves for estimated credit losses on a quarterly basis and make adjustments based on current circumstances as considered necessary.
Our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024 reflect impairment charges of our long-lived assets of approximately $0.7 million. We reduced the carrying value of any impaired properties to estimated fair values, or with respect to the properties classified as held for sale, to estimated fair value less estimated transactions costs. We have no significant intangible assets currently recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2024, that would require assessment for impairment.
We believe that the carrying amounts of our real estate properties are recoverable and that mortgage and other notes receivables, net of reserves, are realizable and supported by the value of the underlying collateral. However, it is possible that future events could require us to make additional significant adjustments to these carrying amounts. Refer to Notes 3 and 4 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for more information.
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Results of Operations
The significant items affecting revenues and expenses are described below ($ in thousands):
Years Ended
December 31, Period Change
Revenues:
Rental income
ALFs leased to Spring Arbor 2,302 — 2,302 NM
Interest income from mortgage and other notes receivable
Expenses:
Depreciation
Gain on operations transfer, net — 20 (20) (100.0) %
Loss on early retirement of debt — (73) 73 (100.0) %
Gain on forward equity sale agreement, net 6,261 — 6,261 NM
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Add: net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests 1,346 1,273 73 5.7 %
NM - not meaningful
Financial highlights for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to 2023, were as follows:
•Rental income recognized from our tenants increased $7.8 million, or 3.1%, primarily as a result of an increase in rent received from cash basis tenants of approximately $4.2 million, an increase in NHC’s percentage rent and new investments funded since December 2023, partially offset by properties disposed of since December 2023. Included in rental income for the year ended December 31, 2024 is a write-off of a straight-line rents receivable of approximately $1.6 million related to the termination and re-tenanting of two properties. See Note 3 to the condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.
•Resident fees and services less senior housing operating expenses increased $2.9 million, or 32%, primarily due to increased revenues from higher occupancy in our SHOP segment in the current period. See Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.
•Funds received for reimbursement of property operating expenses totaled $11.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and are reflected as a component of rental income. These property operating expenses are recognized in operating expenses in the line item “Taxes and insurance on leased properties” in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The decrease in the reimbursement income and corresponding property expenses is the result of decreased amounts received from tenants and expenses paid on their behalf in the current year.
•Interest income from mortgage and other notes receivable increased $1.8 million, or 8.4%, primarily due to new and existing loan fundings, net of paydowns on loans.
•Depreciation expense increased $1.5 million, or 2.1%, primarily as a result of acquisitions of approximately $160.3 million since December 31, 2023.
•Interest expense increased $1.7 million, or 3.0%, primarily due to higher average interest rates and borrowings on the Credit Facility, offset by partial repayments on term loans.
•Franchise, excise and other taxes decreased $0.4 million due to the timing of $0.5 million in refunds received.
•Loan and realty losses, net increased $3.9 million primarily associated with the increase of the credit loss reserve of $4.6 million and real estate impairment charges of $0.7 million on one property in our Real Estate Investments segment for the year ended December 31, 2024, as described under the heading “Assets Held for Sale and Impairments of Long-Lived Assets” in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded impairment charges on four real estate properties of $1.6 million and the credit loss reserve was decreased by $0.3 million.
•Gains on sales of real estate decreased $8.0 million, for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the prior year. For the year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded $6.7 million in gains primarily from dispositions of real estate assets as described under “Asset Dispositions” in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we sold 12 properties generating gains on sales of real estate totaling $14.7 million.
•Gain on forward equity sale agreement, net of $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, represents the period a forward sale agreement under our ATM equity program did not qualify for equity treatment in accordance with ASC 815-40.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
At December 31, 2024, we had $368.8 million available to draw on our $700.0 million unsecured revolving Credit Facility, $24.3 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, the ability to access approximately $64.9 million of undrawn net proceeds through forward sale agreements executed in August 2024, and the potential to access $480.0 million through the issuance of common stock under the Company’s ATM equity program. In addition, the Company maintains an effective automatic shelf registration statement through which capital could be raised via the issuance of debt and/or equity securities.
Sources and Uses of Funds
Our primary sources of cash include rent payments, receipts from residents, principal and interest payments on mortgage and other notes receivable, proceeds from the sales of real property, net proceeds from offerings of equity securities and borrowings from our loans and Credit Facility. Our primary uses of cash include debt service payments (both principal and interest), new investments in real estate and notes receivable, dividend distributions to our stockholders, operating expenses for SHOP and general corporate overhead.
These sources and uses of cash are reflected in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as summarized below ($ in thousands):
Year Ended One Year Change
NM - Not Meaningful
Operating Activities – Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2024, which includes new investments completed, the SHOP ventures, lease payment collections arising from escalators on existing leases and interest payments on new real estate and note investments completed, increased $23.3 million from the year ended December 31, 2023.
Investing Activities – Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was comprised primarily of $218.3 million of investments in mortgage and other notes receivable and renovations and acquisitions of real estate and equipment, offset by the collection of principal on mortgage and other notes receivable of $19.4 million and proceeds from the sales of real estate of approximately $6.2 million.
Financing Activities – Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 differs from the same period in 2023 primarily as a result of an increase of approximately $142.4 million in proceeds from equity offering, an approximately $23.2 million increase in net borrowings, and a decrease of $1.8 million in proceeds from noncontrolling interests, offset by an increase in debt issuance cost of $0.7 million and an increase of $0.9 million in equity issuance costs.
Debt Obligations
As of December 31, 2024, we had outstanding net debt of $1.1 billion. Reference Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional information about our outstanding indebtedness. Also, reference “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” in this Annual Report for more details on our indebtedness and the impact of interest rate risk.
Credit Facility - We have a $700.0 million unsecured revolving Credit Facility, which was amended and restated on October 24, 2024 to extend the maturity date from March 2026 to October 2028, which may be further extended by us pursuant to (i) one or both of the two six-month extension options or (ii) one twelve-month extension option. Borrowings under the Credit Facility bear interest, at our election, at one of the following (a) Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) (plus a credit spread adjustment) plus a margin ranging from 0.725% to 1.40%, (b) Daily SOFR (plus a credit spread adjustment) plus a margin ranging from 0.725% to 1.40% or (c) the base rate plus a margin ranging from 0.00% to 0.40%. In each election, the actual margin is determined according to our credit ratings. The base rate means, for any day, a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest of (x) the agent’s prime rate, (y) the federal funds rate on such day plus 0.50% or (z) the adjusted Term SOFR for
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a one-month tenor in effect on such day plus 1.0%. In addition, the Credit Facility requires a facility fee equal to 0.125% to 0.30%, based on our credit rating on the $700.0 million committed capacity, without regard to usage. We expensed approximately, $0.2 million of unamortized loan costs and incurred approximately $3.6 million in costs capitalized related to the Credit Facility during the year ended December 31, 2024.
The Credit Facility requires that we calculate specified financial statement metrics and meet or exceed a variety of financial ratios, which are usual and customary in nature. These ratios are calculated quarterly and as of December 31, 2024, we were within required limits. The calculation of our leverage ratio involves intermediate determinations of our “total indebtedness” and of our “total asset value,” as defined in the Credit Facility.
We have a $200.0 million term loan (the “2025 Term Loan”) that matures in June 2025 and bears interest at a variable rate which is SOFR-based with a margin determined according to our credit ratings plus a 0.10% credit spread adjustment. Concurrently with the amendment and restatement of the Credit Facility, we amended the terms of the term loan agreement for the 2025 Term Loans to, among other things, modify the representations, covenants, financial covenants, and events of default to align with the same provisions in the Credit Facility.