Item 1A – Risk Factors
This section discusses material risk factors that may affect our business, operations and financial condition. It does not describe all risks and uncertainties applicable to us, our industry or ownership of our securities. If any of the following risks, or any other risks and uncertainties that are not addressed below or that we have not yet identified, actually occur, we could be materially adversely affected and the value of our securities could decline.
Risks Related to the Operators of Our Facilities
Our financial position could be weakened and our ability to make distributions and fulfill our obligations with respect to our indebtedness could be limited if our operators, or a portion thereof, become unable to meet their obligations to us or fail to renew or extend their relationship with us as their lease terms expire or their mortgages mature, or if we become unable to lease or re-lease our facilities or make mortgage loans on economically favorable terms. We have no operational control over our operators.
The bankruptcy or insolvency of our operators could limit or delay our ability to recover on our investments.
We are exposed to the risk that a distressed or insolvent operator may not be able to meet its lease, loan, mortgage or other obligations to us or other third parties. This risk is heightened during a period of economic or political instability. Although each of our lease and loan agreements typically provides us with the right to terminate, evict an operator, foreclose on our collateral, demand immediate payment and exercise other remedies upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of an operator, title 11 of the U.S. Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) would limit or, at a minimum, delay our ability to collect unpaid pre-bankruptcy rents and mortgage payments and to pursue other remedies against a bankrupt operator. While we sometimes have third-party guarantees of an operator’s lease or loan obligations, such guarantees can be expensive to enforce, and have their own risks of collection as against the guarantors.
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Leases. A bankruptcy filing by one of our lessee operators would typically prevent us from collecting unpaid pre-bankruptcy rents or evicting the operator, absent approval of the bankruptcy court. The Bankruptcy Code provides a lessee with the option to assume or reject an unexpired lease within certain specified periods of time. Generally, a lessee is required to pay all rent that becomes payable between the date of its bankruptcy filing and the date of the assumption or rejection of the lease (although such payments will likely be delayed as a result of the bankruptcy filing). If one of our lessee operators chooses to assume its lease with us, the operator must promptly cure all monetary defaults existing under the lease (including payment of unpaid pre-bankruptcy rents) and provide adequate assurance of its ability to perform its future lease obligations. Even where a lessee operator assumes its lease with us, it will first often threaten to reject that lease to obtain better lease terms from us, and we sometimes have to consider making, or we do make, such economic concessions to avoid rejection of the lease and our taking a closed facility back. If one of our lessee operators opts to reject its lease with us, we would have a claim against such operator for unpaid and future rents payable under the lease, but such claim would be subject to a statutory “cap” under the Bankruptcy Code, and would likely result in a recovery substantially less than the face value of such claim. Although the operator’s rejection of the lease would permit us to recover possession of the leased facility, we would likely face losses, costs and delays associated with repairs and/or maintenance of the facility and then re-leasing the facility to a new operator, or costs associated with selling the facility. In any event, re-leasing a facility or selling it could take a material amount of time, and the pool of interested and qualified tenants or buyers will be limited due to the unique nature of our properties, which may depress values and our eventual recovery. Finally, whether a lease operator in bankruptcy ends up assuming or rejecting our lease, we will incur legal and collection costs, which can be difficult or impossible to recover.
Several other factors could impact our rights under leases with bankrupt operators. First, the operator could seek to assign its lease with us to a third party. The Bankruptcy Code disregards anti-assignment provisions in leases to permit the assignment of unexpired leases to third parties (provided all monetary defaults under the lease are promptly cured and the assignee can demonstrate its ability to perform its obligations under the lease). Second, in instances in which we have entered into a master lease agreement with an operator that operates more than one facility, the bankruptcy court could determine that the master lease was comprised of separate, divisible leases (each of which could be separately assumed or rejected), rather than a single, integrated lease (which would have to be assumed or rejected in its entirety). Finally, the bankruptcy court could re-characterize our lease agreement as a disguised financing arrangement, which could require us to receive bankruptcy court approval to foreclose or pursue other remedies with respect to the facility.
Mortgages. A bankruptcy filing by an operator to which we have made a loan secured by a mortgage would typically prevent us from collecting unpaid pre-bankruptcy mortgage payments and foreclosing on our collateral, absent approval of the bankruptcy court. As an initial matter, we could ask the bankruptcy court to order the operator to make periodic payments or provide other financial assurances to us during the bankruptcy case (known as “adequate protection”), but the ultimate decision regarding “adequate protection” (including the timing and amount of any “adequate protection” payments) rests with the bankruptcy court. In addition, we would need bankruptcy court approval before commencing or continuing any foreclosure action against the operator’s collateral (including a facility). The bankruptcy court could withhold such approval, especially if the operator can demonstrate that the facility or other collateral is necessary for an effective reorganization and that we have a sufficient “equity cushion” in the facility or that we are otherwise protected from any diminution in value of the collateral. If the bankruptcy court does not either grant us “adequate protection” or permit us to foreclose on our collateral, we may not receive any loan payments until after the bankruptcy court confirms a plan of reorganization for the operator. In addition, in any bankruptcy case of an operator to which we have made a loan, the operator may seek bankruptcy court approval to pay us (i) over a longer period of time than the terms of our loan, (ii) at a different interest rate, and/or (iii) for only the value of the collateral, instead of the full amount of the loan. Finally, even if the bankruptcy court permits us to foreclose on the facility, we would still be subject to the losses, costs and other risks associated with a foreclosure sale, including possible successor liability under government programs, indemnification obligations and suspension or delay of third-party payments. Should such events occur, our income and cash flow from operations would be adversely affected.
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Failure by our operators to comply with government regulations may adversely impact their ability to make debt or lease payments to us.
Our operators are subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations in the U.S. and, for certain operators, in the U.K., including those described in Item 1. Business – Government Regulation and Reimbursement. Laws and regulations impacting our operators include, without limitation, those relating to reimbursement (including Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement programs in the U.S.), quality of care initiatives, licensing and certification of our operators, fraud and abuse laws and regulations, privacy and security laws. Other federal, state and local laws and regulations also affect how our operators conduct their operations. We cannot predict the effect that the costs of complying with these laws may have on the revenues of our operators, and thus their ability to meet their obligations to us. In addition, requirements applicable to our operators are subject to frequent and substantial changes (sometimes applied retroactively) resulting from new legislation, adoption of rules and regulations, and administrative and judicial interpretations of existing law, and any changes in the regulatory framework could have a material adverse effect on our tenants, operators, guarantors and managers. Any of these changes may be more pronounced following federal and state leadership changes and particularly following a change in presidential administrations. The ultimate timing or effect of these changes cannot be predicted. These changes may have a dramatic effect on our operators’ costs of doing business and on the amount of reimbursement by both government and other third-party payors. The failure of any of our operators to comply with these laws, requirements and regulations could adversely affect their ability to meet their obligations to us. If we fail to effectively implement or appropriately adjust our operational and strategic initiatives with respect to the implementation of new laws and regulations, or do not do so as effectively as our competitors, our results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Our U.S. operators depend on reimbursement from governmental and other third-party payors, and reimbursement rates from such payors may be reduced or modified, including through reductions to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Changes in the reimbursement rate or methods of payment from governmental and other third-party payors, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, or the implementation of other measures to reduce reimbursements for services provided by our operators has in the past, and could in the future, result in a substantial reduction in our operators’ revenues and operating margins. Reimbursement from governmental and other third-party payors could be reduced as part of spending cuts and tax reform initiatives that impact Medicare, Medicaid or Medicare Advantage Plans, or as part of retroactive adjustments during claims settlement processes or as a result of post-payment audits. Further, alternative payment models, as well as other regulatory initiatives, have the potential to affect Medicare payments to SNFs, including, but not limited to, provisions changing the payment methodology, setting reimbursement caps, implementing value-based purchasing and payment bundling, and studying the appropriateness of restrictions on payments for healthcare acquired conditions. In some cases, states have enacted or are considering enacting measures designed to reduce Medicaid expenditures or freeze Medicaid rates, to allocate funding available for reimbursement away from SNFs in favor of home health agencies and community-based care, and to make changes to private healthcare insurance. Several commercial payors have expressed an intent to pursue certain value-based purchasing models and initiatives. Since our operators’ profit margins on Medicaid patients are generally relatively low, more than modest reductions in Medicaid reimbursement to our SNF operators and an increase in the number of Medicaid patients could place some operators in financial distress, which in turn could adversely affect us. If funding for Medicare and/or Medicaid is reduced, it could have a material adverse effect on our operators’ results of operations and financial condition, which could adversely affect our operators’ ability to meet their obligations to us. Significant limits on the scope of services reimbursed and on reimbursement rates, as well as changes in reimbursement policies or other measures altering payment methodologies for services provided by our operators, could have a material adverse effect on our operators’ results of operations and financial condition, which could cause the revenues of our operators to decline and negatively impact their ability to meet their obligations to us.
We may be unable to find a replacement operator for one or more of our leased properties.
From time to time, we need to find a replacement operator for one or more of our leased properties for a variety of reasons, including upon the expiration of the lease term or the occurrence of an operator default. While we are attempting to locate one or more replacement operators, we sometimes experience and may in the future experience a decrease or cessation of rental payments on the applicable property or properties. We cannot assure you that any of our current or future operators will elect to renew their respective leases with us upon expiration of the terms thereof. Similarly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a suitable replacement operator or, if we are successful in locating a replacement operator, that the rental payments from the new operator would not be significantly less than the existing rental payments. Our ability to locate a suitable replacement operator may be significantly delayed or limited by various state licensing, receivership, certificate of need or other laws, as well as by Medicare and Medicaid change-of-ownership rules. We also may incur substantial additional expenses in connection with any such licensing, receivership or change-of-ownership proceedings. Any such delays, limitations and expenses could materially delay or impact our ability to collect rent, obtain possession of leased properties or otherwise exercise remedies for default.
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Our operators may be subject to significant legal actions that could result in their increased operating costs and substantial uninsured liabilities, which may affect their ability to meet their obligations to us; and we may become party to such legal actions.
Our operators may be subject to claims for damages relating to the services that they provide. While we are unable to predict the scope of future federal, state and local regulations and legislation, including the Medicare and Medicaid statutes and regulations, we believe that long-term care providers will continue to be the focus of governmental investigations, particularly in the area of Medicare/Medicaid false claims and in the use of COVID-19 related funds and compliance with infection control and quality standards. We can give no assurance that the insurance coverage maintained by our operators will cover all claims made against them or continue to be available at a reasonable cost, if at all. In some states, insurance coverage for the risk of punitive damages arising from professional and general liability claims and/or litigation may not, in certain cases, be available to operators due to state law prohibitions or limitations of availability. As a result, our operators operating in these states may be liable for punitive damage awards that are either not covered or are in excess of their insurance policy limits.
Any adverse determination in a legal proceeding or governmental investigation, whether currently asserted or arising in the future, could have a material adverse effect on an operator’s financial condition and its ability to meet its obligations to us, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
In addition, we may in some circumstances be named as a defendant in litigation involving the services provided by our operators. In the past, we and several of our wholly-owned subsidiaries have been named as defendants in professional liability and general liability claims related to our owned and operated facilities, and we could be named as defendants in similar suits in the future. In these suits, patients of our operators have alleged significant damages, including punitive damages, against the defendants. Although we generally have no involvement in the services provided by our operators, and our standard lease and loan agreements generally require our operators to indemnify us and carry insurance to cover us in certain cases, a significant judgment against us in such litigation could exceed our and our operators’ insurance coverage, which would require us to make payments to cover the judgment.
Increased competition as well as increased operating costs result in lower revenues for some of our operators and may affect the ability of our operators to meet their obligations to us.
The long-term healthcare industry is highly competitive, and we expect that it may become more competitive in the future. Our operators are competing with numerous other companies providing similar healthcare services or alternatives such as home health agencies, life care at home, community-based service programs, retirement communities and convalescent centers. Our operators compete on a number of different levels including the quality of care provided, reputation, the physical appearance of a facility, price, the range of services offered, family preference, alternatives for healthcare delivery, the supply of competing properties, physicians, staff, referral sources, location and the size and demographics of the population in the surrounding areas. Our operators may encounter increased competition in the future that could limit their ability to attract residents or expand their businesses and therefore affect their ability to pay their lease or mortgage payments and meet their obligations to us.
In addition, the market for qualified personnel is highly competitive and our operators may experience difficulties in attracting and retaining such personnel, in particular due to labor constraints and, in some cases, wage increases, which have been elevated since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and may continue to remain elevated. Increases in labor costs could affect our operators’ ability to meet their obligations to us, which could be particularly acute in certain states that have established minimum staffing requirements.
We may be unable to successfully foreclose on the collateral securing our mortgage loans, and even if we are successful in our foreclosure efforts, we may be unable to successfully find a replacement operator, or operate or occupy the underlying real estate, which may adversely affect our ability to recover our investments.
If an operator defaults under one of our mortgage loans, we may foreclose on the loan or otherwise protect our interest by acquiring title to the property. In such a scenario, we may be required to make substantial improvements or repairs to maximize the facility’s investment potential. Operators may contest enforcement of foreclosure or other remedies, seek bankruptcy protection against our exercise of enforcement or other remedies and/or bring claims for lender liability in response to actions to enforce mortgage obligations. Even if we are able to successfully foreclose on the collateral securing our mortgage loans, we may be unable to expeditiously find a replacement operator, if at all, or otherwise successfully operate or occupy the property, which could adversely affect our ability to recover our investment.
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Inflation could adversely impact our operators and our results of operations.
Inflation, both real or anticipated, as well as any resulting governmental policies, could adversely affect the economy and the costs of labor, goods and services to our operators or borrowers. Our long-term leases and loans typically contain provisions such as rent and interest escalators that are designed to mitigate the adverse impact of inflation on Omega’s results of operations. However, these provisions may have limited effectiveness at mitigating the risk of high levels of inflation due to contractual limits on escalation that exist in substantially all of our escalation provisions. Our leases are triple-net and typically require the operator to pay all property operating expenses, and therefore, increases in property-level expenses at our leased properties generally do not directly affect us. However, increased operating costs resulting from inflation have had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on our operators and borrowers if increases in their operating expenses exceed increases in their reimbursements, which has affected, and may continue to adversely affect, our operators’ or borrowers’ ability to pay rent or other obligations owed to us.
An increase in our operators’ expenses and a failure of their reimbursements to increase at least with inflation could adversely impact our operators’ and our financial condition and our results of operations.
Uninsured losses or losses in excess of our operators’ insurance coverage could adversely affect our financial position and our cash flow.
Under the terms of our leases, our operators are generally required to maintain comprehensive general liability, fire, flood, earthquake, boiler and machinery, nursing home or long-term care professional liability and extended coverage insurance with respect to our properties with policy specifications set forth in the leases or other written agreements between us and the operator. However, our properties may be adversely affected by casualty or other losses which exceed insurance coverages and reserves. In addition, we cannot provide any assurances that our tenants will maintain the required coverages, that we will continue to require the same levels of insurance under our leases, or that such insurance will be available at a reasonable cost in the future or that the policies maintained will fully cover all losses on our properties upon the occurrence of a catastrophic event. We also cannot make any guaranty as to the future financial viability of the insurers that underwrite the policies maintained by our tenants, or, alternatively if our tenants utilize captive or self-insurance programs, that such programs will be adequately funded.
Should an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occur, we could lose both our investment in, and anticipated profits and cash flows from, the property and disputes over insurance claims could arise. Even if it were practicable to restore the property to its condition prior to the damage caused by a major casualty, the operations of the affected property would likely be suspended for a considerable period of time.
Our development and redevelopment projects may not yield anticipated returns.
We consider and, when appropriate, invest in various development and redevelopment projects. In deciding whether to make an investment in a particular project, we make certain assumptions regarding the expected future performance of the property. Our assumptions are subject to risks generally associated with development and redevelopment projects, including, among others, that:
● The builders may fail to perform or satisfy the expectations of our operators;
If any of the risks described above occur, our development and redevelopment projects may not yield anticipated returns, which could have a material adverse effect on us.
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Risks Related to Us and Our Operations
The COVID-19 pandemic and measures intended to prevent its spread, as well as a future variant of COVID-19 or unrelated pandemic, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly and adversely impacted SNFs and long-term care providers due to the higher rates of virus transmission and fatality among the elderly and frail populations that these facilities serve, as well as reduced revenue due to lower occupancy and increased expenses and uncertainties regarding the continuing availability of sufficient government support and sufficiency of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates to address longer-term cost increases faced by operators. As a result, many of our operators have been, and may continue to be, significantly impacted by the pandemic. See Part II Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Overview.
Our facilities, on average, experienced declines, in some cases that are material, in occupancy levels as a result of the pandemic. Occupancy in our facilities has generally improved on average since early 2021; however, average occupancy has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. It remains unclear when and the extent to which demand and occupancy levels will return to pre-COVID-19 levels. We believe these challenges to occupancy recovery may be in part due to staffing shortages, which in some cases have required operators to limit admissions, as well as COVID-19 related fatalities at the facilities, the delay of SNF placement and/or utilization of alternative care settings for those with lower level of care needs, the suspension and/or postponement of elective hospital procedures, fewer discharges from hospitals to SNFs and higher hospital readmittances from SNFs.
While certain states have provided pandemic-related relief measures and/or reimbursement increases, there remains uncertainty as to how widespread these measures will continue to be and to what extent they may be distributed to and benefit our operators, especially when the federally declared public health emergency expires as scheduled on May 11, 2023, or previously released federal funds to states have been fully utilized. Likewise, while certain states may in the course of routine rate-setting of Medicaid rates address inflationary factors and other expense-related items, there can be no assurance that these changes will be sufficient to offset existing increased inflation and expenses or that all states will address these items. See the “Government Regulation and Reimbursement” section for additional information. Further, to the extent the cost and occupancy impacts on our operators continue or accelerate and are not offset by continued government relief that is sufficient and timely, we anticipate that the operating results of additional operators may be materially and adversely affected, some may be unwilling or unable to pay their contractual obligations to us in full or on a timely basis and we may be unable to restructure such obligations on terms as favorable to us as those currently in place.
There are a number of uncertainties we face as we consider the continuing impact of COVID-19 on our business, including how long census disruption and related cost increases will last, as well as the rate and impact of future virus transmission in our facilities, continued efficacy of vaccination programs in reducing the spread and severity of COVID-19 in our facilities, the impact of genetic mutations of the virus into new variants on our facilities, and the extent to which funding support from the federal government and the states will offset these incremental costs as well as lost revenues. Notwithstanding vaccination programs, we expect that heightened clinical protocols for infection control within facilities will continue; however, we do not know if future reimbursement rates or equipment provided by governmental agencies will be sufficient to cover the increased costs of enhanced infection control and monitoring.
Continued uncertainty exists relating to our other operators’ ability to meet their payments obligations generally or meet their payment obligations to us due to these factors. To the extent our operators are unable to meet their payment obligations, we may record additional impairment charges with respect to straight-line rent receivables associated with any such operator or with respect to outstanding loans and our financial condition could be adversely impacted. See “Our assets, including our real estate and loans, are subject to impairment charges, and our valuation and reserve estimates are based on assumptions and may be subject to adjustment” in Item 1A contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The COVID-19 pandemic has from time to time also caused, and may continue to cause, severe economic, market and other disruptions worldwide. We cannot assure you that conditions in the bank lending, capital and other financial markets will not deteriorate or fluctuate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or due to a future variant of COVID-19 or a future unrelated pandemic, or that our access to capital and other sources of funding will not become constrained, which could adversely affect the availability and terms of future borrowings, renewals or refinancing. In addition, our employees may be impacted directly or indirectly by the pandemic, and we may be required to make changes to our internal controls as a result of changes in our business processes or personnel; any such changes may increase our operational and financial reporting risks.
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The extent of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on our and our operators’ operational and financial performance will depend on future developments, including the ability to control the spread of the outbreak generally and in our facilities, and the delivery and efficacy of and participation in vaccination programs and other treatments for COVID-19, government funds and other support for the senior care sector and the efficacy of other policies and measures that may mitigate the impact of the pandemic, as well as the future demand for needs-based skilled nursing care and senior living facilities, all of which are uncertain and difficult to predict. Due to these uncertainties, we are not able at this time to estimate the effect of these factors on our business, but the adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be material.
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, the indentures governing our senior notes and any preferred stock that our Board may from time to time designate and authorize for issuance. All dividends will be paid at the discretion of our Board and will depend upon our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our REIT status and such other factors as our Board 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.
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 Code, we are required to, among other things, distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income each year to our stockholders. Because of this distribution requirement, we may not be able to fund, from cash retained from operations, all 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.
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 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 financial performance of us and our operators;
● concentrations in our investment portfolio by tenant and facility type;
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.
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We are subject to risks associated with debt financing, including changes in our credit ratings, which could negatively impact our business and limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and to repay maturing debt.
The financing required to make future investments and satisfy maturing commitments may be provided by borrowings under our credit facilities, private or public offerings of debt or equity, the assumption of secured indebtedness, mortgage financing on a portion of our owned portfolio or through joint ventures. To the extent we must obtain debt financing from external sources to fund our capital requirements, we cannot guarantee such financing will be available on favorable terms, if at all. In addition, if we are unable to refinance or extend principal payments due at maturity or pay them with proceeds from other capital transactions, our cash flow may not be sufficient to make distributions to our stockholders and repay our maturing debt. Furthermore, if prevailing interest rates, changes in our debt credit ratings or other factors at the time of refinancing result in higher interest rates upon refinancing, the interest expense relating to that refinanced indebtedness would increase, which could reduce our profitability and the amount of dividends we are able to pay. Factors that may affect our credit ratings include, among other things, our financial performance, our success in raising sufficient equity capital, adverse changes in our debt and fixed charge coverage ratios, our capital structure and level of indebtedness and pending or future changes in the regulatory framework applicable to our operators and our industry. Further, additional debt financing increases the amount of our leverage. The degree of leverage could have important consequences to stockholders, including affecting our investment grade ratings and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future, and making us more vulnerable to a downturn in our results of operations or the economy generally.
The interest rate of our credit facilities, term loan facilities and derivatives contracts are priced using LIBOR and are subject to risks associated with the transition from LIBOR to an alternative reference rate.
London Inter-bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) is the basic rate of interest used in lending between banks on the London interbank market and is widely used as a reference for setting the interest rate on loans globally. We typically use LIBOR as a reference rate in credit facilities, term loan facilities and derivative contracts. In July 2017, the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) that regulates LIBOR announced that it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021, and while the transition period for many LIBOR tenors has been extended to June 2023, the U.S. Federal Reserve advised banks to stop new LIBOR issuances by the end of 2021. At this time, no consensus exists as to which reference rate or rates or benchmarks may become acceptable alternatives to LIBOR. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee composed of U.S. financial market participants, has identified the secured overnight financing rate, or SOFR, as the recommended alternative rate for all LIBOR. At this time, it is impossible to predict whether the SOFR or another reference rate will become an accepted alternative to LIBOR. Any changes in the methods by which LIBOR is determined or regulatory activity related to LIBOR’s phaseout could cause LIBOR to perform differently than in the past or cease to exist. Further, the consequences of these developments, or any alternative reference rate that is adopted, cannot be entirely predicted but could include an increase in the cost of our variable rate borrowings, of which we had $91.1 million of borrowings outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and $400 million notional value derivative instruments that are indexed to LIBOR. For some instruments, the method of transitioning to an alternative rate may be challenging, as this may require negotiation with the respective counterparty.
We may be subject to additional risks in connection with our acquisitions of long-term care facilities.
We may be subject to additional risks in connection with our acquisitions of long-term care facilities, including but not limited to the following:
● diversion of our management’s attention away from other business concerns;
● potential underinsured losses on the facilities.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to manage our recently acquired facilities, or the future growth in our business, without encountering difficulties or that any such difficulties will not have a material adverse effect on us. Our growth could also increase our capital requirements, which may require us to issue potentially dilutive equity securities and incur additional debt.
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Our assets, including our real estate and loans, are subject to impairment charges, and our valuation and reserve estimates are based on assumptions and may be subject to adjustment.
Our asset portfolio primarily consists of real estate and mortgage loans, which are subject to write-downs in value. From time to time, we close facilities and actively market such facilities for sale. To the extent we are unable to sell these properties for our book value, we may be required to take a non-cash impairment charge or loss on the sale, either of which would reduce our net income. In addition, we periodically, but not less than annually, evaluate our real estate investments and other assets for impairment indicators, and we establish general and specific reserves for our issued loans at least quarterly. The quarterly evaluation of our investments for impairment may result in significant fluctuations in our provision for credit losses or real estate impairments from quarter to quarter, impacting our results of operations. Judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators or loan reserves are based on a number of factors, including market conditions, operator performance and legal structure, and these factors may involve estimates. If we determine that a significant impairment has occurred, we are required to make an adjustment to the net carrying value of the asset, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Our estimates of loan reserves, and other accounting estimates, are inherently uncertain and may be subject to future adjustment, leading potentially to an increase in reserves.
Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition.
We have a material amount of indebtedness and we may increase our indebtedness in the future. Our level and type of indebtedness could have important consequences for our stockholders. For example, it could:
● increase our cost of borrowing;
Further, we have the ability to incur substantial additional debt, including secured debt, which could intensify the risks above. In addition, if we are unable to refinance any of our floating rate debt, we would continue to be subject to interest rate risk. The short-term nature of some of our debt also subjects us to the risk that market conditions may be unfavorable or may prevent us from refinancing our debt at or prior to their existing maturities. In addition, our cash flow from operations may not be sufficient to repay all of our outstanding debt as it becomes due, and we may not be able to borrow money, sell assets or otherwise raise funds on acceptable terms, if at all, to refinance our debt.
Covenants in our debt documents limit our operational flexibility, and a covenant breach could materially adversely affect our operations.
The terms of our credit agreements and note indentures require us to comply with a number of customary financial and other covenants that may limit our management’s discretion by restricting our ability to, among other things, incur additional debt, redeem our capital stock, enter into certain transactions with affiliates, pay dividends and make other distributions, make investments and other restricted payments, engage in mergers and consolidations, create liens, sell assets or engage in new lines of business. In addition, our credit facilities require us to maintain compliance with specified financial covenants, including those relating to maximum total leverage, maximum secured leverage, maximum unsecured leverage, minimum fixed charge coverage, minimum consolidated tangible net worth and minimum unsecured interest coverage.Any additional financing we may obtain could contain similar or more restrictive covenants. Our continued ability to incur indebtedness, conduct our operations, and take advantage of business opportunities as they arise is subject to compliance with these financial and other covenants. Breaches of these covenants could result in defaults under the instruments governing the applicable indebtedness, in addition to any other indebtedness cross-defaulted against such instruments. Any such breach could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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We are subject to particular risks associated with real estate ownership, which could result in unanticipated losses or expenses.
Our business is subject to many risks that are associated with the ownership of real estate. For example, if our operators do not renew their leases, we may be unable to re-lease the facilities at favorable rental rates, if at all. Other risks that are associated with real estate acquisition and ownership include, without limitation, the following:
● acts of God or terrorism affecting our properties.
Our real estate investments are relatively illiquid.
Real estate investments are relatively illiquid and generally cannot be sold quickly. The real estate market is affected by many factors which are beyond our control, including general economic conditions, availability of financing, interest rates and supply and demand. Additional factors that are specific to our industry also tend to limit our ability to vary our portfolio promptly in response to changes in economic or other conditions. For example, all of our properties are ‘‘special purpose’’ properties that cannot be readily converted into general residential, retail or office use. In addition, transfers of operations of nursing homes and other healthcare-related facilities are subject to extensive regulatory approvals. We cannot predict whether we will be able to sell any property for the price or on the terms set by us or whether any price or other terms offered by a prospective purchaser would be acceptable to us. We also cannot predict the length of time needed to find a willing purchaser and to close the sale of a property, or that we will have funds available to make necessary repairs and improvements to a property held for sale. To the extent we are unable to sell any properties for our book value, we may be required to take a non-cash impairment charge or loss on the sale, either of which would reduce our net income.
We face possible risks and costs associated with severe weather conditions, natural disasters or the physical effects of climate change.
A large number of our properties are located in areas particularly susceptible to revenue loss, cost increase or damage caused by severe weather conditions or natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires and floods, as well as the effects of climate change. To the extent that climate change impacts changes in weather patterns, our markets could experience more frequent and severe natural disasters. Operationally, such events could cause a major power outage, leading to a disruption of our operators’ operations or require them to incur additional cost associated with evacuation plans. Over time, any of these conditions could result in increased operator costs, delays in construction, resulting in increased construction costs, or in the inability of our operators to operate our facilities at all. Climate change and severe weather may also have indirect effects on our business by increasing the cost to our operators of, or decreasing the availability to our operators of, property insurance on terms they find acceptable, and by increasing the cost of energy, maintenance, repair of water and/or wind damage, and snow removal at our properties. In the event of a loss in excess of insured limits, we could lose our incremental capital invested in the affected property.
Although Congress has not yet enacted comprehensive federal legislation to address climate change, numerous states and municipalities have adopted laws and policies on climate change and emission reduction targets. Changes in federal, state and local legislation and regulation based on concerns about climate change could result in increased capital expenditures on our existing properties and our new development properties (for example, to improve their energy efficiency and/or resistance to severe weather) without a corresponding increase in revenue, resulting in adverse impacts to our net income. There can be no assurance that climate change and severe weather will not have a material adverse effect on our properties, operations, or business.
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As an owner or lender with respect to real property, we may be exposed to possible environmental liabilities.
Under various federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner of real property or a secured lender may be liable in certain circumstances for the costs of investigation, removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances at such property, as well as certain other potential related costs, including government fines and damages for injuries to persons and adjacent property. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner knew of, or was responsible for, the presence or disposal of such substances. As a result, liability may be imposed on the owner in connection with the activities of an operator of the property, and the owner’s liability could exceed the value of the property and/or the assets of the owner. In addition, the presence of such substances, or the failure to properly dispose of or remediate such substances, may adversely affect an operators’ ability to attract additional residents and our ability to sell or rent such property or to borrow using such property as collateral which, in turn, could negatively impact our revenues.
Although our leases and mortgage loans generally require the lessee and the mortgagor to indemnify us for certain environmental liabilities, they may be unable to fulfill their indemnification obligations to us, and the scope of such obligations may be limited. For instance, most of our leases do not require the lessee to indemnify us for environmental liabilities arising before the lessee took possession of the premises.
The industry in which we operate is highly competitive. Increasing investor interest in our sector and consolidation at the operator level or REIT level could increase competition and reduce our profitability.
Our business is highly competitive and we expect that it may become more competitive in the future. We compete for healthcare facility investments with other healthcare investors, including other REITs, some of which have greater resources and lower costs of capital than we do. Increased competition makes it more challenging for us to identify and successfully capitalize on opportunities that meet our business goals. If we cannot capitalize on our development pipeline, identify and purchase a sufficient quantity of healthcare facilities at favorable prices, or are unable to finance such acquisitions on commercially favorable terms, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. In addition, if our cost of capital should increase relative to the cost of capital of our competitors, the spread that we realize on our investments may decline if competitive pressures limit or prevent us from charging higher lease or mortgage rates.
Our charter and bylaws contain significant anti-takeover provisions which could delay, defer or prevent a change in control or other transactions that could provide our stockholders with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of our common stock.
Our charter and bylaws contain various procedural and other requirements which could make it difficult for stockholders to effect certain corporate actions. Our Board of Directors (“Board”) has the authority to issue additional shares of preferred stock and to fix the preferences, rights and limitations of the preferred stock without stockholder approval. In addition, our charter contains limitations on the ownership of our capital stock intended to ensure we continue to meet the requirements for qualification as a REIT. For example, our charter, among other restrictions, prohibits the beneficial or constructive ownership (as defined for federal income tax purposes) by any person of more than 9.8% in value or in number of shares of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock, unless our Board grants an exemption or modifies the ownership limit for such person and certain conditions are satisfied. These provisions could discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or make it more difficult for a third party to gain control of us, which could adversely affect the market price of our securities and/or result in the delay, deferral or prevention of a change in control or other transactions that could provide our stockholders with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of our common stock.
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Ownership of property outside the U.S. may subject us to different or greater risks than those associated with our U.S. investments, including currency fluctuations.
We have investments in the U.K. and may from time to time may seek to acquire other properties in the U.K. or otherwise outside the U.S. International development, investment, ownership and operating activities involve risks that are different from those we face with respect to our U.S. properties and operations. These risks include, but are not limited to, any international currency gain recognized with respect to changes in exchange rates may not qualify under the income tests that we must satisfy annually in order to qualify and maintain our status as a REIT; fluctuations in the exchange rates between USD and the British Pound Sterling (“GBP”), or other foreign currencies in which we may transact in the future, which we may be unable to protect against through hedging; changes in foreign political, regulatory, and economic conditions, including increases in energy prices, such as those experienced in the U.K. resulting in part from the conflict in Ukraine and sanctions imposed on Russia; challenges in managing international operations and enforcing obligations in other countries; challenges of complying with a variety of foreign laws and regulations, including those relating to real estate, healthcare operations, taxes, employment and legal proceedings; differences in lending practices and the willingness of domestic or foreign lenders to provide financing; regional or country-specific business cycles and economic instability; and changes in applicable laws and regulations in the U.S. that affect foreign operations. If we are unable to successfully manage the risks associated with international expansion and operations, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.
On January 31, 2020, the U.K. withdrew from the European Union (“E.U.”), commonly referred to as “Brexit.” Changes in economic conditions in the U.K. relating to Brexit may subject the operators of our facilities in the U.K. to increased risk, including potential disruptions in supply, increases in costs or difficulty staffing. In addition, the uncertainty related to Brexit has caused foreign exchange rate fluctuations in the past, including the strengthening of the USD relative to the Euro and GBP immediately following the announcement of Brexit, and may continue to do so in the future, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, Brexit could lead to legal uncertainty or the imposition of additional legal or regulatory requirements on the Company, which could have adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and results of operations. To date, one of the key effects of Brexit on the U.K. market is increased difficulty recruiting suitably qualified staff members within properties, as historically the E.U. and freedom of movement provided a reliable personnel resource for the U.K. market. The employment pool within the U.K. is further impacted by vaccination requirements for those working in the sector, meaning that those in certain roles who refuse to be vaccinated may not be employed (unless exempt from the requirement).
Our assets are concentrated in the long-term care industry and face geographic and operator concentration risk.
Our assets are generally not diversified by industry and face risks associated with the long-term care industry. In addition, at December 31, 2022, one operator represented greater than 10% of our investments, and the three states in which we had our highest concentration of investments were Florida (11.5%), Texas (10.3%) and Indiana (6.6%). As a result, we are subject to increased exposure to adverse conditions affecting these operators and regions, with regional risks including unfavorable Medicaid reimbursements rates for SNFs, downturns in the local economies, local real estate conditions, staffing challenges, increased competition or decreased demand for our facilities, regional climate events, and unfavorable legislative or regulatory developments, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our primary assets are the units of partnership interest in Omega OP and, as a result, we will depend on distributions from Omega OP to pay dividends and expenses.
The Company is a holding company and has no material assets other than units of partnership interest in Omega OP. We intend to cause the partnership to make distributions to its partners, including the Company, in an amount sufficient to allow us to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes and to pay all of our expenses. To the extent we need funds and the partnership is restricted from making distributions under applicable law or otherwise, or if the partnership is otherwise unable to provide such funds, the failure to make such distributions could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.
Members of our management and Board hold partnership interests in Omega OP, and their interests may differ from those of our public stockholders.
Some members of our management and Board hold partnership interests in Omega OP. Those unitholders may have conflicting interests with holders of the Company’s common stock. For example, such unitholders of Omega OP Units may have different tax positions from the Company or holders of our common stock, which could influence their decisions in their capacities as members of management regarding whether and when to dispose of assets, whether and when to incur new or refinance existing indebtedness and how to structure future transactions.
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Our investments in joint ventures could be adversely affected by shared decision-making authority, our joint venture partners’ financial condition, and our exposure to potential losses from the actions of our joint venture partners.
As of December 31, 2022, we have ownership interests in two consolidated joint ventures and several unconsolidated joint ventures. These joint ventures involve additional risks, including the following:
Risks Related to Taxation
Qualifying as a REIT involves highly technical and complex provisions of the Code; failure to qualify as a REIT would subject us to increased taxes and impair our ability to expand our business and make distributions; and complying with REIT requirements may affect our profitability.
We were organized to qualify for taxation as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code. See Item 1 – Business – Taxation of Omega. Qualification as a REIT involves the application of technical and intricate Code provisions for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations, and which involve the determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. We cannot assure that we will at all times satisfy these rules and tests. Even a technical or inadvertent violation could jeopardize our REIT qualification.
If we were to fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, as a result of a determination that we failed to meet the annual distribution requirement or otherwise, we would be subject to federal corporate income tax, and any applicable alternative minimum tax with respect to each such taxable year for which the statute of limitations remains open, as well certain excise taxes on nonqualified REIT income, or disqualification from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification is lost. This treatment would significantly reduce our net earnings and cash flow because of our additional tax liability for the years involved, which could significantly impact our financial condition. We generally must distribute annually at least 90% of our taxable income to our stockholders to maintain our REIT status. To the extent that we do not distribute all of our net capital gain or distribute at least 90%, but less than 100% of our “REIT taxable income,” as adjusted, we will be subject to tax thereon at regular corporate rates. As a result of all these factors, our failure to maintain our qualification as a REIT could impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital, and would substantially reduce our ability to make distributions to you.
To qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the nature and diversification of our assets, the sources of our income and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. Thus, we may be required to liquidate otherwise attractive investments from our portfolio or be unable to pursue investments that would be otherwise advantageous to us, to satisfy the asset and income tests or to qualify under certain statutory relief provisions. We may also be required to make distributions to stockholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution (e.g., if we have assets which generate mismatches between taxable income and available cash). Having to comply with the distribution requirement could cause us to: (i) sell assets in adverse market conditions; (ii) borrow on unfavorable terms; or (iii) distribute amounts that would otherwise be invested in future acquisitions, capital expenditures or repayment of debt. As a result, satisfying the REIT requirements could have an adverse effect on our business results and profitability.
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There is a risk of changes in the tax law applicable to REITs.
The Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Treasury Department and Congress frequently review U.S. federal income tax legislation, regulations and other guidance. We cannot predict whether, when or to what extent new U.S. federal tax laws, regulations, interpretations or rulings will be adopted. Any legislative action may prospectively or retroactively modify our tax treatment and, therefore, may adversely affect taxation of us, our properties, or our shareholders.
Risks Related to Our Stock and Capital Structure
Our issuance of additional capital stock, warrants or debt securities, whether or not convertible, may reduce the market price for our outstanding securities, including our common stock, and dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders, and we may issue securities with greater dividend, liquidation and other rights than our common stock.
We cannot predict the effect, if any, that future sales of our capital stock, warrants or debt securities, or the availability of our securities for future sale, will have on the market price of our securities, including our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock or preferred shares, warrants or debt securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales might occur, could negatively impact the market price of our stock and the terms upon which we may obtain additional equity financing in the future. Our Board has the authority to designate and issue preferred stock that may have dividend, liquidation and other rights that are senior to those of our common stock.
Any debt securities, preferred shares, warrants or other rights to acquire shares or convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have some rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock and may result in dilution to owners of our common stock. Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights or other protections against dilution. Our preferred shares, if issued, could have a preference on liquidating distributions or a preference on dividend payments that could limit our ability pay dividends or other distributions to the holders of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, our stockholders bear the risk that our future offerings could reduce the per share trading price of our common stock and dilute their interest in us.
General Risk Factors
Our success depends in part on our ability to retain key personnel and our ability to attract or retain other qualified personnel.
Our future performance depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our executive management team and other key employees, the loss of whom could have an adverse impact on our operations. Although we have entered into employment agreements with the members of our executive management team, these agreements may not assure their continued service. In addition, our failure to successfully attract, hire, retain and train the people we need may impede our ability to implement our business strategy.
We rely on information technology in our operations, and any material failure, inadequacy, interruption or security failure of that technology could harm our business.
We rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of business processes, including financial transactions and records, personal identifying information, tenant and lease data. In addition, we may from time to time offer technology services to tenants, which may involve storage of customer or resident data. We purchase some of our information technology from vendors, on whom our systems depend. We generally rely on third-party systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmission and storage of confidential tenant and other customer information, such as individually identifiable information, including information relating to financial accounts. It is possible that our safety and security measures will not be able to prevent the systems’ improper functioning or the improper access or disclosure of personally identifiable information such as in the event of cyber-attacks. Security breaches, including physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, attacks by hackers and similar breaches, can create system disruptions, shutdowns or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. Any failure to maintain proper function, security and availability of our information systems, and the privacy of the data we store, or failure to comply with related regulations, could interrupt our operations, damage our reputation, subject us to liability claims or regulatory penalties and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The regulatory environment related to cyber and information security, data collection and privacy is increasingly rigorous, with new and constantly changing requirements applicable to our business or to which we may become subject, including E.U. data protection legislation, such as they General Data Protection Regulation, or the GDPR, and the U.K.’s Data Protection Act, which impose significant data protection requirements and penalties for noncompliance. Compliance with any of these requirements may result in additional costs and could impact how we conduct in business in new jurisdictions.
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Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price.
We are required to provide a report by management on internal control over financial reporting, including management’s assessment of the effectiveness of such control. Changes to our business will necessitate ongoing changes to our internal control systems and processes, and internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements due to inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of controls, or fraud. Therefore, even effective internal controls can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls or to implement required new or improved controls, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely harmed, we could fail to meet our reporting obligations and there could be a material adverse effect on our stock price. In addition, we may be adversely impacted by new accounting pronouncements which change our lease recognition or other accounting practices or otherwise alter how we report our financial results, or which require that we change our internal control and operating procedures, which we may be unable to do in a timely manner.
Item 1B – Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2 – Properties
At December 31, 2022, our real estate investments include SNFs and ALFs and to a lesser extent ILFs, specialty facilities and MOBs, in the form of (i) owned facilities that are leased to operators or their affiliates, (ii) investments in direct financing leases to operators or their affiliates and (iii) real estate loans, including mortgages on facilities that are operated by the mortgagors or their affiliates. Our facilities related to these investments are located in 42 states and the U.K.
The following table presents the concentration of our gross real estate assets, assets held for sale, gross investment in direct financing leases and gross mortgage notes receivables (included within our real estate loans receivable) by state and the U.K. as of December 31, 2022:
Gross % of
Number of Number of Investment Gross
Location Operating Beds Facilities (in thousands) Investment
Item 3 – Legal Proceedings
See Note 20— Commitments and Contingencies to the Consolidated Financial Statements - Part IV, Item 15, which is hereby incorporated by reference in response to this item.
Item 4 – Mine Safety Disclosures
None.
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PART II
Item 5 – Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Shares of Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, collectively, “Omega” or the “Company”) common stock are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “OHI.” As of February 8, 2023, there were 2,744 registered holders and 234,267,646 shares of Omega common stock outstanding.
Performance Graph
The graph and table below compare the cumulative total return of Omega, the FTSE NAREIT Equity Health Care Index (Ticker: FN11-FTX), the FTSE NAREIT All REITs Index (Ticker: FNAR), the S&P 500 Index, and the Russell 2000 from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022. We have included the FTSE NAREIT Equity Health Care Index and the FTSE NAREIT All REITs Index because we believe that they are representative of the industry in which we compete and are relevant to an assessment of our performance. Total cumulative return is based on a $100 investment in Omega common stock and in each of the indices at the close of trading on December 31, 2017 and assumes quarterly reinvestment of dividends. Stockholder returns over the indicated periods should not be considered indicative of future stock prices or stockholder returns.
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Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
On January 27, 2022, the Company authorized the repurchase of up to $500 million of our outstanding common stock from time to time through March 2025. The Company is authorized to repurchase shares of its common stock in open market and privately negotiated transactions or in any other manner as determined by the Company’s management and in accordance with applicable law. The timing and amount of stock repurchases will be determined, in management’s discretion, based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to market conditions, other capital management needs and opportunities, and corporate and regulatory considerations. The Company has no obligation to repurchase any amount of its common stock, and such repurchases, if any, may be discontinued at any time. During 2022, we repurchased 5.2 million shares of our common stock at an average price per share of $27.32 and an aggregate repurchase cost of $142.3 million (including the cost of commissions). We did not repurchase any shares during the fourth quarter of 2022.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
From time to time, Omega issues shares of common stock in reliance on the private placement exemption under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in exchange for units of partnership interest in OHI Healthcare Properties Limited Partnership (collectively with subsidiaries, “Omega OP”). During the quarter ended December 31, 2022, Omega did not issue any shares of Omega common stock.
Item 6 – [Reserved]
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 Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. presented in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for the periods presented and should be read together with the notes thereto contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Other important factors are identified in “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Item 1A – Risk Factors” above.
Our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is organized as follows:
● Business Overview
● Outlook, Trends and Other Conditions
● 2022 and Recent Highlights
● Results from Operations
● Funds from Operations
● Liquidity and Capital Resources
● Supplemental Guarantor Information
● Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Business Overview
Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (“Parent”) is a Maryland corporation that, together with its consolidated subsidiaries has elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. Omega is structured as an umbrella partnership REIT (“UPREIT”) under which all of Omega’s assets are owned directly or indirectly by, and all of Omega’s operations are conducted directly or indirectly through, its operating partnership subsidiary, Omega OP. As of December 31, 2022, Parent owned approximately 97% of the issued and outstanding units of partnership interest in Omega OP (“Omega OP Units”), and other investors owned approximately 3% of the outstanding Omega OP Units.
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Omega has one reportable segment consisting of investments in healthcare-related real estate properties located in the United States (“U.S.”) and the United Kingdom (“U.K.”). Our core business is to provide financing and capital to the long-term healthcare industry with a particular focus on skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”), assisted living facilities (“ALFs”), and to a lesser extent, independent living facilities (“ILFs”), rehabilitation and acute care facilities (“specialty facilities”) and medical office buildings (“MOBs”). Our core portfolio consists of our long-term leases and real estate loans with healthcare operating companies and affiliates (collectively, our “operators”). Real estate loans consist of mortgage loans and other real estate loans which are primarily collateralized by a first, second or third mortgage lien or a leasehold mortgage on, or an assignment of the partnership interest in the related properties. In addition to our core investments, we make loans to operators and/or their principals. These loans, which may be either unsecured or secured by the collateral of the borrower, are classified as non-real estate loans. From time to time, we also acquire equity interests in joint ventures or entities that support the long-term healthcare industry and our operators.
Our portfolio of real estate investments (including properties associated with mortgages, direct financing leases, assets held for sale and consolidated joint ventures) at December 31, 2022, included 926 healthcare facilities, located in 42 states and the U.K. that are operated by 67 third-party operators. Our real estate investment in these facilities totaled approximately $9.5 billion at December 31, 2022, with approximately 97% of our real estate investments related to long-term healthcare facilities. The portfolio is made up of (i) 665 SNFs, (ii) 169 ALFs, (iii) 20 ILFs, (iv) 16 specialty facilities, (v) two MOBs, (vi) real estate loans, including mortgages on 48 SNFs, two ALFs and two specialty facilities and (vii) two facilities that are held for sale. At December 31, 2022, we also held other real estate loans (excluding mortgages) receivable of $394.6 million and non-real estate loans receivable of $225.3 million, consisting primarily of secured loans to third-party operators of our facilities, and $178.9 million of investments in six unconsolidated joint ventures.
As healthcare delivery continues to evolve, we continuously evaluate potential investments, our assets, operators and markets to position our portfolio for long-term success. Our strategy includes applying data analytics to our investment underwriting and asset management, as well as selling or transitioning assets that do not meet our portfolio criteria.
Outlook, Trends and Other Conditions
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly and adversely impacted SNFs and long-term care providers due to the higher rates of virus transmission and fatality among the elderly and frail populations that these facilities serve; in addition, the pandemic contributed to occupancy declines, labor shortages and cost increases which continue to significantly impact our operators. As discussed further in “Collectibility Issues” below, during the year we have had several operators that have failed to make contractual payments under their lease and loan agreements, and we have agreed to short-term deferrals, lease and portfolio restructurings and/or allowed the application of security deposits or letters of credit to pay rent for several operators.
We believe these operators were impacted by, among other things, reduced revenue as a result of lower occupancy and increased expenses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainties regarding the continuing availability of sufficient government support and adequate reimbursement levels. These increases have been offset to some extent by increases in reimbursements due to increased skilling in place, which has been necessitated by pandemic-related protocols and may decrease when such protocols subside or when the federally declared public health emergency expires as scheduled on May 11, 2023. We believe these increases primarily stem from elevated labor costs, including increased use of overtime and bonus pay and reliance on agency staffing due to staffing shortages, as well as a significant increase in both the cost and usage of personal protective equipment (“PPE”), testing equipment and processes and supplies, as well as implementation of new infection control protocols and vaccination programs. In addition, operators who do not achieve full compliance with applicable vaccination and infection control requirements may face potential survey issues and penalties. At this time, there is significant uncertainty regarding the impact of such developments.
We remain cautious as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on our operators and their financial conditions, particularly given the trend of reduced pandemic-related federal support to our operators beginning in 2021, the persistence of staffing shortages that continue to impact our operators’ occupancy levels and profitability, uncertainty as to whether Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates will be sufficient to address longer-term cost increases faced by operators, factors that may impact future virus transmission in our facilities, including vaccination rates and efficacy of the vaccine for staff members and residents at our facilities and genetic mutations of the virus into new variants, and the commencement in December 2021 of repayment of deferred FICA obligations.
We believe that the incidence and severity of COVID-19 among our operators’ residents and employees, based on reporting by our operators, tend to correlate with levels of incidence and severity experienced by the applicable community in which such operators’ are located, and it remains uncertain whether certain of our facilities will be impacted by future community spread of the virus.
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Our facilities, on average, experienced declines, in some cases that are material, in occupancy levels as a result of the pandemic. Occupancy in our facilities has generally improved on average since early 2021; however, average occupancy has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. It remains unclear when and the extent to which demand and occupancy levels will return to pre-COVID-19 levels. We believe these challenges to occupancy recovery may be in part due to staffing shortages, which in some cases have required operators to limit admissions, as well as COVID-19 related fatalities at the facilities, the delay of SNF placement and/or utilization of alternative care settings for those with lower level of care needs, the suspension and/or postponement of elective hospital procedures, fewer discharges from hospitals to SNFs and higher hospital readmittances from SNFs.
While substantial government support was allocated to SNFs and to a lesser extent to ALFs in 2020, federal relief efforts have been limited since 2021 as have been relief efforts in certain states. The additional 6.2% FMAP reimbursement in connection with the pandemic is being phased out in 2023 pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 as further discussed under “Government Regulation – Reimbursement Changes Related to COVID-19” under “Item 1 – Business.” The additional 6.2% FMAP provided some of our operators with significant support, based on which states they are located in, and the phase out of such support may adversely affect their operations to the extent that expenses are not reduced or other support is not provided. We believe further government support will be needed to continue to offset these impacts on operators, which could be in the form of direct support or reimbursement rate adjustments to reflect sustained cost changes experienced by operators. It is unclear whether and to what extent such government support will continue to be sufficient and timely to offset these impacts. In particular, while $25.5 billion in federal funding for healthcare providers impacted by COVID-19 was announced in September 2021 with distributions beginning in late 2021 pursuant to the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (“Provider Relief Fund”), we do not expect additional Provider Relief Funds to be allocated to healthcare operators or our operators, and it remains uncertain whether additional Medicaid funds under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (the “American Rescue Plan Act”) or other changes in Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement rates in the U.S., or U.K. reimbursement and relief programs for our U.K. operators, will ultimately support reimbursement to our operators. While certain states have provided pandemic-related relief measures and/or reimbursement increases, there remains uncertainty as to how widespread these measures will continue to be and to what extent they may be distributed to and benefit our operators, especially when the federally declared public health emergency expires as scheduled on May 11, 2023 or previously released federal funds to states have been fully utilized. Likewise, while certain states may in the course of routine rate-setting of Medicaid rates address inflationary factors and other expense-related items, there can be no assurance that these changes will be sufficient to offset existing increased inflation and expenses or that all states will address these items. See the “Government Regulation and Reimbursement” section for additional information. Further, to the extent the cost and occupancy impacts on our operators continue or accelerate and are not offset by continued government relief or reimbursement rates that are sufficient and timely, we anticipate that the operating results of additional operators may be materially and adversely affected, some may be unwilling or unable to pay their contractual obligations to us in full or on a timely basis and we may be unable to restructure such obligations on terms as favorable to us as those currently in place.
There are a number of uncertainties we face as we consider the continuing impact of COVID-19 on our business, including how long census disruption and elevated COVID-19 costs will last, the ability of our operators to manage the impact of the termination of public health emergency and temporary relief thereunder, the continued efficacy of vaccination programs in reducing the spread and severity of COVID-19 in our facilities, the impact of genetic mutations of the virus into new variants on our facilities, and the extent to which funding support from the federal government, the states and the U.K. will continue to offset these incremental costs as well as lost revenues. Notwithstanding vaccination programs, we expect that heightened clinical protocols for infection control within facilities will continue for some period; however, we do not know if future reimbursement rates or equipment provided by governmental agencies will be sufficient to cover the increased costs of enhanced infection control and monitoring.
While we continue to believe that longer term demographics will drive increasing demand for needs-based skilled nursing care, we expect the uncertainties to our business described above to persist at least for the near term until we can gain more information as to the level of costs our operators will continue to experience and for how long, and the level of additional governmental support that will be available to them, the potential support our operators may request from us and the future demand for needs-based skilled nursing care and senior living facilities. We continue to monitor the rate of occupancy recovery at many of our operators, and it remains uncertain whether and when demand, staffing availability and occupancy levels will return to pre-COVID-19 levels.
In addition to the impacts of COVID-19 discussed above, our operators have been and are likely to continue to be adversely affected by labor shortages and increased labor costs as well as other inflation-related cost increases. In addition, our operations have also been and are likely to continue to be impacted by increased competition for the acquisition of facilities in the U.S., which has decreased the number of investment opportunities that would be accretive to our portfolio. As part of our continuous evaluation of our portfolio and in connection with certain operator restructuring transactions, we expect to continue to opportunistically sell assets, or portfolios of assets, from time to time.
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We continue to monitor the impacts of other regulatory changes, as discussed below, including any significant limits on the scope of services reimbursed and on reimbursement rates and fees, which could have a material adverse effect on an operator’s results of operations and financial condition, which could adversely affect the operator’s ability to meet its obligations to us.
2022 and Recent Highlights
Investments
Dispositions and Impairments
Financing Activities
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Other Highlights
Collectibility Issues
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Dividends
Results of Operations
The following is our discussion of the consolidated results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. For a discussion of our results of operation for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (“2021 Form 10-K”).
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Comparison of results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
Revenues:
Income from direct financing leases 1,023 1,029 (6)
Expenses:
Acquisition, merger and transition related costs 42,006 1,814 40,192
Recovery on direct financing leases — (717) 717
Other income (expense):
Income from unconsolidated joint ventures 7,261 16,062 (8,801)
Revenues
Following is a description of certain of the changes in revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021:
Expenses
Following is a description of certain of the changes in our expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021:
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●The decrease in provision for credit losses primarily relates to a net decrease in aggregate specific provisions recorded in 2022 compared to specific provisions recorded in 2021, partially offset by increases in the general reserve recorded primarily resulting from increases in loss rates utilized in the estimate of expected losses for loans (see Note 9 – Allowance for Credit Losses to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a full summary of allowance movements over the last three years).
Other Income (Expenses)
The increase in total other income (expense) was primarily due to (i) a $198.3 million increase in gain on assets sold resulting from the sale of 66 facilities in 2022 compared to the sale of 48 facilities in 2021 as we continue to exit certain facilities, operator relationships and/or states to improve the strength of our overall portfolio and (ii) a $30.4 million decrease in loss on debt extinguishment primarily related to fees, premiums, and expenses related to the early redemption of $350 million of principal of the 4.375% Senior Notes due 2023 during the first quarter of 2021.
Income Tax Expense
As a REIT, we generally are not subject to federal income taxes on the REIT taxable income that we distribute to stockholders, subject to certain exceptions. For tax year 2022, we made common dividend payments of $632.9 million to satisfy REIT requirements relating to qualifying income. We have elected to treat certain of our active subsidiaries as TRSs. Our domestic TRSs are subject to federal, state and local income taxes at the applicable corporate rates. Our foreign TRSs are subject to foreign income taxes. As of December 31, 2022, one of our TRSs that is subject to income taxes at the applicable corporate rates had a net operating loss (“NOL”) carry-forward of approximately $10.2 million. Also, in connection with the acquisition of one U.K. entity in the first quarter of 2022, we acquired foreign net operating losses of $55.0 million resulting in an NOL deferred tax asset of $13.4 million (see Note 3 – Real Estate Asset Acquisitions and Development and Note 17 – Taxes). The $10.2 million NOL carry-forward was fully reserved as of December 31, 2022, with a valuation allowance due to uncertainties regarding realization.
Under U.S. current law, NOL carry-forwards generated up through December 31, 2017 may be carried forward for no more than 20 years, and our NOL carry-forwards generated in our taxable years ended after December 31, 2017 may be carried forward indefinitely.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded approximately $1.2 million of federal, state and local income tax provision and approximately $3.4 million of tax provision for foreign income taxes. These amounts do not include any gross receipts or franchise taxes payable to certain states and municipalities.
Income from Unconsolidated Joint Ventures
The decrease in income from unconsolidated joint ventures was primarily due to one of the joint ventures realizing a $14.9 million gain on sale of real estate investments during 2021.
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Funds From Operations
We use funds from operations (“Nareit FFO”), a non-GAAP financial measure, as one of several criteria to measure the operating performance of our business. We calculate and report Nareit FFO in accordance with the definition of Funds from Operations and interpretive guidelines issued by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“Nareit”). Nareit FFO is defined as net income (computed in accordance with GAAP), adjusted for the effects of asset dispositions and certain non-cash items, primarily depreciation and amortization and impairment on real estate assets, and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures and changes in the fair value of warrants. Adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures are calculated to reflect funds from operations on the same basis. Revenue recognized based on the application of security deposits and letters of credit or based on the ability to offset against other financial instruments is included within Nareit FFO. We believe that Nareit FFO is an important supplemental measure of our operating performance. As real estate assets (except land) are depreciated under GAAP, such accounting presentation implies that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time, while real estate values instead have historically risen or fallen with market conditions. Nareit FFO was designed by the real estate industry to address this issue. Nareit FFO herein is not necessarily comparable to Nareit FFO of other REITs that do not use the same definition or implementation guidelines or interpret the standards differently from us.
We further believe that by excluding the effect of depreciation, amortization, impairment on real estate assets and gains or losses from sales of real estate, all of which are based on historical costs and which may be of limited relevance in evaluating current performance, Nareit FFO can facilitate comparisons of operating performance between periods and between other REITs. We offer this measure to assist the users of our financial statements in evaluating our financial performance under GAAP, and Nareit FFO should not be considered a measure of liquidity, an alternative to net income or an indicator of any other performance measure determined in accordance with GAAP. Investors and potential investors in our securities should not rely on this measure as a substitute for any GAAP measure, including net income.
The following table presents our Nareit FFO reconciliation for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Elimination of non-cash items included in net income:
Add back unrealized loss on warrants — 43 988
The $194.7 million decrease in Nareit FFO for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021 is primarily driven by the overall decrease in total revenue, which is discussed in more detail in the Results of Operations above.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources and Uses
Our primary sources of cash include rental income and interest payment receipts on our loans, existing availability under our Revolving Credit Facility, proceeds from our DRSPP and the 2021 ATM Program, facility sales, and proceeds from mortgage and other investment payoffs. We anticipate that these sources will be adequate to meet our principal cash flow needs through the next twelve months, which include: funding dividends and distributions to our stockholders and non-controlling interest members, making debt service payments (including principal and interest), funding real estate investments (including facility acquisitions, capital improvement programs and other capital expenditures), funding new and committed loan investments and paying normal recurring G&A expenses (primarily consisting of employee payroll and benefits and expenses relating to third parties for legal, consulting and audit services).
Capital Structure
At December 31, 2022, we had total assets of $9.4 billion, total equity of $3.8 billion and total debt of $5.3 billion, with such debt representing approximately 58.4% of total capitalization.
Debt
At December 31, 2022, the weighted-average annual interest rate of our debt was 4.1%. Additionally, as of December 31, 2022, 98% of our debt with outstanding principal balances has fixed interest payments. Our high percentage of fixed interest debt has kept our interest expense relatively flat year over year despite rising interest rates. As of December 31, 2022, Omega’s debt obligations consisted of the following:
As of December 31, 2022, we had long-term credit ratings of Baa3 from Moody’s and BBB- from S&P Global and Fitch. Credit ratings impact our ability to access capital and directly impact our cost of capital as well. For example, our Revolving Credit Facility accrues interest and fees at a rate per annum equal to LIBOR plus a margin that depends upon our credit rating. A downgrade in credit ratings by Moody’s and S&P Global may have a negative impact on the interest rates and fees for our Revolving Credit Facility.
Our credit facilities that reference LIBOR contain customary LIBOR replacement language, including, but not limited to, the use of rates based on the secured overnight financing rate.
Certain of our other secured and unsecured borrowings are subject to customary affirmative and negative covenants, including financial covenants. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, we were in compliance with all affirmative and negative covenants, including financial covenants, for our secured and unsecured borrowings.
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As of December 31, 2022 we have five forward starting swaps totaling $400 million that are indexed to 3-month LIBOR. We designated the forward starting swaps as cash flow hedges of interest rate risk associated with interest payments on a forecasted issuance of fixed rate long-term debt. The swaps are effective on August 1, 2023 and expire on August 1, 2033 and were issued at a weighted average fixed rate of approximately 0.8675%. The fair value associated with these swaps was $93.0 million as of December 31, 2022.
Equity
At December 31, 2022, we had 234.3 million shares of common stock outstanding and our shares had a market value of $6.5 billion. As of December 31, 2022, we had the following equity programs in place that we can utilize to raise capital:
Dividends
As a REIT, we are required to distribute dividends (other than capital gain dividends) to our stockholders in an amount at least equal to (A) the sum of (i) 90% of our “REIT taxable income” (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and our net capital gain), and (ii) 90% of the net income (after tax), if any, from foreclosure property, minus (B) the sum of certain items of non-cash income. In addition, if we dispose of any built-in gain asset during a recognition period, we will be required to distribute at least 90% of the built-in gain (after tax), if any, recognized on the disposition of such asset. Such distributions must be paid in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if declared before we timely file our tax return for such year and paid on or before the first regular dividend payment after such declaration. In addition, such distributions are required to be made pro rata, with no preference to any share of stock as compared with other shares of the same class, and with no preference to one class of stock as compared with another class except to the extent that such class is entitled to such a preference. To the extent that we do not distribute all of our net capital gain or distribute at least 90%, but less than 100% of our “REIT taxable income” as adjusted, we will be subject to tax thereon at regular corporate rates.
Material Cash Requirements
The following table shows our material cash requirements, described below, as of December 31, 2022:
Payments due by period
Less than More than
Total 1 year Years 2-3 Years 4-5 5 years
(in thousands)
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Capital Expenditures and Funding Commitments
In addition to the obligations in the table above, as of December 31, 2022, we also had $210.9 million of commitments to fund the construction of new leased and mortgaged facilities, capital improvements and other commitments. Additionally, we have commitments to fund $71.4 million of advancements under existing non-real estate loans. These commitments are expected to be funded over the next several years and are dependent upon the operators’ election to use the commitments.
Other Arrangements
We own interests in certain unconsolidated joint ventures as described in Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements – Investments in Joint Ventures. Our risk of loss is generally limited to our investment in the joint venture and any outstanding loans receivable.
We also hold variable interests in certain unconsolidated entities through our loan and other investments. See disclosures regarding our risk of loss associated with these entities with Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements – Variable Interest Entities.
We use derivative instruments to hedge interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate exposure as discussed in Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements – Derivatives and Hedging. We have seen significant increases in fair value of our hedging instruments in 2022, primarily due to macroeconomic factors impacting interest rates and foreign currency rates.
Cash Flow Summary
The following is a summary of our sources and uses of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
Net cash provided by (used in):
For a discussion of our consolidated cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our 2021 Form 10-K.
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $300.6 million as of December 31, 2022, an increase of $276.2 million as compared to the balance at December 31, 2021. The following is a discussion of changes in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash due to operating, investing and financing activities, which are presented in our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
Operating Activities–The decrease in net cash provided by operating activities is primarily driven by a decrease of $144.9 million of net income, net of $155.4 million of non-cash items, primarily due to a year over year reduction in rental income and interest income, as discussed in our material changes analysis under Results of Operations above. The decrease was partially offset by a $48.4 million change in the net movements of the operating assets and liabilities.
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Investing Activities –The change in cash used in investing activities related primarily to (i) a $440.5 million increase in proceeds from the sales of real estate investments driven by an attractive real estate market in which Omega elected to sell non-strategic assets, (ii) a $391.6 million decrease in real estate acquisitions, primarily related to the acquisition of 24 senior living facilities from Healthpeak in the first quarter of 2021, (iii) a $75.7 million decrease in capital improvements to real estate investments and construction in progress (including $68.0 million related to the purchase of a real estate property located in Washington, D.C. in the third quarter of 2021 that Omega, in conjunction with Maplewood, plans to redevelop), (iv) a $68.9 million increase in loan repayments, net of placements which is primarily driven by higher repayments in 2022 and (v) a $10.4 million decrease in investments in unconsolidated joint ventures primarily related to Second Spring II LLC, a new joint venture investment in 2021. Offsetting these changes were: (i) a $14.5 million decrease in distributions from unconsolidated joint ventures in excess of earnings primarily related to the Second Spring Healthcare Investments joint venture due to significant facility sales in the first quarter of 2021 and (ii) a $4.7 million decrease in receipts from insurance proceeds.
Financing Activities –The change in cash used in financing activities was primarily related to (i) a $265.9 million decrease in cash proceeds from the issuance of common stock in 2022 due to decreased issuances under our DRSPP and our 2021 ATM program, as compared to the same period in 2021, (ii) $142.3 million of repurchases of shares of common stock in 2022 as a result of implementing a $500 million repurchase program in January 2022, (iii) a $88.7 million decrease in proceeds from other long-term borrowings, net of repayments and (iv) a $9.6 million increase in redemptions of OP units, partially offset by (i) a $48.6 million decrease in payment of financing related costs due to fees and premiums paid in the first quarter of 2021 related to the early redemption of $350 million of principal of the 4.375% senior notes due 2023, (ii) a $4.8 million decrease in dividends paid primarily resulting from share repurchases throughout 2022 and (iii) a $4.7 million decrease in distributions to Omega OP Unit holders.
Supplemental Guarantor Information
Parent has issued approximately $4.9 billion aggregate principal of senior notes outstanding at December 31, 2022 that were registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The senior notes are guaranteed by Omega OP.
The SEC adopted amendments to Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X and created Rule 13-01 to simplify disclosure requirements related to certain registered securities, such as our senior notes. As a result of these amendments, registrants are permitted to provide certain alternative financial and non-financial disclosures, to the extent material, in lieu of separate financial statements for subsidiary issuers and guarantors of registered debt securities. Accordingly, separate consolidated financial statements of Omega OP have not been presented. Parent and Omega OP, on a combined basis, have no material assets, liabilities or operations other than financing activities (including borrowings under the senior unsecured revolving and term loan credit facility, Omega OP term loan and the outstanding senior notes) and their investments in non-guarantor subsidiaries.
Omega OP is currently the sole guarantor of our senior notes. The guarantees by Omega OP of our senior notes are full and unconditional and joint and several with respect to the payment of the principal and premium and interest on our senior notes. The guarantees of Omega OP are senior unsecured obligations of Omega OP that rank equal with all existing and future senior debt of Omega OP and are senior to all subordinated debt. However, the guarantees are effectively subordinated to any secured debt of Omega OP. As of December 31, 2022, there were no significant restrictions on the ability of Omega OP to make distributions to Omega.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP in the U.S. requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the Consolidated Financial Statements. These policies were followed in preparing the Consolidated Financial Statements for all periods presented. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
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We have identified the following accounting policies that we believe are critical accounting policies. These critical accounting policies are those that have the most impact on the reporting of our financial condition and those requiring significant assumptions, judgments and estimates. With respect to these critical accounting policies, we believe the application of assumptions, judgments and estimates is consistently applied and produces financial information that fairly presents the results of operations for all periods presented. The following table presents information about our critical accounting policies, as well as the material assumptions used to develop each estimate:
Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate Assumptions/Approach Used
Revenue Recognition
Real Estate Investment Impairment
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Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate Assumptions/Approach Used
Asset Acquisitions
Item 7A – Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are exposed to various market risks, including the potential loss arising from adverse changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. We seek to mitigate the effects of fluctuations in interest rates by matching the terms of new investments with new long-term fixed rate borrowings to the extent possible. We also use financial derivative instruments to hedge our interest rate exposure as well as our foreign currency exchange rate exposure.We do not enter into our market risk sensitive financial instruments and related derivative positions (if any) for trading or speculative purposes. The following disclosures discuss potential fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates and are subjective in nature and are dependent on a number of important assumptions, including estimates of future cash flows, risks, discount rates and relevant comparable market information associated with each financial instrument. Readers are cautioned that many of the statements contained in these paragraphs are forward-looking and should be read in conjunction with our disclosures under the heading “Forward-Looking Statements” set forth above. The use of different market assumptions and estimation methodologies may have a material effect on the reported estimated fair value amounts. Accordingly, the estimates presented below are not necessarily indicative of the amounts we would realize in a current market exchange.
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Interest Rate Risk
We borrow debt at a combination of variable and fixed rates. Movements in interest rates on our variable rate borrowings would change our future earnings and cash flows but not significantly affect the fair value of those instruments. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we incurred interest expense of $4.1 million related to variable rate borrowings outstanding under our Revolving Credit Facility, OP Term Loan and two other term loans. Assuming no changes in outstanding balances, a 1% increase in interest rates would not have significantly impacted the annual interest expense on our Revolving Credit Facility, OP Term Loan and two other term loans.
A change in interest rates will not affect the interest expense associated with our long-term fixed rate borrowings but will affect the fair value of our long-term fixed rate borrowings. The estimated fair value of our total long-term fixed-rate borrowings at December 31, 2022 was approximately $4.7 billion. A one percent increase in interest rates would result in a decrease in the fair value of long-term fixed-rate borrowings by approximately $212.0 million at December 31, 2022.
At December 31, 2022, we have $400 million of forward interest rate swaps outstanding that are recorded at fair value in other assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The forward-starting swaps hedge the interest rate risk associated with interest payments on a forecasted issuance of fixed rate long-term debt.
Foreign Currency Risk
We are exposed to foreign currency risk through our investments in the U.K. Increases or decreases in the value of the British Pound Sterling relative to the U.S. Dollar impact the amount of net income we earn from our investments in the U.K. Based solely on our results for the year ended December 31, 2022, if the applicable exchange rate was to increase or decrease by 10%, our net income from our consolidated U.K.-based investments would increase or decrease, as applicable by $1.4 million.
To hedge a portion of our net investments in the U.K., at December 31, 2022, we have six foreign currency forward contracts with notional amounts totaling £250.0 million, four of which mature on March 8, 2024 and two of which mature on May 21, 2029.
Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The consolidated financial statements listed under Item 15 – Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules and the report of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, on such financial statements are filed as part of this report beginning on page F-1. There have been no retrospective changes to our Consolidated Statements of Operations for any of the quarters within the two most recent fiscal years that are individually or in the aggregate material.
Item 9 – Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.
Item 9A – Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
In connection with the preparation of our Form 10-K as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022, management evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of disclosure controls and procedures of the Company as of December 31, 2022. Based on this evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures of the Company were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2022.
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Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP and includes those policies and procedures that:
All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our company have been detected. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.
In connection with the preparation of this Form 10-K, our management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. In making that assessment, our management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (“2013 framework”). Based on management’s assessment, management believes that, as of December 31, 2022, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective based on those criteria.
The independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation reports regarding the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is included in the 2022 financial statements under the caption entitled Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and is incorporated herein by reference.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2022 identified in connection with the evaluation of their disclosure controls and procedures described above that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, its internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B – Other Information
None.
Item 9C – Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not Applicable.
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PART III
Item 10 – Directors, Executive Officers of the Registrant and Corporate Governance
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our Company’s definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A.
For information regarding executive officers of our Company, see Item 1 – Business – Information about our Executive Officers.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a written Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (“Code of Ethics”) that applies to all of our directors and employees, including our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief accounting officer and controller. A copy of our Code of Ethics is available on our website at www.omegahealthcare.com. Any amendment to our Code of Ethics or any waiver of our Code of Ethics that is required to be disclosed will be provided on our website at www.omegahealthcare.com promptly following the date of such amendment or waiver.
Item 11 – Executive Compensation
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our Company’s definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A.
Item 12 – Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our Company’s definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A, except as set forth below.
The following table provides information about shares available for future issuance under our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2022:
Equity Compensation Plan Information
(c)
Number of securities
(a) (b) remaining available for
Number of securities to Weighted-average future issuance under
be issued upon exercise exercise price of equity compensation plans
of outstanding options, outstanding options, excluding securities
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders 4,145,974 $ — 2,093,354
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders — — —
(2) No exercise price is payable with respect to the RSUs and PRSUs.
Item 13 – Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our Company’s definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A.
Item 14 – Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to our Company’s definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A.
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PART IV
Item 15 – Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(1) Listing of Consolidated Financial Statements
Title of Document PageNumber
Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 42) F-1
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 F-4
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-9
(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules. The following consolidated financial statement schedules are included herein:
Schedule III – Real Estate and Accumulated Depreciation F-69
Schedule IV – Mortgage Loans on Real Estate F-71
All other schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission are not required under the related instructions or are inapplicable or have been omitted because sufficient information has been included in the notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
(a)(3) Exhibits — See “Index to Exhibits” beginning on Page I-1 of this report.
Item 16 – Form 10-K Summary
None.
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes and financial statement schedules listed in the Index at Item 15(a)(2) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework)and our report dated February 14, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
F-1
Table of Contents
Collectibility of future lease payments
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1992.
Baltimore, Maryland
February 14, 2023
F-2
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes and financial statement schedules listed in the Index at Item 15(a)(2) and our report dated February 14, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Baltimore, Maryland
February 14, 2023
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OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
December 31,
ASSETS
Real estate assets
Investments in direct financing leases – net 8,503 10,873
Other receivables and lease inducements 177,798 251,815
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Revolving credit facility $ 19,246 $ —
Equity:
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 20,325 (2,200)
See accompanying notes.
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OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Year Ended December 31,
Revenues
Expenses
Acquisition, merger and transition related costs 42,006 1,814 2,018
Recovery on direct financing leases — (717) (3,079)
Other income (expense)
Income from unconsolidated joint ventures 7,261 16,062 6,143
Earnings per common share available to common stockholders:
Basic:
Net income available to common stockholders $ 1.81 $ 1.76 $ 0.70
Diluted:
See accompanying notes.
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OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(in thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Other comprehensive income (loss):
See accompanying notes.
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OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Accumulated
Common Additional Cumulative Other Total
Par Value Capital Earnings Dividends Income (Loss) Equity Interest Equity
Stock related compensation — 19,064 — — — 19,064 — 19,064
Omega OP Units distributions — — — — — — (20,970) (20,970)
See accompanying notes.
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OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Cash flows from operating activities
Recovery on direct financing leases — (717) (3,079)
Accretion of direct financing leases 83 55 30
Amortization of acquired in-place leases – net (5,662) (9,516) (14,187)
Effective yield payable (receivable) on mortgage notes 2,050 1,526 (719)
Income from unconsolidated joint ventures 455 (2,060) (1,315)
Change in operating assets and liabilities – net:
Other operating assets and liabilities 6,472 (4,918) 15,583
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of a business, net of cash acquired — — (5,058)
Acquisition deposit - net — (5,730) (2,500)
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures (113) (10,484) (2,471)
Receipts from insurance proceeds 1,251 5,993 897
Cash flows from financing activities
Payments of financing related costs (389) (48,989) (18,183)
Repurchase of common stock (142,267) — —
Redemption of Omega OP Units (9,704) (79) —
See accompanying notes.
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OMEGA HEALTHCARE INVESTORS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS