Increases 2013 Normalized FFO Guidance
<0> NHI Announces $135 Million Acquisition of 17 Assisted Living Communities </0>
National Health Investors, Inc.Roger R. Hopkins, Chief Accounting Officer, 615-890-9100
National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) announced today that its RIDEA joint-venture with Bickford Senior Living (“Bickford”) has acquired 17 assisted living and memory care communities for a total purchase price of $135 million. NHI owns 85% of the joint-venture and Bickford owns 15%. The acquisition brings the total number of properties in the joint-venture to 30, of which 3 are under construction. Wells Fargo Securities, LLC served as financial advisor to NHI on this transaction.
The 17 assisted living and memory care communities are comprised of 14 communities purchased from a subsidiary of Care Investment Trust, Inc. (OTCQX:CVTR) for approximately $123 million, and 3 communities purchased from affiliates of Bickford for approximately $12 million.
Justin Hutchens, NHI’s CEO and President stated, “This acquisition is evidence of the positive benefits of our joint-venture with Bickford which offers both organic and external growth potential. This relationship combines Bickford’s twenty-plus years of experience in compassionately caring for seniors with the financial strength of NHI.”
“NHI has been the perfect partner for us since 2009,” said Bickford president Michael Eby. “Since we both share the same resident-focused philosophy, our growth plans are truly aligned. We are very excited about our future with Justin and his team as our partner.”
The Company currently forecasts Normalized FFO for 2013 from $3.48 to $3.54 per diluted common share. The Company’s guidance range for the full year 2013 for Normalized FFO per share, with underlying assumptions and timing of certain transactions, is set forth and reconciled below. The Company expects to report its results for the second quarter during the week of August 5, 2013.
The Company’s guidance range reflects the existence of volatile economic conditions, but does not assume any material deterioration in tenant credit quality and/or performance of its portfolio. The guidance is based on a number of assumptions, many of which are outside the Company’s control and all of which are subject to change. The low end of our guidance range assumes a baseline from the first quarter of 2013, the recently announced transactions, the timing for further terming out of debt on our revolving credit facility and assuming 3% growth from our Bickford joint venture. On the top end of that range, we are adding in assumptions for investment activity and a 6% growth from our Bickford joint venture. The Company expects to make new investments in health care real estate during the remainder of 2013 that meet its underwriting criteria and where the spreads over its cost of capital generate sufficient returns to its shareholders. These new investments are expected to be funded by the Company’s liquid investments and by short-term and long-term debt financing. The Company’s guidance may change if actual results vary from these assumptions.
National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE: NHI) is a healthcare real estate investment trust specializing in financing healthcare real estate by purchase and leaseback transactions, RIDEA transactions and by mortgage loans. NHI’s investments include assisted living, senior living campuses, independent living, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, and hospitals. Find additional information about NHI at .
Bickford Senior Living, founded in 1991, is headquartered in Olathe, Kansas and operates over 45 assisting living, memory care and independent living facilities in Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Georgia Nebraska and Michigan and has experience in constructing over 150 of these types of facilities for various owners.