Welltower - 10-Q quarterly report FY

 

(Mark One)

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) (419) 247-2800

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to the filing requirements for at least the past 90 days.

Yes þ No o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes þ No o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes o No þ

          As of October 14, 2005, the registrant had 54,631,567 shares of common stock outstanding.

 

 

NOTE: The consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2004 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.

See notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements

See notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements

See notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements

See notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements

     The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with instructions to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 are not necessarily an indication of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2005. For further information, refer to the financial statements and footnotes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004.

     During the nine months ended September 30, 2005, we invested $226,085,000 in real property (including $4,782,000 of advances for construction in progress) and provided loan financings of $39,125,000. Real property acquisitions included the assumption of debt totaling $22,309,000. As of September 30, 2005, we had approximately $1,060,000 in unfunded construction commitments. Also during the nine months ended September 30, 2005, we sold real property generating $9,900,000 of net proceeds and collected $56,373,000 as repayment of principal on loans receivable.

     Equity investments, which consist of investments in private and public companies over which we do not have the ability to exercise influence, are accounted for under the cost method. Under the cost method of accounting, investments in private companies are carried at cost and are adjusted only for other-than-temporary declines in fair value, distributions of earnings and additional investments. For investments in public companies that have readily determinable fair market values, we classify our equity investments as available-for-sale and, accordingly, record these investments at their fair market values with unrealized gains and losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income, a separate component of stockholders’ equity. These investments represent a minimal ownership interest in these companies.

     On February 22, 2005, we paid a dividend of $0.60 per share to stockholders of record on January 31, 2005. This dividend related to the period from October 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004.

     On May 20, 2005, we paid a dividend of $0.62 per share to stockholders of record on April 29, 2005. This dividend related to the period from January 1, 2005 through March 31, 2005.

     On August 22, 2005, we paid a dividend of $0.62 per share to stockholders of record on July 29, 2005. This dividend related to the period from April 1, 2005 through June 30, 2005.

     We are exposed to various market risks, including the potential loss arising from adverse changes in interest rates. We may elect to use financial derivative instruments to hedge interest rate exposure. These decisions are principally based on our policy to match our variable rate investments with comparable borrowings, but are also based on the general trend in interest rates at the applicable dates and our perception of the future volatility of interest rates.

     In June 2000, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement No. 138, Accounting for Certain Derivative Instruments and Certain Hedging Activities, which amends Statement No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities. Statement No. 133, as amended, requires companies to record derivatives at fair market value on the balance sheet as assets or liabilities.

     On May 6, 2004, we entered into two interest rate swap agreements (the “Swaps”) for a total notional amount of $100,000,000 to hedge changes in fair value attributable to changes in the LIBOR swap rate of $100,000,000 of fixed rate debt with a maturity date of November 15, 2013. The Swaps are treated as fair-value hedges for accounting purposes and we utilize the short-cut method in accordance with Statement No. 133, as amended. The Swaps are with highly rated counterparties in which we receive a fixed rate of 6.0% and pay a variable rate based on six-month LIBOR plus a spread. At September 30, 2005, the Swaps were reported at their fair value as a $3,237,000 other asset. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005, we generated $200,000 and $977,000, respectively, of savings related to the Swaps that was recorded as a reduction in interest expense. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, we generated $719,000 and $1,232,000, respectively, of savings related to the Swaps that was recorded as a reduction in interest expense.

     The valuation of derivative instruments requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the fair value of the instruments. Fair values for our derivatives are estimated by a third party consultant, which utilizes pricing models that consider forward yield curves and discount rates. Such amounts and the recognition of such amounts are subject to significant estimates which may change in the future.

     Six assisted living facilities were held for sale as of September 30, 2005. We did not recognize an impairment loss on these assets as the fair value less estimated costs to sell exceeded our carrying values. See Note M for further discussion. Also, during the nine months ended September 30, 2005, we sold two assisted living facilities and one parcel of land with carrying values of $10,034,000 for a net loss of $134,000. In accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, we have reclassified the income and expenses attributable to all properties held for sale and sold subsequent to January 1, 2002 to discontinued operations. Expenses include an allocation of interest expense based on property carrying values and our weighted average cost of debt. The following illustrates the reclassification impact of Statement No. 144 as a result of classifying properties as discontinued operations for the periods presented (in thousands):

     We have an outstanding letter of credit issued for the benefit of certain insurance companies that provide workers’ compensation insurance to one of our tenants. Our obligation under the letter of credit matures in 2009. At September 30, 2005, our obligation under the letter of credit was $2,450,000.

     As of September 30, 2005, we had approximately $1,060,000 of unfunded construction commitments.

     Accumulated other comprehensive income includes unrealized gains or losses on our equity investments. This item is included as a component of stockholders’ equity. We did not recognize any comprehensive income other than the recorded net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005 or 2004.

     The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share (in thousands, except per share data):

     The diluted earnings per share calculation excludes the dilutive effect of 0 and 112,000 options for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005, respectively, because the exercise prices were greater than the average market price. The diluted earnings per share calculation excludes the dilutive effect of 112,000 options for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2004 because the exercise prices were greater than the average market price. The Series E Cumulative Convertible and Redeemable Preferred Stock was not included in these calculations as the effect of the conversion into common stock was anti-dilutive for the periods presented.

     Other equity consists of the following (in thousands):

     Unamortized restricted stock represents the unamortized value of restricted stock granted to employees and directors prior to January 1, 2003. Expense, which is recognized as the shares vest based on the market value at the date of the award, totaled $184,000 and $552,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005, respectively, and $238,000 and $716,000 for the same periods in 2004.

     In December 2002, the FASB issued Statement No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation - Transition and Disclosure, which we were required to adopt for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2002, with transition provisions for certain matters. Statement No. 148 amends FASB Statement No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, to provide alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. In addition, Statement No. 148 amends the disclosure requirements of Statement No. 123 to require prominent disclosures in both annual and interim financial statements about the method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation and the effect of the method used on reported results. Effective January 1, 2003, we commenced recognizing compensation expense in accordance with Statement No. 123, as amended, on a prospective basis. Accumulated option compensation expense represents the amount of amortized compensation costs related to stock options awarded to employees and directors subsequent to January 1, 2003. Expense, which is recognized as the options vest based on the market value at the date of the award, totaled $132,000 and $397,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2005, respectively, and $95,000 and $284,000 for the same periods in 2004.

     The following table illustrates the effect on net income available to common stockholders for the periods presented if we had applied the fair value recognition provisions of Statement No. 123, as amended, to stock-based compensation for options granted since 1995 but prior to adoption at January 1, 2003 (in thousands, except per share data):

     We adopted the fair value-based method of accounting for share-based payments effective January 1, 2003 using the prospective method described in FASB Statement No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation—Transition and Disclosure. Currently, we use the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model to estimate the value of stock option grants and expect to continue to use this acceptable option valuation model upon the required adoption of Statement No. 123(R) on January 1, 2006. Because Statement No. 123(R) must be applied not only to new awards but to previously granted awards that are not fully vested on the effective date of Statement No. 123(R), and because we adopted Statement No. 123 using the prospective transition method (which applied only to awards granted, modified or settled after the adoption date of Statement No. 123), compensation cost for some previously granted awards that were not recognized under Statement No. 123 will be recognized under Statement No. 123(R). However, had we adopted Statement No. 123(R) in prior periods, the impact of that standard would have approximated the impact of Statement No. 123 as described in the disclosure of pro forma net income and earnings per share in Note J. We do not expect the adoption of Statement No. 123(R) to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

     We issued $250,000,000 of 5.875% senior unsecured notes due May 2015 at an effective yield of 5.913% in April 2005. We used proceeds from this offering to fund: (a) a redemption of all of our outstanding $50,000,000 8.17% senior unsecured notes due March 2006; (b) a redemption of $122,500,000 of our outstanding $175,000,000 7.5% senior unsecured notes due August 2007; and (c) a public tender offer for $57,670,000 of our outstanding $100,000,000 7.625% senior unsecured notes due March 2008. We recognized one-time charges on the extinguishment of debt totaling approximately $18,448,000 in the second quarter of 2005 as a result of this activity.

     We closed on a $500,000,000 unsecured revolving credit facility to replace our $310,000,000 facility which was scheduled to mature in May 2006. Among other things, the new facility provides us with additional financial flexibility and borrowing capacity, reduces our all-in borrowing costs by approximately 50 basis points, extends our agreement to June 2008 and permits us to increase the facility by $50,000,000 through an accordion feature during the first 24 months.

     We closed on a $40,000,000 unsecured line of credit facility to replace our $30,000,000 facility which matured in May 2005. The new facility is an annual revolver scheduled to mature in May 2006 and reflects reduced pricing from the previous facility.

     On October 12, 2005, we closed on the sale of a portfolio of six assisted living facilities that were held for sale as of September 30, 2005. The facilities were sold to the tenant for cash, with financing provided by a third-party. In connection with this sale, we anticipate recognizing a $1,538,000 gain on sale after repayment of $7,614,000 of outstanding loans receivable, $328,000 of equity investments and $4,157,000 of straight-line rent receivable. In addition, we anticipate the recognition of $1,500,000 of previously unrecorded interest income relating to the loans receivable which were on non-accrual status.

     The following discussion and analysis is based primarily on the consolidated financial statements of Health Care REIT, Inc. for the periods presented and should be read together with the notes thereto contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Other important factors are identified in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, including factors identified under the headings “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

     Health Care REIT, Inc. is a self-administered, equity real estate investment trust that invests primarily in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. We also invest in specialty care facilities. Founded in 1970, we were the first REIT to invest exclusively in health care facilities. As of September 30, 2005, long-term care facilities, which include skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, comprised approximately 92% of our investment portfolio. The following table summarizes our portfolio as of September 30, 2005:

     Our primary objectives are to protect stockholders’ capital and enhance stockholder value. We seek to pay consistent cash dividends to stockholders and create opportunities to increase dividend payments to stockholders as a result of annual increases in rental and interest income and portfolio growth. To meet these objectives, we invest primarily in long-term care facilities managed by experienced operators and diversify our investment portfolio by operator and geographic location.

     Substantially all of our revenues and sources of cash flows from operations are derived from operating lease rentals and interest earned on outstanding loans receivable. These items represent our primary source of liquidity to fund distributions and are dependent upon our operators’ continued ability to make contractual rent and interest payments to us. To the extent that our operators experience operating difficulties and are unable to generate sufficient cash to make payments to us, there could be a material adverse impact on our consolidated results of operations, liquidity and/or financial condition. To mitigate this risk, we monitor our investments through a variety of methods determined by the type of facility and operator. Our monitoring process includes review of monthly financial statements for each facility, quarterly review of operator credit, periodic facility inspections and review of covenant compliance relating to licensure, real estate taxes, letters of credit and other collateral. In monitoring our portfolio, our personnel use a proprietary database to collect and analyze facility-specific data. Additionally, we conduct extensive research to ascertain industry trends and risks. Through these monitoring and research efforts, we are typically able to intervene at an early stage and address payment risk, and in so doing, support both the collectibility of revenue and the value of our investment.

     In addition to our monitoring and research efforts, we also structure our investments to help mitigate payment risk. We typically invest in or finance up to 90% of the appraised value of a property. Operating leases and loans are normally credit enhanced by guaranties and/or letters of credit. In addition, operating leases are typically structured as master leases and loans are generally cross-defaulted and cross-collateralized with other loans, operating leases or agreements between us and the operator and its affiliates. As of September 30, 2005, 85% of our real property was subject to master leases, 97% of our real estate investments were cross-defaulted with other investments relating to the same operator and 86% of our real property loans were cross-collateralized with other loans to the same operator.

     For the nine months ended September 30, 2005, rental income and interest income represented 92% and 7%, respectively, of total gross revenues (including revenues from discontinued operations). Prior to June 2004, our standard lease structure contained fixed annual rental escalators, which were generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the initial lease period. Beginning in June 2004, our new

standard lease structure contains annual rental escalators that are contingent upon changes in the Consumer Price Index and/or changes in the gross operating revenues of the property. These escalators are not fixed, so no straight-line rent is recorded. Instead, rental income is recorded based on the contractual cash rental payments due for the period. This lease structure will initially generate lower revenues, net income and funds from operations compared to leases with fixed escalators that require straight-lining, but will enable us to generate additional organic growth and minimize non-cash straight-line rent over time. This change does not affect our cash flow or our ability to pay dividends. Our yield on loans receivable depends upon a number of factors, including the stated interest rate, the average principal amount outstanding during the term of the loan and any interest rate adjustments.

     Depending upon the availability and cost of external capital, we anticipate making new facility investments. New investments are generally funded from temporary borrowings under our unsecured lines of credit arrangements, internally generated cash and the proceeds from sales of real property. Our investments generate internal cash from rent and interest receipts and principal payments on loans receivable. Permanent financing for future investments, which replaces funds drawn under the unsecured lines of credit arrangements, is expected to be provided through a combination of public and private offerings of debt and equity securities and the incurrence of secured debt. We believe our liquidity and various sources of available capital are sufficient to fund operations, meet debt service obligations (both principal and interest), make dividend distributions and finance future investments.

     Depending upon market conditions, we believe that new investments will be available in the future with spreads over our cost of capital that will generate appropriate returns to our stockholders. During the nine months ended September 30, 2005, we completed $267,849,000 of gross new investments and had $42,545,000 of investment payoffs, resulting in net investments of $225,304,000. We refined 2005 net investment guidance to a range of $125,000,000 to $175,000,000 from the previous guidance of $100,000,000 to $200,000,000. Although no additional investment payoffs appear highly likely at this time, we anticipate the potential repayment of certain loans receivable and the possible sale of additional real property. To the extent that loan repayments and real property sales exceed new investments, our revenues and cash flows from operations could be adversely affected. We expect to reinvest the proceeds from any loan repayments and real property sales in new investments. To the extent that new investment requirements exceed our available cash on hand, we expect to borrow under our unsecured lines of credit arrangements. At September 30, 2005, we had $27,119,000 of cash and cash equivalents and $236,000,000 of available borrowing capacity under our unsecured lines of credit arrangements.

     We have completed the following key transactions to date in 2005:

     We utilize several key performance indicators to evaluate the various aspects of our business. These indicators are discussed below and relate to operating performance, concentration risk and credit strength. Management uses these key performance indicators to facilitate internal and external comparisons to our historical operating results, in making operating decisions and for budget planning purposes.

     Operating Performance. We believe that net income available to common stockholders (“NICS”) is the most appropriate earnings measure. Other useful supplemental measures of our operating performance include funds from operations (“FFO”) and funds available for distribution (“FAD”); however, these supplemental measures are not defined by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). Please refer to the section entitled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for further discussion of FFO and FAD and for reconciliations of FFO and FAD to NICS. NICS, FFO, FAD and their relative per share amounts are widely used by investors and analysts

in the valuation, comparison and investment recommendations of companies. The following table reflects the recent historical trends for our operating performance measures (dollars in thousands, except per share data):

     Concentration Risk. We evaluate our concentration risk in terms of asset mix, investment mix, operator mix and geographic mix. Concentration risk is a valuable measure in understanding what portion of our investments could be at risk if certain sectors were to experience downturns. Asset mix measures the portion of our investments that are real property. In order to qualify as an equity REIT, at least 75% of our real estate investments must be real property, including the land, buildings, improvements and related rights, which is owned by us and leased to an operator pursuant to a long-term operating lease. Investment mix measures the portion of our investments that relate to our various facility types. We invest primarily in long-term care facilities. Operator mix measures the portion of our investments that relate to our top five operators. We try to limit our top five operators to 50% of our total real estate investments. Geographic mix measures the portion of our investments that relate to our top five states. We try to limit our top five states to 50% of our total real estate investments. The following table reflects our recent historical trends of concentration risk:

     Credit Strength. We measure our credit strength both in terms of leverage ratios and coverage ratios. Our leverage ratios include debt to book capitalization (“DBCR”) and debt to market capitalization (“DMCR”). The leverage ratios indicate how much of our balance sheet capitalization is related to long-term debt. We expect to maintain a DBCR between 40% and 50% and a DMCR between 30% and

40%. Our coverage ratios include interest coverage ratio (“ICR”) and fixed charge coverage ratio (“FCR”). The coverage ratios indicate our ability to service interest and fixed charges (interest plus preferred dividends). We expect to maintain an ICR in excess of 3.00 times and an FCR in excess of 2.50 times. The coverage ratios are based on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) which is discussed in further detail, and reconciled to net income, below in “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.” Leverage ratios and coverage ratios are widely used by investors, analysts and rating agencies in the valuation, comparison, rating and investment recommendations of companies. The following table reflects the recent historical trends for our credit strength measures:

     We evaluate our key performance indicators in conjunction with current expectations to determine if historical trends are indicative of future results. Our expected results may not be achieved and actual results may differ materially from our expectations. Factors that may cause actual results to differ from expected results are described in more detail in “Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors” and other sections of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Management regularly monitors economic and other factors to develop strategic and tactical plans designed to improve performance and maximize our competitive position. Our ability to achieve our financial objectives is dependent upon our ability to effectively execute these plans and to appropriately respond to emerging economic and company-specific trends. Please refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, under the headings “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for further discussion of these risk factors.

     Payment coverages in our portfolio continue to improve. Our overall stable payment coverage is at 1.91 times and represents an increase of one basis point from the prior quarter. The table below is a summary of the key performance measures for our portfolio. Census and payor mix data reflects the three months ended June 30, 2005. Coverage data reflects the 12 months ended June 30, 2005.