Ventas NYSE: VTR raised its 2026 investment and earnings outlook after reporting second-quarter growth led by its senior housing operating portfolio, or SHOP, as occupancy gains and rent growth lifted property-level results.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Debra A. Cafaro said the company generated 10% total-company same-property net operating income, or NOI, growth in the quarter. U.S. SHOP NOI rose 18% year over year, accompanied by 360 basis points of occupancy growth, she said. Normalized funds from operations, or FFO, increased 9% from a year earlier to $0.97 per share.
The company increased its full-year normalized FFO guidance to a range of $3.85 to $3.90 per share, representing projected growth of 8% to 10%. Ventas also lifted its expected 2026 investment volume to $4.5 billion from $3 billion, primarily focused on senior housing.
Senior Housing Drives Operating Results
Executive Vice President, Senior Housing and Chief Investment Officer Justin Hutchens said same-store SHOP NOI increased 16% year over year during the second quarter, with the U.S. portfolio contributing 18% growth. Same-store average occupancy rose 300 basis points across the portfolio and 360 basis points in the U.S.
Within NIC’s top 99 markets, Ventas’ same-store communities outperformed industry occupancy averages by about 150 basis points, according to Hutchens. Revenue per occupied room, or RevPOR, increased 5%, reflecting both in-place rent increases and higher move-in rents.
Same-store revenue grew nearly 9%, while operating expenses increased 5%. That combination expanded NOI margins by 210 basis points to 31%, while incremental margin flow-through reached 55%.
Hutchens said the company’s U.S. senior housing portfolio is 87% occupied, while its non-same-store portfolio is 83% occupied. The non-same-store group represents about 25% of SHOP NOI and includes acquisitions, transitions and redevelopment projects.
Ventas is maintaining its same-store SHOP NOI growth outlook of 16% at the midpoint. The company raised its full-year occupancy-growth target to 300 basis points from 270 basis points after a strong start to the year, and management said the May-through-September key selling season was tracking in line with its expectations.
Hutchens highlighted performance at more highly occupied communities as evidence of further opportunity. The approximately half of U.S. same-store communities that were at least 90% occupied posted 25% NOI growth and 6% RevPOR growth. About 10% of the company’s SHOP communities were at or near full occupancy, and those U.S. properties were producing about 7% RevPOR growth and roughly 20% NOI growth, he said.
Investment Outlook Raised to $4.5 Billion
Ventas completed more than $3 billion of senior housing-focused investments across 27 transactions year to date, Hutchens said. The investments were underwritten to double-digit to mid-teens unlevered internal rates of return, had an average expected first-year yield of 6.6%, and were acquired at an average price of $358,000 per unit.
The company expects to complete approximately another $1 billion of investments under contract, with that group expected to produce yields and returns similar to its completed investments. About two-thirds of that pending activity is value-add product with a higher growth profile, Hutchens said.
More than 90% of year-to-date investments were relationship-driven, including off-market transactions and transactions involving repeat sellers or existing operating partners. Hutchens said Ventas’ underwriting and data capabilities have helped the company close transactions in about two months from start to finish.
Cafaro said Ventas has completed more than $8 billion of investments since the beginning of 2024, adding more than 23,000 units across 174 communities to its SHOP portfolio. The company expects SHOP to represent 60% of its $60 billion enterprise by the end of 2026.
Management said demographic demand and limited new supply continue to support its senior housing strategy. Cafaro said the leading edge of the nearly 70 million baby boomers began turning 80 in 2026, while new senior housing construction starts remain at record lows.
On development, Hutchens said Ventas is primarily focused on acquiring in-place cash flows rather than developing new properties. He said current rents would generally need to be at least 25% higher for projects to generate the roughly 8% development yield that developers may seek, though luxury projects in select markets could be exceptions.
Balance Sheet Strength and Capital Recycling
Chief Financial Officer Robert Probst said net debt to EBITDA improved to 4.7 times at the end of the second quarter, the company’s lowest leverage level in more than a decade. That was a 90-basis-point improvement from a year earlier and a 30-basis-point sequential improvement.
Ventas completed $3.4 billion of investments year to date and raised $4.2 billion of equity, including $1.6 billion that remained unsettled at quarter-end. Liquidity totaled $4.9 billion.
The updated normalized FFO guidance midpoint of $3.88 per share is $0.02 above the prior midpoint. Probst said higher senior housing investment activity, net of additional capital recycling, contributed $0.03 per share to the improvement. That was partly offset by $0.01 per share from higher interest rates and a higher share price.
The company increased its disposition and loan repayment assumptions to $700 million, with sales expected to focus on non-SHOP and non-strategic assets. Probst characterized the disposition activity as portfolio “hygiene” intended to improve the company’s growth rate. Management said approximately $100 million of anticipated loan repayments carry an 11% yield.
Other Portfolio Performance
Ventas’ outpatient medical and research portfolio, known as OMAR, generated 5% same-store cash NOI growth in the second quarter. After adjusting for cash fee income, outpatient medical same-store cash NOI growth was 3%, supported by a 50-basis-point occupancy improvement and 88% tenant retention.
The triple-net portfolio generated 3% same-store cash NOI growth, and Probst said the company expects the portfolio’s year-over-year NOI growth rate to increase in the second half.
In the research portfolio, Hutchens said several tenants did not renew leases, producing an expected year-over-year NOI impact of about $900,000. He said the second-quarter run rate in research is expected to reflect the remainder of the year.
About Ventas (NYSE:VTR)
Ventas, Inc NYSE: VTR is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.
Ventas' business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.
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