Health Care REIT's (HCN) Q2 FFO & Revenues Beat, Up Y/Y

Health Care REIT Inc. HCN, a real estate investment trust ("REIT"), reported second-quarter 2015 normalized funds from operations ("FFO") of $1.09 per share. The figure surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny and also came 3 cents ahead of the year-ago quarter tally.

Results were positively impacted by a rise in same-store net operating income ("NOI") and high-quality year-to-date investments worth $2.9 billion.

Revenues totaled $957.2 million, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $901 million. The top line also grew 15.8% year over year.

Inside the Headlines

In the second quarter, same-store NOI climbed 3.2% year over year. Same-store NOI for the seniors housing operating portfolio rose 3.3% year over year; which was partially aided by 5.2% growth in the U.S. portfolio and offset by occupancy rates in the U.K. that were affected by a severe flu.

Health Care REIT concluded gross investment of over $627 million in the quarter under review. This comprised $527 million in acquisitions/joint ventures, $76 million in development funding and $23 million in loans.

Health Care REIT exited the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $218 million, up from $202.3 million in first-quarter 2015.

2015 Outlook

For 2015, Health Care REIT reaffirmed its FFO guidance within $4.25–$4.35 per share, reflecting a 3–5% increase and blended same-store cash NOI growth of around 3.0–3.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.34 for 2015 lies in this range.

Our Take

Health Care REIT's results, supported by notable operating portfolio performance, are encouraging. In addition, a rise in senior citizen expenditure for healthcare promises strong prospects. However, an anticipated rise in interest rate and intense competition remain as pressing concerns.

Health Care REIT currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

We currently look forward to other REIT stocks that are scheduled to release second-quarter 2015 results later this week. These include Lamar Advertising Co. LAMR, Federal Realty Investment Trust FRT and The St. Joe Company JOE.


Note: FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, is obtained after adding depreciation and amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.

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