News Details

NHI Reports 7.6% Increase in Fourth Quarter Normalized FFO

February 22, 2010

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) announced today its normalized Funds From Operations ("FFO") and net income for the three months and year ended December 31, 2009.

2009 Highlights

    --  Normalized FFO improved to $2.33 per basic and diluted common share
        compared with $2.29 in 2008
    --  FFO increased 11.3% compared with 2008
    --  Completed leaseback transactions of four skilled nursing facilities and
        five assisted living facilities for a total of $83.8 million
    --  Agreed to purchase six skilled nursing facilities in Florida for $67
        million, which closed in February 2010 and concluded NHI's relationship
        with Care Foundation of America ("CFA")
    --  Subsequent to year-end, closed on a new $100 million revolving credit
        facility to fund new investments

Financial Results

Normalized FFO for the three months ended December 31, 2009 was $16,650,000, or $0.60 per basic and diluted common share, compared with $15,468,000, or $0.56 per basic and diluted common share, for the same period in 2008. Normalized FFO for the three months ended December 31, 2009 excludes $1,944,000 in gains and recoveries of previous write-downs on the sale of marketable securities. Normalized FFO for the three months ended December 31, 2008 excludes asset write-downs and realized losses on the sale of marketable securities of $1,485,000 and other one-time income items totaling $1,313,000.

FFO, as defined by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT"), for the three months ended December 31, 2009 was $18,594,000, or $0.67 per basic and diluted common share, compared with $15,296,000, or $0.55 per basic and diluted common share, for the same period in 2008. Net income for the three months ended December 31, 2009 was $16,291,000, or $0.59 and $0.58 per basic and diluted common share, respectively, compared with net income of $13,367,000, or $0.50 and $0.49 per basic and diluted common share, respectively, for the same period in 2008.

Normalized FFO for 2009 was $64,341,000, or $2.33 per basic and diluted common share, compared with $63,668,000, or $2.29 per basic and diluted common share, for 2008. Normalized FFO for 2009 excludes the collection of past due rent and interest from two customers totaling $2,654,000, recoveries of previous write-downs and gains of $3,480,000, the recognition into income related to the cancellation of liabilities totaling $1,493,000 and other one-time items totaling $626,000. Normalized FFO for 2008 excludes asset write-downs and losses on the sale of marketable securities of $4,461,000, the recognition into income of deferred credits totaling $4,121,000, a restricted stock forfeiture of $566,000, and other one-time income items totaling $1,313,000.

FFO for 2009 was $72,594,000, or $2.63 per basic and diluted common share, compared with $65,207,000, or $2.35 per basic and diluted common share, for 2008. Net income for 2009 was $64,229,000, or $2.33 and $2.32 per basic and diluted common share, respectively, compared with $57,510,000, or $2.08 and $2.07 per basic and diluted common share, respectively, for 2008.

2010 Outlook and Guidance Policy

Based on the transactions completed in 2009 and to date in 2010, NHI expects to report continued year-over-year Normalized FFO growth in 2010. NHI expects to initiate 2010 Normalized FFO guidance and the corresponding future investment and expense assumptions in conjunction with the Company's first quarter results in early May.

Investor Conference Call and Webcast

NHI will host a conference call on Monday, February 22, 2010, at 10 a.m. ET, to discuss its 2009 results and guidance for 2010. The number to call for this interactive teleconference is (212) 231-2903 with the confirmation number, 21458462. The live broadcast of NHI's quarterly conference call will be available online at http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=66053 on Monday, February 22, 2010, at 10 a.m. ET. The online replay will follow shortly after the call and continue for approximately 90 days.

National Health Investors, Inc. is a healthcare real estate investment trust that specializes in the financing of healthcare real estate by purchase and leaseback transactions and by mortgage loans. NHI's investments involve skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, independent living facilities, medical office buildings, and an acute care hospital. The common stock of the company trades on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol NHI. Additional information about NHI, including its most recent press releases, may be obtained on NHI's web site at www.nhinvestors.com.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. NHI cautions investors that any forward-looking statements may involve risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. All forward-looking statements represent NHI's judgment as of the date of this release. Investors are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by NHI in its periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors and other information disclosed in NHI's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year. Copies of these filings are available at no cost on the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov or on NHI's web site at http://www.nhinvestors.com.

Reconciliation of Funds From Operations and Normalized Funds From Operations(1)
(2)(3)

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

                  Three months ended              Twelve months ended

                  December 31,                    December 31,

                    2009            2008            2009            2008

Net income        $ 16,291        $ 13,367        $ 64,229        $ 57,510

Elimination of
non-cash items
in net income:

 Real estate        2,055           1,682           7,373           6,667
 depreciation

 Real estate
 depreciation in    248             247             992             1,030
 discontinued
 operations

Funds from        $ 18,594        $ 15,296        $ 72,594        $ 65,207
operations

 Collection of
 past due rent      -               -               (2,654     )    -
 and interest
 amounts

 (Gains,
 recoveries) and
 losses on          (1,944     )    1,099           (2,403     )    2,475
 marketable
 securities

 Asset
 write-downs and
 (recoveries of     -               386             (1,077     )    1,986
 previous
 writedowns)

 Recognition of
 deferred           -               -               (1,493     )    (4,121     )
 credits

 Restricted
 stock              -               -               -               (566       )
 forfeiture

 Other one-time     -               (1,313     )    (626       )    (1,313     )
 items

Normalized funds  $ 16,650        $ 15,468        $ 64,341        $ 63,668
from operations

Weighted average
common shares
outstanding

 Basic              27,603,646      27,573,294      27,586,338      27,706,106

 Diluted            27,656,684      27,578,380      27,618,300      27,731,951

Funds from
operations per
share:

 Basic            $ 0.67          $ 0.55          $ 2.63          $ 2.35

 Diluted          $ 0.67          $ 0.55          $ 2.63          $ 2.35

Normalized FFO
per share:

 Basic            $ 0.60          $ 0.56          $ 2.33          $ 2.29

 Diluted          $ 0.60          $ 0.56          $ 2.33          $ 2.29



(1) Management believes that funds from operations (FFO) is an important supplemental measure of operating performance for a real estate investment trust. Because the historical cost accounting convention used for real estate assets requires straight-line depreciation (except on land), such accounting presentation implies that the value of real estate assets diminishes predictably over time. Since real estate values instead have historically risen and fallen with market conditions, presentations of operating results for a real estate investment trust that uses historical cost accounting for depreciation could be less informative, and should be supplemented with a measure such as FFO. The term FFO was designed by the real estate investment trust industry to address this issue. Our measure may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other REITs. Consequently, our funds from operations may not provide a meaningful measure of our performance as compared to that of other REITs. Since other REITs may not use our definition of FFO, caution should be exercised when comparing our Company's FFO to that of other REITs. FFO does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP (funds from operations does not include changes in operating assets and liabilities) and therefore should not be considered an alternative to net earnings as an indication of operating performance, or to net cash flow from operating activities as determined by GAAP in the United States, as a measure of liquidity and is not necessarily indicative of cash available to fund cash needs.

(2) Normalized FFO excludes from FFO any material one-time items reflected in GAAP net income. Excluded items may include, but are not limited to, impairments of assets, gains and losses attributable to the acquisition and disposition of assets and liabilities, and recoveries of previous write-downs.

(3) Our computations above are intended to comply with the SEC's interpretation that recurring impairments taken on real property may not be added back to net income in the calculation of FFO. The SEC's position is that recurring impairments on real property are not an appropriate adjustment.

Condensed Statements of Income

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

                       Three months ended          Twelve months ended

                       December 31,                December 31,

                         2009          2008          2009            2008

Revenues:

Rental income          $ 14,255      $ 12,073      $ 55,076        $ 48,339

Mortgage interest        2,074         2,452         9,145           9,666
income

                         16,329        14,525        64,221          58,005

Expenses:

Interest expense         8             60            85              308

Depreciation             2,163         1,704         7,629           6,761

Amortization of loan     79            4             90              15
costs

Legal expense            681           557           1,954           1,598

Franchise, excise and    180           121           730             646
other taxes

General and              1,216         1,346         5,255           3,585
administrative

Loan and realty          -             -             (1,077     )    -
losses (recoveries)

                         4,327         3,792         14,666          12,913

Income Before            12,002        10,733        49,555          45,092
Non-Operating Income

Non-operating income
(investment interest     3,289         2,023         8,581           6,487
and other)

Income From              15,291        12,756        58,136          51,579
Continuing Operations

Discontinued
Operations

Income from
operations -             1,000         611           6,093           5,931
discontinued

Net income             $ 16,291      $ 13,367      $ 64,229        $ 57,510

Weighted average
common shares
outstanding:

Basic                    27,603,646    27,573,294    27,586,338      27,706,106

Diluted                  27,656,684    27,578,380    27,618,300      27,731,951

Earnings per share:

Basic:

Income from            $ 0.55        $ 0.46        $ 2.11          $ 1.86
continuing operations

Discontinued             0.04          0.04          0.22            0.22
operations

Net income available
to common              $ 0.59        $ 0.50        $ 2.33          $ 2.08
stockholders

Diluted:

Income from            $ 0.54        $ 0.46        $ 2.10          $ 1.86
continuing operations

Discontinued             0.04          0.03          0.22            0.21
operations

Net income available
to common              $ 0.58        $ 0.49        $ 2.32          $ 2.07
stockholders

Funds from operations  $ 18,594      $ 15,296      $ 72,594        $ 65,207

Funds from operations
per common share

Basic                  $ 0.67        $ 0.55        $ 2.63          $ 2.35

Diluted                $ 0.67        $ 0.55        $ 2.63          $ 2.35

Dividend declared per  $ 0.65        $ 0.69        $ 2.30          $ 2.34(2)
common share(1)

(1) Includes special dividends of $0.10 and $0.14 per common share for the years
ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively

(2) Excludes an $0.08 per common share 'spillover' dividend declared in 2008 for
2007

The results of operations for facilities sold, including the gain or loss on
such sales, have been reported in the current and prior periods as discontinued
operations.



Selected Balance Sheet Data

(in thousands)

                                     December 31, 2009  December 31, 2008

Real estate properties, net          $ 223,861          $ 181,332

Mortgages receivable, net              94,588             108,640

Preferred stock investment, at cost    38,132             38,132

Cash and cash equivalents              45,718             100,242

Marketable securities                  21,322             26,594

Bonds payable                          -                  3,987

Stockholders' equity                   434,612            429,615



    Source: National Health Investors, Inc.
Contact: National Health Investors, Inc. Roger R. Hopkins, 615-890-9100 Chief Accounting Officer