Ventas 10-K 2019-12-31

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission file number: 1-10989

Ventas, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

353 N. Clark Street**,** Suite 3300

Chicago**,** Illinois

United States

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

60654 (Zip Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No x

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 such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No x

The aggregate market value of shares of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 28, 2019, based on a closing price of the common stock of $68.35 as reported on the New York Stock Exchange, was $25.1 billion.

As of February 17, 2020, there were 372,860,471 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 19, 2020 are incorporated by reference into Part III, Items 10 through 14 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

Unless otherwise indicated or except where the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “us” and “our” and other similar terms in this Annual Report on Form 10-K refer to Ventas, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements regarding our or our tenants’, operators’, borrowers’ or managers’ expected future financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, funds from operations, dividends and dividend plans, financing opportunities and plans, capital markets transactions, business strategy, budgets, projected costs, operating metrics, capital expenditures, competitive positions, acquisitions, investment opportunities, dispositions, merger integration, growth opportunities, expected lease income, continued qualification as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”), plans and objectives of management for future operations, and statements that include words such as “anticipate,” “if,” “believe,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “will,” and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and actual results may differ from our expectations. We do not undertake a duty to update these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made.

Our actual future results and trends may differ materially from expectations depending on a variety of factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These factors include without limitation:

i

Many of these factors, some of which are described in greater detail under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, are beyond our control and the control of our management.

ii

Brookdale Senior Living, Kindred, Atria, Sunrise and Ardent Information

Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Brookdale Senior Living”) is subject to the reporting requirements of the SEC and is required to file with the SEC annual reports containing audited financial information and quarterly reports containing unaudited financial information. Kindred Healthcare, LLC (formerly Kindred Healthcare, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, “Kindred”) is not currently subject to the reporting requirements of the SEC, but was subject to such reporting requirements prior to the closing of its acquisition by a consortium of TPG Capital (“TPG”), Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (“WCAS”) and Humana, Inc. in July 2018. The information related to Brookdale Senior Living and Kindred contained or referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been derived from SEC filings made by Brookdale Senior Living or Kindred, as the case may be, or other publicly available information, or was provided to us by Brookdale Senior Living or Kindred, and we have not verified this information through an independent investigation or otherwise. We have no reason to believe that this information is inaccurate in any material respect, but we cannot assure you of its accuracy. We are providing this data for informational purposes only, and you are encouraged to obtain Brookdale Senior Living’s and Kindred’s publicly available filings, which can be found on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Kindred, Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”), Sunrise Senior Living, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”) and

Ardent Health Partners, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Ardent”) are not currently subject to the reporting requirements of the SEC. The information related to Kindred, Atria, Sunrise and Ardent contained or referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been derived from publicly available information or was provided to us by Kindred, Atria, Sunrise or Ardent, as the case may be, and we have not verified this information through an independent investigation or otherwise. We have no reason to believe that this information is inaccurate in any material respect, but we cannot assure you of its accuracy.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PART I

BUSINESS

Overview

Ventas, Inc., an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) with a highly diversified portfolio of seniors housing, research and innovation, and healthcare properties located throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. As of December 31, 2019, we owned approximately 1,200 properties (including properties owned through investments in unconsolidated entities and properties classified as held for sale), consisting of seniors housing communities, medical office buildings (“MOBs”), research and innovation centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities (“IRFs”) and long-term acute care facilities (“LTACs”), and health systems. We had 22 properties under development, including four properties that are owned by unconsolidated real estate entities. Our company was originally founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

We primarily invest in seniors housing, research and innovation, and healthcare properties through acquisitions and lease our properties to unaffiliated tenants or operate them through independent third-party managers.

As of December 31, 2019, we leased a total of 412 properties (excluding properties within our office operations reportable business segment) to various healthcare operating companies under “triple-net” or “absolute-net” leases that obligate the tenants to pay all property-related expenses, including maintenance, utilities, repairs, taxes, insurance and capital expenditures. Our three largest tenants, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Brookdale Senior Living”), Ardent Health Partners, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Ardent”) and Kindred Healthcare, LLC (formerly Kindred Healthcare, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, “Kindred”) leased from us 122 properties (excluding two properties managed by Brookdale Senior Living pursuant to long-term management agreements), 11 properties and 32 properties, respectively, as of December 31, 2019.

As of December 31, 2019, pursuant to long-term management agreements, we engaged independent operators, such as Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”) and Sunrise Senior Living, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”) to manage 406 seniors housing communities for us.

Through our Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc. (“Lillibridge”) subsidiary and our ownership interest in PMB Real Estate Services LLC (“PMBRES”), we also provide MOB management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. In addition, from time to time, we make secured and non-mortgage loans and other investments relating to seniors housing and healthcare operators or properties.

We operate through three reportable business segments: triple-net leased properties, senior living operations and office operations. See our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes, including “NOTE 2—ACCOUNTING POLICIES” and “NOTE 19—SEGMENT INFORMATION,” included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Business Strategy

We aim to enhance shareholder value by delivering consistent, superior total returns through a strategy of: (1) generating reliable and growing cash flows; (2) maintaining a balanced, diversified portfolio of high-quality assets; and (3) preserving our financial strength, flexibility and liquidity.

Generating Reliable and Growing Cash Flows

Generating reliable and growing cash flows from our seniors housing and healthcare assets enables us to pay regular cash dividends to stockholders and creates opportunities to increase stockholder value through profitable investments. The combination of steady contractual growth from our long-term triple-net leases, steady, reliable cash flows from our loan investments and stable cash flows from our office buildings with the higher growth potential inherent in our seniors housing operating communities drives our ability to generate sustainable, growing cash flows that are resilient to economic downturns.

Maintaining a Balanced, Diversified Portfolio of High-Quality Assets

We believe that maintaining a balanced portfolio of high-quality assets diversified by investment type, geographic location, asset type, tenant or operator, revenue source and operating model diminishes the risk that any single factor or event could materially harm our business. Portfolio diversification also enhances the reliability of our cash flows by reducing our exposure to any individual tenant, operator or manager and making us less susceptible to single-state regulatory or reimbursement changes, regional climate events and local economic downturns.

Preserving Our Financial Strength, Flexibility and Liquidity

A strong, flexible balance sheet and excellent liquidity position us favorably to capitalize on strategic growth opportunities in the seniors housing and healthcare industries through acquisitions, investments and development and redevelopment projects. We maintain our financial strength to pursue profitable investment opportunities by actively managing our leverage, improving our cost of capital and preserving our access to multiple sources of liquidity, including unsecured bank debt, mortgage financings and public debt and equity markets.

2019 Highlights

Investments and Dispositions

Liquidity and Capital

**Portfolio Sum

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This section discusses the most significant factors that affect our business, operations and financial condition. It does not describe all risks and uncertainties applicable to us, our industry or ownership of our securities. If any of the following risks, or any other risks and uncertainties that are not addressed below or that we have not yet identified, actually occur, we could be materially adversely affected and the value of our securities could decline.

We have grouped these risk factors into three general categories:

Risks Arising from Our Business

The properties managed by Atria and Sunrise account for a significant portion of our revenues and operating income; adverse developments in Atria’s and Sunrise’s business and affairs or financial condition could have a Material Adverse Effect on us**.**

As of December 31, 2019, Atria and Sunrise, collectively, managed 260 of our consolidated seniors housing communities pursuant to long-term management agreements. These properties represent a substantial portion of our portfolio, based on their gross book value, and account for a significant portion of our revenues and NOI. Although we have various rights as the property owner under our management agreements, we rely on Atria’s and Sunrise’s personnel, expertise, technical resources and information systems, proprietary information, good faith and judgment to manage our senior living operations. We also rely on Atria and Sunrise to set appropriate resident fees, to provide accurate property-level financial results for our properties in a timely manner and to otherwise operate our seniors housing communities in compliance with the terms of our management agreements and all applicable laws and regulations. For example, we depend on Atria’s and Sunrise’s ability to attract and retain skilled management personnel who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of our seniors housing communities. A shortage of nurses or other trained personnel or general inflationary pressures may force Atria or Sunrise to enhance its pay and benefits package to compete effectively for such personnel, but it may not be able to offset these added

costs by increasing the rates charged to residents. Any increase in labor costs and other property operating expenses, any failure by Atria or Sunrise to attract and retain qualified personnel, or significant changes in Atria’s or Sunrise’s senior management or equity ownership could adversely affect the income we receive from our seniors housing communities and have a Material Adverse Effect on us.

Because Atria and Sunrise manage our properties in exchange for the receipt of a management fee from us, we are not directly exposed to the credit risk of our managers in the same manner or to the same extent as our triple-net tenants. However, any adverse developments in Atria’s and Sunrise’s business and affairs or financial condition could impair its ability to manage our properties efficiently and effectively and could have a Material Adverse Effect on us. If Atria or Sunrise experiences any significant financial, legal, accounting or regulatory difficulties due to a weak economy or otherwise, such difficulties could result in, among other adverse events, acceleration of its indebtedness, impairment of its continued access to capital, the enforcement of default remedies by its counterparties, or the commencement of insolvency proceedings by or against it under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, any one or a combination of which indirectly could have a Material Adverse Effect on us.

Our leases and other agreements with Brookdale Senior Living, Ardent and Kindred account for a significant portion of our revenues and operating income; any failure, inability or unwillingness by Brookdale Senior Living, Ardent or Kindred to satisfy its obligations under our agreements could have a Material Adverse Effect on us**.**

The properties we lease to Brookdale Senior Living, Ardent and Kindred account for a significant portion of our revenues and NOI, and we depend on Brookdale Senior Living, Ardent and Kindred to pay all insurance, taxes, utilities and maintenance and repair expenses in connection with the leased properties and properties that are collateral for the loans. We cannot assure you that Brookdale Senior Living, Ardent and Kindred will have sufficient assets, income and access to financing to enable them to satisfy their respective obligations to us, and any failure, inability or unwillingness by Brookdale Senior Living, Ardent or Kindred to do so could have a Material Adverse Effect on us. In addition, any failure by Brookdale Senior Living, Ardent or Kindred to effectively conduct its operations or to maintain and improve such properties could adversely affect its business reputation and its ability to attract and retain patients and residents in such properties, which could have a Material Adverse Effect on us. Brookdale Senior Living, Ardent and Kindred have agreed to indemnify, defend and hold us harmless from and against various claims, litigation and liabilities arising in connection with their respective businesses, and we cannot assure you that Brookdale Senior Living, Ardent and Kindred will have sufficient assets, income, access to financing and insurance coverage to enable them to satisfy their respective indemnification obligations.

We face potential adverse consequences from the bankruptcy, insolvency or financial deterioration of one or more of our tenants, operators, borrowers, managers and other obligors.

We lease our properties to unaffiliated tenants or operate them through independent third-party managers. We are also a direct or indirect lender to various tenants and operators. We have very limited control over the success or failure of our tenants’ and operators’ businesses and, at any time, a tenant or operator may experience a downturn in its business that weakens its financial condition. If that happens, the tenant or operator may fail to make its payments to us when due. Although our lease, loan and management agreements give us the right to exercise certain remedies in the event of default on the obligations owing to us, we may determine not to do so if we believe that enforcement of our rights would be more detrimental to our business than seeking alternative approaches.

A downturn in any of our tenants’ or operators’ businesses could ultimately lead to bankruptcy if it is unable to timely resolve the underlying causes, which may be largely outside of its control. Bankruptcy and insolvency laws afford certain rights to a party that has filed for bankruptcy or reorganization that may render certain of these remedies unenforceable, or, at the least, delay our ability to pursue such remedies and realize any recoveries in connection therewith. For example, we cannot evict a tenant or operator solely because of its bankruptcy filing.

A debtor-lessee may reject our lease in a bankruptcy proceeding, in which case our claim against the debtor-lessee for unpaid and future rents would be limited by the statutory cap of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This statutory cap could be substantially less than the remaining rent actually owed under the lease, and any claim we have for unpaid rent might not be paid in full. In addition, a debtor-lessee may assert in a bankruptcy proceeding that our lease should be re-characterized as a financing agreement, in which case our rights and remedies as a lender, compared to a landlord, generally would be more limited. If a debtor-manager seeks bankruptcy protection, the automatic stay provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code would preclude us from enforcing our remedies against the manager unless relief is first obtained from the court having jurisdiction ove

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None.

Seniors Housing and Healthcare Properties

As of December 31, 2019, we owned approximately 1,200 properties (including properties owned through investments in unconsolidated entities and properties classified as held for sale), consisting of seniors housing communities, medical office buildings (“MOBs”), research and innovation centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities (“IRFs”) and long-term acute care facilities (“LTACs”), and health systems. We had 22 properties under development, including four properties that are owned by unconsolidated real estate entities. We believe that maintaining a balanced portfolio of high-quality assets diversified by investment type, geographic location, asset type, tenant/operator, revenue source and operating model makes us less susceptible to single-state regulatory or reimbursement changes, regional climate events and local economic downturns and diminishes the risk that any single factor or event could materially harm our business.

As of December 31, 2019, we had $2.0 billion aggregate principal amount of mortgage loan indebtedness outstanding, secured by 84 of our properties. Excluding those portions attributed to our joint venture partners, our share of mortgage loan indebtedness outstanding was $1.8 billion.

The following table provides additional information regarding the geographic diversification of our portfolio of properties as of December 31, 2019 (excluding properties owned through investments in unconsolidated entities and properties classified as held for sale).

Corporate Offices

Our headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois and we have an additional corporate office in Louisville, Kentucky. We lease all of our corporate offices.

The information contained in “NOTE 14—COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated by reference into this Item 3. Except as set forth therein, we are not a party to, nor is any of our property the subject of, any material pending legal proceedings.

Not applicable.

PART II

Market Information

Our common stock, par value $0.25 per share, is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “VTR.” As of February 17, 2020, we had 372.9 million shares of our common stock outstanding held by approximately 3,926 stockholders of record.

Dividends and Distributions

We pay regular quarterly dividends to holders of our common stock to comply with the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) governing REITs. In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required under the Code, among other things, to distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to any net capital gain. In addition, we will be subject to income tax at the regular corporate rate to the extent we distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, including any net capital gains. We expect to distribute at least 100% of our taxable net income, after the use of any net operating loss carryforwards, to our stockholders for 2020.

In general, our Board of Directors makes decisions regarding the nature, frequency and amount of our dividends on a quarterly basis. Because the Board considers many factors when making these decisions, including our present and future liquidity needs, our current and projected financial condition and results of operations and the performance and credit quality of our tenants, operators, borrowers and managers, we cannot assure you that we will maintain the practice of paying regular quarterly dividends to continue to qualify as a REIT. Please see “Cautionary Statements” and the risk factors included in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of other factors that may affect our distribution policy.

Director and Employee Stock Sales

Certain of our directors, executive officers and other employees have adopted and, from time to time in the future, may adopt non-discretionary, written trading plans that comply with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, or otherwise monetize, gift or transfer their equity-based compensation. These transactions typically are conducted for estate, tax and financial planning purposes and are subject to compliance with our Amended and Restated Securities Trading Policy and Procedures (“Securities Trading Policy”), the minimum stock ownership requirements contained in our Guidelines on Governance and all applicable laws and regulations.

Our Securities Trading Policy expressly prohibits our directors, executive officers and employees from buying or selling derivatives with respect to our securities or other financial instruments that are designed to hedge or offset a decrease in the market value of our securities and from engaging in short sales with respect to our securities. In addition, our Securities Trading Policy prohibits our directors and executive officers from holding our securities in margin accounts or pledging our securities to secure loans without the prior approval of our Audit and Compliance Committee. Each of our executive officers has advised us that he or she is in compliance with the Securities Trading Policy and has not pledged any of our equity securities to secure margin or other loans.

Stock Repurchases

The table below summarizes repurchases of our common stock made during the quarter ended December 31, 2019:

Stock Performance Graph

The following performance graph compares the cumulative total return (including dividends) to the holders of our common stock from December 31, 2014 through December 31, 2019, with the cumulative total returns of the NYSE Composite Index, the FTSE Nareit Composite REIT Index (the “Composite REIT Index”) and the S&P 500 Index over the same period. The comparison assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2014 in our common stock and in each of the foregoing indexes and assumes reinvestment of dividends, as applicable. We have included the NYSE Composite Index in the performance graph because our common stock is listed on the NYSE, and we have included the S&P 500 Index because we are a member of the S&P 500. We have included the Composite REIT Index because we believe that it is most representative of the industries in which we compete, or otherwise provides a fair basis for comparison with us, and is therefore particularly relevant to an assessment of our performance. The figures in the table below are rounded to the nearest dollar.

The selected financial data has been derived from our audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and previous Annual Reports on Form 10- K. You should read the following selected financial data in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as acquisitions, dispositions, changes in accounting policies and other items may impact the comparability of the financial data.

FFO and normalized FFO presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, or otherwise disclosed by us, may not be comparable to FFO and normalized FFO presented by other real estate companies due to the fact that not all real estate companies use the same definitions. FFO and normalized FFO should not be considered as alternatives to net income

attributable to common stockholders (determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”)) as indicators of our financial performance or as alternatives to cash flow from operating activities (determined in accordance with GAAP) as measures of our liquidity, nor are FFO and normalized FFO necessarily indicative of sufficient cash flow to fund all of our needs.

We use the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“Nareit”) definition of FFO. Nareit defines FFO as net income attributable to common stockholders (computed in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains or losses from sales of real estate property, including gains or losses on re-measurement of equity method investments, and impairment write-downs of depreciable real estate, plus real estate depreciation and amortization, and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. Adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures will be calculated to reflect FFO on the same basis. We define normalized FFO as FFO excluding the following income and expense items (which may be recurring in nature): (a) merger-related costs and expenses, including amortization of intangibles, transition and integration expenses, and deal costs and expenses, including expenses and recoveries relating to acquisition lawsuits; (b) the impact of any expenses related to asset impairment and valuation allowances, the write-off of unamortized deferred financing fees, or additional costs, expenses, discounts, make-whole payments, penalties or premiums incurred as a result of early retirement or payment of our debt; (c) the non-cash effect of income tax benefits or expenses, the non-cash impact of changes to our executive equity compensation plan, derivative transactions that have non-cash mark-to-market impacts on our Consolidated Statements of Income and non-cash charges related to lease terminations; (d) the financial impact of contingent consideration, severance-related costs and charitable donations made to the Ventas Charitable Foundation; (e) gains and losses for non-operational foreign currency hedge agreements and changes in the fair value of financial instruments; (f) gains and losses on non-real estate dispositions and other unusual items related to unconsolidated entities; (g) expenses related to the re-audit and re-review in 2014 of our historical financial statements and related matters; and (h) net expenses or recoveries related to natural disasters.

See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Funds From Operations and Normalized Funds from Operations” included in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a reconciliation of FFO and normalized FFO to our GAAP earnings.

The following discussion provides information that management believes is relevant to an understanding and assessment of the consolidated financial condition and results of operations of Ventas, Inc. You should read this discussion in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as it will help you understand:

Corporate and Operating Environment

We are a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) with a highly diversified portfolio of seniors housing, research and innovation, and healthcare properties located throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. As of December 31, 2019, we owned approximately 1,200 properties (including properties owned through investments in unconsolidated entities and properties classified as held for sale), consisting of seniors housing communities, medical office

buildings (“MOBs”), research and innovation centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities (“IRFs”) and long-term acute care facilities (“LTACs”), and health systems. We had 22 properties under development, including four properties that are owned by unconsolidated real estate entities. We are an S&P 500 company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

We primarily invest in seniors housing, research and innovation, and healthcare properties through acquisitions and lease our properties to unaffiliated tenants or operate them through independent third-party managers.

As of December 31, 2019, we leased a total of 412 properties (excluding properties within our office operations reportable business segment) to various healthcare operating companies under “triple-net” or “absolute-net” leases that obligate the tenants to pay all property-related expenses, including maintenance, utilities, repairs, taxes, insurance and capital expenditures. Our three largest tenants, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Brookdale Senior Living”), Ardent Health Partners, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Ardent”) and Kindred Healthcare, LLC (formerly Kindred Healthcare, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, “Kindred”) leased from us 122 properties (excluding two properties managed by Brookdale Senior Living pursuant to long-term management agreements), 11 properties and 32 properties, respectively, as of December 31, 2019

As of December 31, 2019, pursuant to long-term management agreements, we engaged independent operators, such as Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”) and Sunrise Senior Living, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”) to manage 406 seniors housing communities for us.

Through our Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc. (“Lillibridge”) subsidiary and our ownership interest in PMB Real Estate Services LLC (“PMBRES”), we also provide MOB management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. In addition, from time to time, we make secured and non-mortgage loans and other investments relating to seniors housing and healthcare operators or properties.

We conduct our operations through three reportable business segments: triple-net leased properties, senior living operations and office operations. See “NOTE 19—SEGMENT INFORMATION” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

As of December 31, 2019, our consolidated portfolio included 100% ownership interests in 1,109 properties and controlling joint venture interests in 86 properties, and we had non-controlling ownership interests in six properties through investments in unconsolidated entities. Through Lillibridge, we provided management and leasing services to third parties with respect to 74 MOBs as of December 31, 2019.

We aim to enhance shareholder value by delivering consistent, superior total returns through a strategy of: (1) generating reliable and growing cash flows; (2) maintaining a balanced, diversified portfolio of high-quality assets; and (3) preserving our financial strength, flexibility and liquidity.

Our ability to access capital in a timely and cost-effective manner is critical to the success of our business strategy because it affects our ability to satisfy existing obligations, including the repayment of maturing indebtedness, and to make future investments. Factors such as general market conditions, interest rates, credit ratings on our securities, expectations of our potential future earnings and cash distributions, and the trading price of our common stock that are beyond our control and fluctuate over time all impact our access to and cost of external capital. For that reason, we generally attempt to match the long-term duration of our investments in real property with long-term financing through the issuance of shares of our common stock or the incurrence of long-term fixed rate debt.

2019 Highlights

For information regarding our 2019 highlights, see “Business” in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) set forth in the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), as published by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”). GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions regarding future events that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. We base these estimates on our experience and assumptions we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. However, if our judgment or interpretation of the facts and circumstances relating to various transactions or

other matters had been different, we may have applied a different accounting treatment, resulting in a different presentation of our financial statements. We periodically reevaluate our estimates and assumptions, and in the event they prove to be different from actual results, we make adjustments in subsequent periods to reflect more current estimates and assumptions about matters that are inherently uncertain. We believe that the critical accounting policies described below, among others, affect our more significant estimates and judgments used in the preparation of our financial statements. For more information regarding our critical accounting policies, see “NOTE 2—ACCOUNTING POLICIES” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Principles of Consolidation

The Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly owned subsidiaries and the joint venture entities over which we exercise control. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation, and our net earnings are reduced by the portion of net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests.

GAAP requires us to identify entities for which control is achieved through means other than voting rights and to determine which bu

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The information set forth in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Asset/Liability Management” is incorporated by reference into this Item 7A.

Ventas, Inc.

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedules

MANAGEMENT REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. This system is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting is not intended to provide absolute assurance that a misstatement of our financial statements would be prevented or detected.

Management, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria set forth in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on this assessment, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective at the reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2019.

In September 2019, the Company acquired an 87% interest in 34 Canadian seniors housing communities (including five in-process developments) valued at $1.8 billion through an equity partnership with Le Groupe Maurice (“LGM”). As permitted under Securities and Exchange Commission guidelines, the Company excluded from the assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, internal control over financial reporting of the operations of these acquired assets. Total assets and total revenues related to these operations represented 0.1% and 1.7%, respectively, of the Company’s related consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019 has been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report included herein.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Ventas, Inc.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Ventas, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended

December 31, 2019, and the related notes and financial statement schedules II, III, and IV (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019 based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 21, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Change in Accounting Principle

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for leases as of January 1, 2019 due to the adoption of Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 842, Leases.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Evaluation of the probability of collection for substantially all triple-net rents

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolid

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None.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As required by Rules 13a-15(b) and 15d-15(b) of the Exchange Act, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2019. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were effective as of December 31, 2019, at the reasonable assurance level.

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The information set forth under “Management Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting” and “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control over Financial Reporting” included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated by reference into this Item 9A.

Internal Control Changes

During the fourth quarter of 2019, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Not applicable.

PART III

The information required by this Item 10 is incorporated by reference to the material under the headings “Proposals Requiring Your Vote—Proposal 1: Election of Directors,” “Our Executive Officers,” “Securities Ownership—Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance,” “Corporate Governance—Governance Policies” and “Audit and Compliance Committee” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2020.

The information required by this Item 11 is incorporated by reference to the material under the headings “Executive Compensation,” “Non-Employee Director Compensation” and “Executive Compensation Committee” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2020.

The information required by this Item 12 is incorporated by reference to the material under the headings “Equity Compensation Plan Information” and “Securities Ownership” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2020.

The information required by this Item 13 is incorporated by reference to the material under the headings “Corporate Governance—Transactions with Related Persons,” “Our Board of Directors—Director Independence,” “Audit and Compliance Committee,” “Executive Compensation Committee” and “Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2020.

The information required by this Item 14 is incorporated by reference to the material under the heading “Proposals Requiring Your Vote—Proposal 2: Ratification of the Selection of KPMG LLP as Our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for Fiscal Year 2020” in our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2020.

PART IV

Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedules

The following documents have been included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

All other schedules have been omitted because they are inapplicable, not required or the information is included elsewhere in the Consolidated Financial Statements or notes thereto.

EXHIBITS

• Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit pursuant to Item 15(b) of Form 10-K.

None.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Date: February 21, 2020

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.