Ventas 10-K 2024-12-31

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)

300 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1600

Chicago, Illinois

60654

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(877) 483-6827

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area 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 ☒ 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 ☒

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 ☒ 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 ☒ 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 the 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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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

The aggregate market value of shares of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2024, based on a closing price of the common stock of $51.26 as reported on the New York Stock Exchange, was $21.1 billion.

As of February 7, 2025, there were 437,139,980 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III, Items 10 through 14 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein. Such proxy statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

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

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report 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”). These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements of expectations, beliefs, future plans and strategies, anticipated results from operations and developments and other matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding our and our officers’ intent, belief or expectation as identified by the use of phrases or words such as “assume,” “may,” “will,” “project,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “target,” “forecast,” “plan,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “estimate,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “line of sight,” “outlook” and other comparable and derivative terms or the negatives thereof. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events. You should not put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We do not undertake a duty to update these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We urge you to carefully review the disclosures we make concerning risks and uncertainties that may affect our business and future financial performance, including those made below under “Summary Risk Factors” and in “Item 1A, Risk Factors” of this Annual Report.

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Summary Risk Factors

Our business is subject to significant risks and uncertainties that make an investment in us speculative and risky. Below we summarize what we believe are the principal risk factors, but these risks are not the only ones we face. You should carefully review and consider the full discussion of our risk factors in the section titled “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report, together with the other information in this Annual Report. If any of the following risks, or any other risks and uncertainties that are not addressed below or elsewhere in this Annual Report or that we have not yet identified, actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected and the value of our securities could decline.

Risks Related to Our Business Operations and Strategy

• Macroeconomic trends, including trends relating to labor costs, unemployment, inflation, interest rates and exchange rates, may affect our business and financial results

• Changes in the U.S. political and regulatory environment could affect availability of government funding that we or our managers, tenants or borrowers rely on, which could negatively impact our business

• Economic conditions and other events or occurrences that affect areas in which our properties are geographically concentrated may impact financial results

• To the extent that we or our managers, tenants and borrowers are unable to navigate successfully the trends affecting our or their businesses and the industries in which we or they operate, we may be adversely affected

• We are vulnerable to adverse changes affecting our specific asset classes and the real estate industry generally

• Our third-party managers and tenants operate or exert substantial control over the properties that they manage for or rent from us, which limits our control and influence over operations and results

• Our operating assets may expose us to various operational risks, liabilities and claims that could adversely affect our ability to generate revenues or increase our costs and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations

• A significant portion of our revenues and operating income is dependent on a limited number of managers and tenants, including Atria, Sunrise, Le Groupe Maurice, Brookdale, Ardent and Kindred

• If we need to replace any of our managers or tenants, we may be unable to do so on as favorable terms, if at all, and we could be subject to delays, limitations and expenses, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations

• If our managers’, tenants’ or borrowers’ financial condition or business prospects deteriorate, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected

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

• The hospitals on or near the campuses where our outpatient medical buildings are located and their affiliated health systems may not remain competitive or financially viable

• Our research tenants face unique levels of expense and uncertainty

• If a borrower defaults, we may be unable to obtain payment, successfully foreclose on collateral or realize the value of any collateral, which could adversely affect our ability to recover our investment

• Our ongoing strategy depends, in part, upon identifying and consummating future acquisitions and investments and effectively managing our expansion opportunities

• Our investments in and acquisitions of properties may be unsuccessful or fail to meet our expectations

• Our investments in co-investment vehicles, joint ventures and minority interests may subject us to risks and liabilities that we would not otherwise face

• Increased construction and development in the markets in which our properties are located could adversely affect our future occupancy rates, operating margins and profitability

• Merger, acquisition and investment activity in our industries resulting in a change of control of, or a competitor’s investment in, one or more of our managers, tenants or borrowers could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations

• Development, redevelopment and construction risks could affect our profitability

• We may face increased risks and costs associated with volatility in materials and labor prices or as a result of supply chain or procurement disruptions, which may adversely affect the status of our construction projects

• Our success depends, in part, on our ability to attract and retain talented employees. The loss of any one of our key personnel or the inability to maintain appropriate staffing could adversely impact our business

• We may be required to recognize reserves, allowances, credit losses or impairment charges

• We own properties that are subject to ground lease, air rights or other restrictive agreements that limit our uses of the properties, restrict our ability to sell or otherwise transfer the properties and expose us to loss of the properties if such agreements are breached by us or terminated

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• Purchase options, rights of first offer or rights of first refusal in favor of third parties could negatively affect us or discourage prospective buyers from negotiating with us with respect to the sale of our properties

• Damage from catastrophic or extreme weather and other natural events and the physical effects of climate change could result in losses to the Company

• Cybersecurity threats and incidents could disrupt our operations or the operations of the third parties with whom we do business, invest in or lend to, result in the loss of or unauthorized access to confidential or personal information or damage our or their business relationships and reputation

• Damage to our reputation could adversely affect our business, financial condition or result of operations

• Activist investors could cause us to incur substantial costs, divert management’s attention and have an adverse effect on our business

Our Capital Structure Risks

• Market conditions and the actual and perceived state of the capital markets generally could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations

• We are exposed to increases in interest rates, which could reduce our profitability and adversely impact our ability to refinance existing debt, sell assets or engage in acquisition, investment, development and redevelopment activity, and our decision to hedge against interest rate risk might not be effective

• We have a significant amount of outstanding indebtedness and may incur additional indebtedness in the future

• Limitations on our ability to access the capital markets could have an adverse effect on us, including our ability to make required payments on our debt obligations, make distributions to our stockholders or make future investments necessary to implement our business strategy

• We may be adversely affected by fluctuations in currency exchange rates

• Covenants in the instruments governing our and our subsidiaries’ existing indebtedness limit our operational flexibility, and a covenant breach could adversely affect our operations

Our Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Risks

• Significant legal or regulatory proceedings could subject us or our managers, tenants or borrowers to increased operating costs and substantial uninsured liabilities, which could adversely affect our or their liquidity, financial condition and results of operations

• We and our managers, tenants and borrowers may be adversely affected by regulation and enforcement

• Our investments may expose us to unknown liabilities

• We and our managers, tenants and borrowers may be adversely affected by complex and evolving laws and regulations regarding data privacy and cybersecurity

• The amount and scope of insurance coverage provided by our policies and policies maintained by our managers, tenants or other counterparties may not adequately insure against losses

• Failure to maintain effective internal controls could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition

• We could incur substantial liabilities and costs if any of our properties are found to be contaminated with hazardous substances or we become involved in any environmental disputes

• There can be no assurance as to the total amount of financial assistance that we or our managers, tenants or borrowers will retain from programs implemented under the CARES Act and other pandemic-related legislation

Our REIT Status Risks

• Loss of our status as a REIT would have significant adverse consequences for us and the value of our common stock

• To preserve our qualification as a REIT, our certificate of incorporation contains ownership limits with respect to our capital stock that may delay, defer or prevent a change of control of our company

• Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities (including investing in our tenants) or liquidate otherwise attractive investments

Note Regarding Third-Party Information

This Annual Report includes information that has been provided to us by our managers, tenants, borrowers, business partners and investments unconsolidated entities from SEC filings or other publicly available information of our tenants, managers, business partners and unconsolidated entities in which we invest. We believe that such information is accurate and that the sources from which it has been obtained are reliable. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of such information and have not independently verified the assumptions on which such information is based.

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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”) focused on delivering strong, sustainable shareholder returns by enabling exceptional environments that benefit a large and growing aging population. We hold a portfolio that includes senior housing communities, outpatient medical buildings, research centers, hospitals and healthcare facilities located in North America and the United Kingdom. As of December 31, 2024, we owned or had investments in 1,387 properties consisting of 1,356 properties in our reportable business segments (“Segment Properties”) and 31 properties held by unconsolidated real estate entities in our non-segment operations. Our Company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with additional corporate offices in Louisville, Kentucky and New York, New York.

We elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 1999. Provided we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally are not required to pay U.S. federal corporate income taxes on our REIT taxable income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must satisfy a number of technical requirements, which impact how we invest in, operate and manage our assets. See “Risk Factors—Our REIT Status Risks” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Annual Report”).

We operate through three reportable business segments: senior housing operating portfolio, which we refer to as “SHOP,” outpatient medical and research portfolio, which we refer to as “OM&R,” and triple-net leased properties, which we refer to as “NNN.” We also hold assets outside of our reportable business segments, which we refer to as non-segment assets and which consist primarily of corporate assets, including cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, loans receivable and investments and accounts receivable as well as investments in unconsolidated entities. Our investments in unconsolidated entities include investments made through our third-party institutional private capital management platform, Ventas Investment Management (“VIM”). Through VIM, we partner with third-party institutional investors to invest in real estate through various joint ventures and other co-investment vehicles where we are the sponsor or general partner, including our open-ended investment vehicle, the Ventas Life Science & Healthcare Real Estate Fund (the “Ventas Fund”). See our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes, including “Note 7 – Investments in Unconsolidated Entities” included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.

Our chief operating decision maker evaluates performance of the combined properties in each operating segment and determines how to allocate resources to these segments, based on net operating income (“NOI”) for each segment. See our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes, including “Note 2 – Accounting Policies” and “Note 18 – Segment Information” included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.

The following table summarizes information for our portfolio for the year ended December 31, 2024 (dollars in thousands):

(1) “NOI” is defined as total revenues, less interest and other income, property-level operating expenses and third-party capital management expenses. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” included elsewhere in this Annual Report for additional disclosure and a reconciliation of net income attributable to common stockholders, as computed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), to NOI.

(2) NOI for non-segment includes management fees and promote revenues, net of expenses related to our third-party institutional private capital management platform, income from loans and investments and corporate-level expenses not directly attributable to any of our three reportable business segments.

Business Strategy

For more than 25 years, Ventas has pursued what we believe is a successful, enduring strategy focused on delivering outsized value to stockholders and other key stakeholders by enabling exceptional environments that benefit the aging population. Working with industry-leading care providers, partners, developers and research and medical institutions, our collaborative and experienced team is focused on achieving consistent, superior total returns through: (1) delivering profitable organic growth in senior housing, (2) capturing value-creating external growth focused on senior housing, (3) driving strong execution and cash flow generation throughout our portfolio of high-quality assets unified in serving the large and growing aging population and (4) maintaining financial strength, flexibility and liquidity.

Our objective is to generate reliable and growing cash flows from our portfolio, which enables us to pay regular cash dividends to stockholders and creates opportunities to increase stockholder value.

Our Businesses

Senior Housing Operating Portfolio (SHOP)

In our SHOP segment, we own and invest in senior housing communities. We participate directly in the financial performance of the communities’ operations and are generally responsible for all operational costs, expenses and other liabilities. We typically engage third-party managers to operate the communities on our behalf but generally hold applicable healthcare licenses and enroll in applicable government healthcare programs on behalf of the communities in our SHOP segment.

The senior housing communities in our SHOP segment include independent living communities, assisted living communities, memory care communities and continuing care retirement communities. Independent living communities are typically age-restricted multifamily rental properties with central dining facilities that provide residents with access to meals and other services such as housekeeping, linen service, transportation and social and recreational activities. Assisted living communities typically offer similar services as independent living communities, plus supportive care that is provided by trained employees to residents who require assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and medication management. Memory care communities provide care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia or memory loss. Continuing care retirement communities are typically age-restricted properties that offer a continuum of care, and may include a combination of independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing units. Our assisted living, memory care and continuing care retirement communities are generally subject to state licensure requirements for the delivery of some or all of their services, while our independent living communities generally are not. Charges for room, board and services at these communities are generally paid from private sources, with limited reliance on government reimbursement programs such as Medi

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This section discusses material 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.

As set forth below, we believe that the risks we face generally fall into the following categories:

• Risks Related to Our Business Operations and Strategy

• Our Capital Structure Risks

• Our Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Risks

• Our REIT Status Risks

Risks Related to Our Business Operations and Strategy

Macroeconomic trends, including trends relating to labor costs, unemployment, inflation, interest rates and exchange rates, may affect our business and financial results.

Macroeconomic trends, including unfavorable trends relating to labor costs, unemployment, inflation, interest rates and exchange rates, may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Increased labor costs and a shortage of available skilled and unskilled workers may impact our or our managers’, tenants’ or borrowers’ workforce, including employees at our senior housing communities. To the extent we or our managers, tenants or borrowers cannot hire sufficient qualified workers, we or they may need to rely on high-cost alternatives to meet labor needs, including contract and overtime labor. In addition, we and our managers, tenants and borrowers compete with various other companies in attracting and retaining qualified and skilled personnel. Competitive pressures may require that we or our managers, tenants or borrowers enhance pay and benefits packages to compete effectively for such personnel. We and our managers, tenants and borrowers may not be able to offset additional staffing costs by increasing the rates we charge, whether to residents, tenants or others. If there is an increase in these costs or if we or our managers, tenants and borrowers fail to attract and retain qualified and skilled personnel, our respective businesses and operating results could be adversely affected.

Many of our costs and the costs of our managers, tenants and borrowers, including operating and administrative expenses, interest expense and real estate acquisition and construction costs, are subject to inflation. These include expenses for property-related contracted services, utilities, repairs and maintenance and insurance and general and administrative costs including compensation costs, technology services and professional service fees. See also “—We may face increased risks and costs associated with volatility in materials and labor prices or as a result of supply chain or procurement disruptions, which may adversely affect the status of our construction projects.” Property taxes are also impacted by inflationary changes because taxes in some jurisdictions are regularly reassessed based on changes in the fair value of our properties. We may not be able to offset such additional costs by passing them through, or increasing the rates we charge, to residents and tenants. If there is an increase in these costs, our business, cash flows and operating results could be adversely affected.

Rising interest rates may also result in higher operating and incremental borrowing costs for us and our managers, tenants and borrowers. Increases in or elevated interest rates may also result in a decrease in the value of our real estate and a decrease in our cash flows and net income. See “—We are exposed to increases in interest rates, which could reduce our profitability and adversely impact our ability to refinance existing debt, sell assets or engage in acquisition, investment, development and redevelopment activity, and our decision to hedge against interest rate risk might not be effective.”

Elevated inflation or higher than expected interest rates due to macrodevelopments, U.S. government policies, or otherwise, could negatively impact consumer spending, our and our managers’, tenants’ and borrowers’ businesses, and future demand for our properties. See also “—Market conditions and the actual and perceived state of the capital markets generally could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations”, “—If our managers’, tenants’ or borrowers’ financial condition or business prospects deteriorate, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.”

Changes in the U.S. political and regulatory environment could affect availability of government funding that we or our managers, tenants or borrowers rely on, which could negatively impact our business.

We and our managers, tenants and borrowers may rely on government programs or agencies as a source of funding. Our tenants include universities, academic medical centers and other research institutions whose funding may be dependent on grants from government agencies, such as the NIH and similar agencies or organizations. Other of our tenants, such as LTACs, SNFs and certain healthcare facilities, may rely on reimbursement from Medicare and/or Medicaid.

Funding from government agencies and reimbursement programs such as the NIH, Medicare and Medicaid, including the overall availability and reimbursement rates under these programs, often fluctuates and is subject to the political process, which is often unpredictable. For example, on February 7, 2025, the NIH issued Notice Number NOT-OD-25-068, a guidance document pronouncing that reimbursement for certain indirect costs would be capped at 15% for existing and future grant recipients, a rate that is lower than the in-place rate for many existing grant recipients. Certain of our tenants, including certain university tenants, may depend on NIH grants and reimbursements to partially fund research and in some cases to pay rent for space in our properties. In addition, federal policymakers have announced proposals to reduce overall healthcare spending, including with respect to Medicaid funding, which could impact our healthcare provider tenants and borrowers.

Any reduction in the availability or rate of funding or reimbursement, or delays surrounding the approval of such funding or reimbursement, may adversely impact our managers’, tenants’ or borrowers’ operations or may cause our tenants to

cease making rent payment payments to us or delay or forgo leasing space in our properties, which in turn may negatively impact our business, financial condition, or results of operations. In addition, such developments could adversely impact the overall demand for space in our properties.

Economic conditions and other events or occurrences that affect areas in which our properties are geographically concentrated may impact financial results.

We are exposed to general economic conditions, local, regional, national and international economic conditions and other events and occurrences that affect the markets in which we own properties. Our operating performance is impacted by the economic conditions of the specific markets in which we have concentrations of properties and could be adversely affected if conditions become less favorable in any such markets.

A substantial portion of our value is derived from properties in California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Quebec, Canada. As a result, we are subject to increased exposure to adverse conditions affecting these regions, including downturns in the local economies or changes in local real estate conditions, changing demographics, increased construction and competition or decreased demand for our properties, regional climate events, such as wildfires, earthquakes or storms, regional disruptions to, or limited availability of, utilities and other services and changes in the state and local legal and regul

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None.

Our business is subject to risk from cybersecurity threats and incidents. Cybersecurity threats and incidents include attempts to gain unauthorized access to our systems and networks, or those of our managers, tenants, borrowers, investments in unconsolidated entities, vendors, suppliers, service providers or other third parties with whom we do business, to disrupt operations, corrupt data or steal confidential or personal information and other cybersecurity breaches. Ventas considers cybersecurity risk a serious threat to our assets and our people and has put processes in place designed to mitigate the risk and impact of any such cybersecurity threat or incident.

Risk Management and Strategy

As part of our cybersecurity risk management process, we:

• Periodically review and implement procedures that endeavor to follow the cybersecurity standards set forth by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, including procedures with respect to evaluation and monitoring of cybersecurity threats and incidents;

• Implement, maintain and regularly review incident response plans to manage cybersecurity threats and incidents and further improve our preparedness and response infrastructure. Such plans are informed by our testing and monitoring activities and set forth actions to be taken in responding to and recovering from cybersecurity incidents which include procedures for assessing the severity of such threats and incidents, escalating and disseminating information and containing, investigating and remediating threats and incidents;

• Engage third-party security firms to monitor and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents, including those associated with our use of third-party vendors and service providers, and conduct periodic penetration tests with the aim of identifying and remediating vulnerabilities;

• Periodically evaluate and assess cybersecurity risks associated with our use of key third-party business partners, vendors and service providers. However, we do not control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by such third parties and we may have limited contractual protections with such third parties, such as indemnification obligations to us, which could cause us to be negatively impacted as a result;

• Provide employees with the training, tools and resources designed to protect the Company from cybersecurity threats and incidents and to identify and report such threats and incidents. Our employees receive training and testing on cybersecurity protocols throughout the year, including regular anti-phishing campaigns, periodic live training programs and mandatory annual training and assessments with passing requirements. Each employee periodically acknowledges that they have read, understood and will abide by the Company’s cybersecurity policies; and

• Seek to minimize the amount of personal information collected to support business needs and use storage and transfer protocols leveraging encryption of critical information, including confidential or personal information.

Our processes for assessing, identifying, and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats and incidents are integrated into our multi-disciplinary enterprise risk management (“ERM”) process. Our ERM process is managed through our ERM Committee, which we have established to assess, identify and manage enterprise-wide risks to the Company, and is comprised of personnel from our senior leadership team. The ERM Committee is convened at least quarterly to review and update our top risks, including cybersecurity risks. Existing risks are evaluated for changes, and mitigation strategies are discussed as needed. New risks are discussed and evaluated for consideration as a top risk. Results are discussed with our Board of Directors at quarterly Board meetings as needed.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company is not aware of any cybersecurity threats or incidents that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company, including with respect to our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. While we have implemented measures designed to help mitigate the risk from cybersecurity threats and incidents, we cannot guarantee that we or our managers, tenants, borrowers, investments in unconsolidated entities, vendors, suppliers, service providers or other third parties with whom we do business will be successful in preventing a cybersecurity incident, or mitigating or remediating a cybersecurity threat, which could result in a data center outage, disrupt our systems and operations or the systems and operations of our managers, tenants, borrowers, investments in unconsolidated entities, vendors, suppliers, service providers or other third parties with whom we do business, compromise the confidential or personal information of our employees, partners or the residents in our senior housing communities and damage our business relationships and reputation. Although we have implemented various measures designed to manage risks relating to these types

of events, these measures and the systems supporting them could prove to be inadequate and, if compromised, could become inoperable for extended periods of time, cease to function properly or fail to adequately secure confidential or personal information. See “Risk Factors—Our Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Risks—Cybersecurity threats and incidents could disrupt our operations or the operations of the third parties with whom we do business, invest in or lend to, result in the loss of or unauthorized access to confidential or personal information or damage our or their business relationships and reputation” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report.

Governance

Role of our Board of Directors and the Audit and Compliance Committee

As part of our Board of Directors’ role in overseeing the Company’s ERM program, which includes our cybersecurity risk management, our Board is responsible for overseeing management’s identification, assessment and management of material cybersecurity risks which may reasonably be expected to impact the Company. While our Board has overall responsibility for enterprise risk oversight, our Board has delegated to the Audit and Compliance Committee responsibility for overseeing risks from cybersecurity threats and incidents. The Audit and Compliance Committee is responsible for overseeing the effectiveness of the Company’s cybersecurity risk management initiatives, taking into account the Company’s risk exposures. Management briefs the Audit and Compliance Committee at least once a year and our Board as appropriate on cybersecurity controls, protocols, risk assessments and mitigation measures.

Role of our Management

Our management has primary responsibility for identifying, assessing and managing our exposure to cybersecurity threats and incidents, subject to oversight by our Board of Directors of the processes we establish to assess, monitor and mitigate that exposure.

Our Chief Information Officer oversees our Information Technology Team and is responsible for the development and implementation of strategy for our information systems, networks, infrastructure, cybersecurity and data analytics. She has more than 25 years of experience in the field of information technology and is a member of our senior leadership team. Prior to joining Ventas, she spent approximately 12 years at a multinational hospitality public company where, in her most recent role, she was responsible for application management and support of enterprise-wide systems. This role also had responsibility for global service desk support for more than 100,000 employees.

If a potentially material cybersecurity threat or incident is identified or discovered, the Company’s Information Technology Team will notify our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and other relevant business executives. Our Chief Information Officer will work with the appropriate leaders and employees in any impacted business groups, as well as appropriate personnel in our finance, legal and other departments, to assess the risks to the Company and potential impact while determining appropriate remediation steps.

If management determines that a cybersecurity threat or incident could be material to the Company, our management will notify the Audit and Compliance Committee, who will then escalate the risk to our full Board of Directors, depending on management’s assessment of the risk. As discussed above, management also provides regular reports to the Audit and Compliance Committee and to our Board as appropriate.

As of December 31, 2024, we owned or had investments in 1,387 properties consisting of 1,356 properties in our SHOP, OM&R and NNN segments and 31 properties held by unconsolidated real estate entities in our non-segment operations. See “Note 7 – Investments in Unconsolidated Entities.”

The following table provides additional information regarding the geographic diversification of our Segment Properties as of December 31, 2024:

(1)Square Feet are in thousands. Totals may not foot due to rounding.

Corporate Offices

Our headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois and we have additional corporate offices in Louisville, Kentucky and New York, New York. 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 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 7, 2025, there were 437.1 million shares of our common stock outstanding, held by approximately 3,115 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 2025.

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 managers, tenants, borrowers, 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 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 or, 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. Each of our directors and 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 Performance Graph

The following performance graph compares the cumulative total return (including dividends) to the holders of our common stock from December 31, 2019 through December 31, 2024, with the cumulative total returns of the S&P 500 Index, the FTSE Nareit Equity REITs Index (“FTSE Nareit Equity Index”), the FTSE Nareit Equity Health Care Index (“FTSE Nareit Health Care Index”), the NYSE Composite Index and the FTSE Nareit Composite REIT Index (the “Composite REIT Index”) over the same period. The comparison assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2019 in our common stock and in each of the foregoing indices and assumes reinvestment of dividends, as applicable. We have included the S&P 500 Index because we are a member of the S&P 500. Additionally, we have elected to replace the NYSE Composite Index and Composite REIT Index with FTSE Nareit Health Care Index and FTSE Nareit Equity Index because we believe those indices are more representative of the industries in which we compete, or otherwise provide fair bases for comparison with us, and are therefore particularly relevant to an assessment of our performance. In this transition year, in accordance with Item 201(e)(4) of Regulation S-K, the stock performance graph below includes both the new indices as well as the replaced indices that we used in the immediately preceding year to assist our investors in understanding the impact of the transition. The figures in the table below are rounded to the nearest dollar.

Stock Repurchases

We do not have a publicly announced repurchase plan or program in effect. The table below summarizes repurchases of our common stock made during the quarter ended December 31, 2024:

(1)Repurchases represent shares withheld to pay taxes on the vesting of restricted stock and restricted stock units (including time-based and performance-based awards) and/or to pay taxes on the exercise price upon the exercise of stock options, granted to employees. The value of the shares withheld is the closing price of our common stock on the date the vesting or exercise occurred (or, if not a trading day, the immediately preceding trading day) or the fair market value of our common stock at the time of the exercise, as the case may be.

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 and our Risk Factors included in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report.

Business Summary and Overview of 2024

Ventas, Inc., (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or except where the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us,” “our,” “Company” and other similar terms) is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) focused on delivering strong, sustainable shareholder returns by enabling exceptional environments that benefit a large and growing aging population. We hold a portfolio that includes senior housing communities, outpatient medical buildings, research centers, hospitals and healthcare facilities located in North America and the United Kingdom. As of December 31, 2024, we owned or had investments in 1,387 properties consisting of 1,356 properties in our reportable business segments (“Segment Properties”) and 31 properties held by unconsolidated real estate entities in our non-segment operations. Our Company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with additional corporate offices in Louisville, Kentucky and New York, New York.

We elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 1999. Provided we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we generally are not required to pay U.S. federal corporate income taxes on our REIT taxable income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we must satisfy a number of technical requirements, which impact how we invest in, operate and manage our assets. See “Risk Factors—Our REIT Status Risks” included in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Annual Report”).

We operate through three reportable business segments: senior housing operating portfolio, which we refer to as “SHOP,” outpatient medical and research portfolio, which we refer to as “OM&R,” and triple-net leased properties, which we refer to as “NNN.” We also hold assets outside of our reportable business segments, which we refer to as non-segment assets and which consist primarily of corporate assets, including cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, loans receivable and investments and accounts receivable as well as investments in unconsolidated entities. Our investments in unconsolidated entities include investments made through our third-party institutional private capital management platform, Ventas Investment Management (“VIM”). Through VIM, we partner with third-party institutional investors to invest in real estate through various joint ventures and other co-investment vehicles where we are the sponsor or general partner, including our open-ended investment vehicle, the Ventas Life Science & Healthcare Real Estate Fund (the “Ventas Fund”). See our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes, including “Note 7 – Investments in Unconsolidated Entities” included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.

Our chief operating decision maker evaluates performance of the combined properties in each operating segment and determines how to allocate resources to these segments, based on net operating income (“NOI”) for each segment. See our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes, including “Note 2 – Accounting Policies” and “Note 18 – Segment Information” included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.

The following table summarizes information for our portfolio for the year ended December 31, 2024 (dollars in thousands):

(1) “NOI” is defined as total revenues, less interest and other income, property-level operating expenses and third-party capital management expenses. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” included elsewhere in this Annual Report for additional disclosure and a reconciliation of net income attributable to common stockholders, as computed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), to NOI.

(2) NOI for non-segment includes management fees and promote revenues, net of expenses related to our third-party institutional private capital management platform, income from loans and investments and corporate-level expenses not directly attributable to any of our three reportable business segments.

For more than 25 years, Ventas has pursued what we believe is a successful, enduring strategy focused on delivering outsized value to stockholders and other key stakeholders by enabling exceptional environments that benefit the aging population. Working with industry-leading care providers, partners, developers and research and medical institutions, our collaborative and experienced team is focused on achieving consistent, superior total returns through: (1) delivering profitable organic growth in senior housing, (2) capturing value-creating external growth focused on senior housing, (3) driving strong execution and cash flow generation throughout our portfolio of high-quality assets unified in serving the large and growing aging population and (4) maintaining financial strength, flexibility and liquidity.

Our objective is to generate reliable and growing cash flows from our portfolio, which enables us to pay regular cash dividends to stockholders and creates opportunities to increase stockholder value.

2025 Market Trends

We expect senior housing to benefit from strong supply/demand fundamentals, including robust projected demand growth combined with low projected supply growth. Senior housing is expected to benefit from a large and growing aging demographic in the United States, with the 80+ population anticipated to grow by more than 28% through 2030. United States senior housing construction starts are at their lowest point since 2010.

Our operations have been and are expected to continue to be impacted by economic and market conditions. For instance, in senior housing, our managers and tenants have experienced expense pressures, due in part to increased inflation and low unemployment. While there have been signs that expense pressures are moderating, there can be no assurance that this will continue to be the case.

Continual improvement in the performance and growth of our business will also depend on the broader macroeconomic environment, including interest rates, inflation and GDP growth.

See “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report for additional discussion of risks affecting our business.

Select 2024 and Early 2025 Highlights

Investments and Dispositions

*•*During the year ended December 31, 2024, we made $2.0 billion of investments including 50 senior housing communities reported within our SHOP segment, five long-term acute care facilities (“LTACs”) reported within our NNN segment for an aggrega

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The information set forth in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report 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, 2024.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024 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, 2024 and 2023, 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, 2024, and the related notes and financial statement schedules 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, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2024, 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, 2024, 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 13, 2025 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

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 Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involves our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter 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 matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Impairment of real estate investments in the senior housing operating portfolio

As discussed in Notes 1, 2, and 5 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company periodically evaluates its long-lived assets, primarily consisting of investments in real estate, for impairment indicators. If indicators of impairment are present, the Company evaluates the carrying value of the related real estate investments in relation to the future undiscounted cash flows of the underlying operations. In performing this evaluation, the Company considers market conditions and current intentions with respect to holding or disposing of t

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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, 2024. 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, 2024, 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 is incorporated by reference into this Item 9A.

Internal Control Changes

During the fourth quarter of 2024, 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.

During the three months ended December 31, 2024, none of our directors or officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) adopted, terminated or modified a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement or non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement (as such terms are defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K).

None.

PART III

The information required by this Item 10 is incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2025.

The information required by this Item 11 is incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2025.

The information required by this Item 12 is incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2025.

The information required by this Item 13 is incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2025.

The information required by this Item 14 is incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which we will file with the SEC not later than April 30, 2025.

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 or not required or the information is included elsewhere in the Consolidated Financial Statements or notes thereto.

EXHIBITS