Fitch Ratings Affirms Sabra’s Credit Rating and Outlook

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Healthcare–Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBRA) announced today that Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ratings for Sabra and its subsidiaries at ‘BBB-‘; Fitch Rating’s Outlook of Negative also remains unchanged.

The report notes Sabra’s headroom for leverage, portfolio quality and diversification, strong liquidity due to no near-term maturities, improving access to capital and average operator lease coverage as key drivers for its ratings decisions. The full report can be found on its website at www.fitchratings.com.

Commenting on the Fitch Ratings report, Rick Matros, CEO and Chairman, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of maintaining a high level of liquidity and a strong balance sheet. Being proactive on those fronts has been vital in building our strong and resilient foundation, which has positioned us to manage effectively through these times.”

ABOUT SABRA

Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBRA), a Maryland corporation, operates as a self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) that, through its subsidiaries, owns and invests in real estate serving the healthcare industry throughout the United States and Canada.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS SAFE HARBOR

This release contains “forward-looking” statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified, without limitation, by the use of “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “should” or comparable terms or the negative thereof. Examples of forward-looking statements include all statements regarding our expectations regarding our ability to manage effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our actual results may differ materially from those projected or contemplated by our forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including among others, the following: the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures intended to prevent its spread, including the impact on our tenants, operators and Senior Housing – Managed communities; our dependence on the operating success of our tenants; the potential variability of our reported rental and related revenues following the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-02, Leases, as amended by subsequent ASUs (“Topic 842”) on January 1, 2019; operational risks with respect to our Senior Housing – Managed communities; the effect of our tenants declaring bankruptcy or becoming insolvent; our ability to find replacement tenants and the impact of unforeseen costs in acquiring new properties; the impact of litigation and rising insurance costs on the business of our tenants; the possibility that Sabra may not acquire the remaining majority interest in the Enlivant joint venture; risks associated with our investments in joint ventures; changes in healthcare regulation and political or economic conditions; the impact of required regulatory approvals of transfers of healthcare properties; competitive conditions in our industry; our concentration in the healthcare property sector, particularly in skilled nursing/transitional care facilities and senior housing communities, which makes our profitability more vulnerable to a downturn in a specific sector than if we were investing in multiple industries; the significant amount of and our ability to service our indebtedness; covenants in our debt agreements that may restrict our ability to pay dividends, make investments, incur additional indebtedness and refinance indebtedness on favorable terms; increases in market interest rates; the potential phasing out of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) benchmark after 2021; our ability to raise capital through equity and debt financings; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; the relatively illiquid nature of real estate investments; the loss of key management personnel; uninsured or underinsured losses affecting our properties and the possibility of environmental compliance costs and liabilities; the impact of a failure or security breach of information technology in our operations; our ability to maintain our status as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) under the federal tax laws; changes in tax laws and regulations affecting REITs (including the potential effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act); compliance with REIT requirements and certain tax and tax regulatory matters related to our status as a REIT; and the ownership limits and takeover defenses in our governing documents and under Maryland law, which may restrict change of control or business combination opportunities.

Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties that could affect our business can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 as well as in Part II, Item 1A of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. We do not intend, and we undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, unless required by law to do so.