Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. and MedEquities Realty Trust, Inc. reached a definitive merger agreement under which Omega will acquire all of the outstanding shares of MedEquities. The transaction represents an enterprise value of approximately $600m for MedEquities and further diversifies Omega’s assets and operators. Under the terms of the agreement, MedEquities stockholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 0.235 Omega common shares plus $2.00 in cash for each share of MedEquities common stock held by them, which represents a value of $10.26 per MedEquities share based on the $35.15 closing price for Omega common stock on December 31, 2018. Separately, MedEquities will declare a special cash dividend of $0.21 per share payable to the holders of record of MedEquities common stock as of the end of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the trading day immediately prior to the closing date of the transaction. There are no changes planned to Omega’s board of directors or executive officers related to the merger transaction. Taylor Pickett, Omega’s Chief Executive Officer stated, “John and his team have built a high quality diversified portfolio, which should provide Omega with meaningful future growth opportunities. This acquisition reinforces our commitment to the skilled nursing and senior housing industry, while adding new asset types to our portfolio furthering our strategic objectives.”