Ventas Inc is to buy Nationwide Health Properties (NHP) for $5.8 billion in a stock deal that strengthens its position as the biggest U.S. owner of senior housing and assisted living facilities. The senior housing market, hit by the downturn as Americans spent more selectively on healthcare, has rallied as wealthy baby boomers prepare for retirement, prompting a spate of deals as companies look to buy into a rapidly ageing U.S. population. Ventas itself paid $1.5 billion last October for the real estate assets of privately held Atria Senior Living Group.
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