NEW CANAAN, Conn., April 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The number of publicly announced seniors housing and care acquisitions in the first quarter of 2026 reached 231 deals, based on new acquisition data from LevinPro LTC. This represents a 19.8% decrease from the 288 transactions disclosed in the fourth quarter of 2025, but a 25.5% increase from the 184 deals in Q1:25.
"It was always going to be difficult to top Q4:25, which set records for the highest number of publicly announced transactions in both a single quarter and a month, as well as price volume in a single day,” stated Ben Swett, Managing Editor of The SeniorCare Investor. “However, investor sentiment remains strong, operations are improving, investors are getting more aggressive, more sellers are stepping off the sidelines, and the lending environment remains favorable.”
Publicly disclosed transaction activity has trended upward in recent years. In Q1:26, monthly deal volume exceeded 70 in each month, averaging 76 deals per month. The 70-deal threshold was first crossed in May 2024, and since then, 10 additional months have already met or exceeded that level.
Excluding foreign transactions, Q1:26 recorded 199 publicly announced senior care M&A deals. On an annualized basis, 2026 would surpass both 2025’s U.S. total of 702 deals and 2024’s combined U.S. and foreign total of 721. Additionally, the $3.52 billion spent on Q1:26 transactions fell 77% from Q4:25’s $15.32 billion and was 40.3% below the $5.9 billion recorded in the year-ago first quarter, based on disclosed prices. However, there were billions of dollars of deal volume confidentially disclosed in the first quarter.
Assisted living deals made up the plurality of Q1:26 deals, accounting for 46.8%, followed by skilled nursing at 36%. Independent living deals comprised approximately 9.5% of the quarter’s total, CCRCs took a 4.3% share and affordable senior apartments and active adult deals accounted for 3% and 0.4%, respectively.
Excluding foreign transactions from the total, the number of publicly announced skilled nursing deals held steady throughout 2025 at approximately 50 per quarter. Activity picked up in Q1:26, increasing 36% from the 2025 average, however, the total number of facilities included in those transactions came in 18.3% below the 2025 quarterly average. This reflects the strong investor demand but constrained supply of facilities for sale that we have heard from dealmakers.
“Values have been soaring for high-quality seniors housing communities, and cap rates have been compressing,” added Swett. “As a result of higher prices in the M&A market, development could start to pick up, driven by the anticipated demand from the baby boomers.”
All long-term care M&A deals dating back to 1993 can be accessed on the LevinPro database via a subscription. In addition, valuation statistics and results of the seniors housing and care M&A market are published each year in The Senior Care Acquisition Report. For information, or to subscribe, call 800-248-1668 or email info@levinassociates.com. Irving Levin Associates was established in 1948 and has offices in New Canaan, Connecticut, and North Bethesda, Maryland. The company publishes research reports and newsletters, and maintains databases on the healthcare and seniors housing M&A markets.
