S&P Global Ratings upgraded Healthcare Realty Trust Inc.'s corporate credit rating andits issue-level rating on the REIT's senior unsecured notes to BBB from BBB-.

S&P cited the REIT's "strong" recent operatingperformance, recent deleveraging activities and favorable capital recycling effortas reasons for the upgrade.

The outlook is stable, reflecting the REIT's focus on on-campusand near-hospital-campus sites, as well as S&P's favorable view on medical officebuildings. S&P also expects the company to see its fixed-charge coverage increasingto the high-3x range and its debt-to-EBITDA dropping to the mid-5x range over thenext year.

S&P Global Ratingsand S&P Global Market Intelligence are owned by S&P Global Inc.