DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 
 

HCP Inc. (HCP) boosted its share offering by 35% to 15.5 million shares amid strong investor demand and priced the shares at a 6.4% discount to Tuesday's closing price.

The health care real-estate investment trust joins a number of other companies across industries who have taken advantage of increased investor appetite for shares to raise cash in recent months.

Shares were down 1.4% at $25 in early trading.

HCP, which has investments including senior housing, medical office and skilled nursing properties, had originally said late Tuesday it would offer 11.5 million shares. It expects proceeds to repay all borrowings under its revolving credit facility, with any remainder for general corporate purposes.

The offering will boost shares outstanding by at least 6%, and underwriters will have the option to buy up to 2.3 million more shares to cover any excess demand.

Tuesday, the company reported second-quarter funds from operations rose 10%, beating Wall Street's expectations.

-By Kerry Grace Benn, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2353; kerry.benn@dowjones.com