National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) Upgraded by BMO Capital Markets to Hold Rating

BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of National HealthCare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, National HealthCare currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

National HealthCare Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN NHC opened at $196.30 on Monday. National HealthCare has a twelve month low of $93.54 and a twelve month high of $199.62. The firm has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50 day moving average of $168.98 and a 200 day moving average of $151.30.

National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter. National HealthCare had a net margin of 8.10% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The company had revenue of $381.82 million during the quarter.

National HealthCare Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from National HealthCare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. National HealthCare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National HealthCare

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NHC. M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in National HealthCare during the 3rd quarter valued at $56,283,000. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in National HealthCare by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,038,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,407,000 after buying an additional 289,566 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in National HealthCare by 556.4% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 207,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,211,000 after buying an additional 175,873 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in National HealthCare by 407.2% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 75,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,019,000 after buying an additional 60,420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. raised its stake in National HealthCare by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 176,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,386,000 after buying an additional 29,246 shares during the last quarter. 56.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About National HealthCare

National HealthCare Corporation (NYSE American: NHC) is a healthcare services company specializing in long-term care and post-acute rehabilitation. The company operates skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities and outpatient therapy clinics. Through its subsidiary, National HealthCare Partners, NHC provides contract rehabilitation services, pharmacy management and clinical consulting to a broad network of senior living and healthcare providers.

Headquartered in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, National HealthCare Corporation has built a regional footprint across the southeastern and south-central United States.