The Goldman Sachs Group Upgrades National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) to Strong-Buy

National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) was upgraded by equities researchers at The Goldman Sachs Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

NHC has been the subject of several other research reports. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of National HealthCare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of National HealthCare to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

National HealthCare Price Performance

Shares of NHC stock opened at $196.30 on Monday. National HealthCare has a one year low of $93.54 and a one year high of $199.62. The company has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $168.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.30.

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

Institutional Trading of National HealthCare

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in National HealthCare by 38.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,038,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,407,000 after buying an additional 289,566 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in National HealthCare by 45.4% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 530,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,689,000 after buying an additional 165,615 shares in the last quarter. M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in National HealthCare during the third quarter worth $56,283,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in National HealthCare by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 318,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,662,000 after buying an additional 2,361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in National HealthCare by 19.9% during the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 176,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,386,000 after buying an additional 29,246 shares in the last quarter. 56.44% of the stock is 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.