National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) Director David Gifford Sells 1,779 Shares of Stock

National HealthCare Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) Director David Gifford sold 1,779 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.42, for a total transaction of $401,022.18. Following the sale, the director owned 1,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $232,182.60. This represents a 63.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

National HealthCare Stock Performance

Shares of National HealthCare stock opened at $222.70 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.05 and a beta of 0.61. National HealthCare Corporation has a 1 year low of $111.24 and a 1 year high of $239.29. The company’s fifty day moving average is $219.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.89.

National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter. National HealthCare had a net margin of 9.00% and a return on equity of 10.03%. The business had revenue of $408.03 million during the quarter.

National HealthCare Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. National HealthCare’s payout ratio is 61.89%.

Institutional Trading of National HealthCare

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NHC. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in National HealthCare during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $809,000. Militia Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National HealthCare in the first quarter worth $2,827,000. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of National HealthCare by 38.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 289,566 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National HealthCare in the 2nd quarter valued at $417,602,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of National HealthCare by 45.4% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 530,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,689,000 after acquiring an additional 165,615 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NHC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised National HealthCare to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded National HealthCare to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Robert W. Baird raised National HealthCare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of National HealthCare to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National HealthCare presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

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.