Insider Selling: National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) VP Sells 2,719 Shares

National HealthCare Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) VP Josh Mccreary sold 2,719 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.23, for a total value of $609,681.37. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 9,979 shares in the company, valued at $2,237,591.17. The trade was a 21.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

National HealthCare Price Performance

NHC traded up $3.29 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $227.76. 67,028 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 110,383. National HealthCare Corporation has a 52 week low of $114.59 and a 52 week high of $239.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $221.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $194.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.62 and a beta of 0.62.

National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter. National HealthCare had a return on equity of 10.03% and a net margin of 9.00%.The firm had revenue of $408.03 million for the quarter.

National HealthCare Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National HealthCare

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Militia Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of National HealthCare during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,827,000. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of National HealthCare by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,038,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,407,000 after purchasing an additional 289,566 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National HealthCare in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $417,602,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 45.4% in the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 407.2% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 75,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,019,000 after buying an additional 60,420 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 56.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NHC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of National HealthCare to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of National HealthCare to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of National HealthCare to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded 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 issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy”.

About National HealthCare

National HealthCare Corporation (NHC) is a provider of post-acute health care and senior living services headquartered in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The company operates skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, assisted living and retirement communities, and other services designed to support patients and residents who need short-term recovery, long-term care or assistance with daily living.

NHC also provides home health, hospice and palliative care, behavioral health services, and pharmacy services.