Bailard Inc. Makes New Investment in National HealthCare Corporation $NHC

Bailard Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National HealthCare Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $450,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NHC. M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National HealthCare during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $56,283,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 175,873 shares in the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 29,246 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National HealthCare by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 73,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,846,000 after purchasing an additional 4,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National HealthCare by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 65,012 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,900,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. 56.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National HealthCare Price Performance

NYSEAMERICAN:NHC opened at $197.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.15 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $168.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $150.26. National HealthCare Corporation has a 1-year low of $93.54 and a 1-year high of $199.62.

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

National HealthCare Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This is a positive change from National HealthCare’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. National HealthCare’s payout ratio is presently 59.12%.

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.