Short Interest in National HealthCare Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) Grows By 21.7%

National HealthCare Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 581,372 shares, a growth of 21.7% from the February 26th total of 477,852 shares. Currently, 4.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 93,385 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.2 days.

National HealthCare Price Performance

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN:NHC opened at $162.39 on Tuesday. National HealthCare has a one year low of $89.14 and a one year high of $174.54. The company has a market cap of $2.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.17 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $158.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.09.

National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter. National HealthCare had a net margin of 7.91% and a return on equity of 9.59%. The business had revenue of $386.51 million for the quarter.

National HealthCare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.64 per share. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. National HealthCare’s dividend payout ratio 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. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in National HealthCare in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of National HealthCare by 171.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in National HealthCare in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Simplex Trading LLC increased its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 140.0% during the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 348 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in National HealthCare in the second quarter worth $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.44% of the company’s stock.

National HealthCare Company Profile

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.