Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Decreases Stock Holdings in National HealthCare Co. (NYSE:NHC)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund reduced its position in shares of National HealthCare Co. (NYSE:NHC) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,782 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,102 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in National HealthCare were worth $729,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc raised its position in National HealthCare by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 15,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,678,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National HealthCare by 67.1% during the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 7,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $769,000 after acquiring an additional 2,873 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in National HealthCare in the fourth quarter worth $83,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in National HealthCare by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 63,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in National HealthCare by 378.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the period. 56.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of National HealthCare from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Timothy J. Shelly sold 614 shares of National HealthCare stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.44, for a total transaction of $74,564.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Health Corp National sold 28,147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.71, for a total value of $3,200,595.37. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,056,616 shares in the company, valued at $120,147,805.36. The trade was a 2.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 13.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

National HealthCare Stock Performance

National HealthCare stock opened at $93.38 on Tuesday. National HealthCare Co. has a fifty-two week low of $87.03 and a fifty-two week high of $138.49. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.70 and a beta of 0.45.

National HealthCare Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. National HealthCare’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.31%.

About National HealthCare

National HealthCare Corporation engages in the operation of services to skilled nursing facilities, assisted and independent living facilities, homecare and hospice agencies, and health hospitals. Its skilled nursing facilities offer licensed therapy services, nutrition services, social services, activities, and housekeeping and laundry services, as well as medical services prescribed by physicians; and rehabilitative services, such as physical, speech, respiratory, and occupational therapy for patients recovering from strokes, heart attacks, orthopedic conditions, neurological illnesses, or other illnesses, injuries, or disabilities.