National HealthCare (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) Trading Down 2.8% After Insider Selling

National HealthCare Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC)’s share price fell 2.8% during trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $229.61 and last traded at $230.09. Approximately 10,931 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 111,478 shares. The stock had previously closed at $236.75.

Specifically, CEO Stephen Fowler Flatt sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.08, for a total transaction of $355,620.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,525,657.96. The trade was a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

National HealthCare Stock Down 2.7%

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $215.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.10. The company has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a PE ratio of 25.92 and a beta of 0.61.

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

National HealthCare Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. National HealthCare’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National HealthCare

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in National HealthCare in the second quarter valued at approximately $417,602,000. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in National HealthCare during the second quarter worth $217,391,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of National HealthCare by 556.4% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 207,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,211,000 after buying an additional 175,873 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of National HealthCare during the second quarter worth $25,854,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 407.2% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 75,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,019,000 after buying an additional 60,420 shares in the last quarter. 56.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.