Navellier & Associates Inc. Raises Position in National HealthCare Co. (NYSE:NHC)

Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its stake in National HealthCare Co. (NYSE:NHC) by 67.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 7,153 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,873 shares during the quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc.’s holdings in National HealthCare were worth $769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National HealthCare in the third quarter worth approximately $98,156,000. Systematic Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 6.6% in the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 113,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,328,000 after purchasing an additional 7,011 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 30.3% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 64,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,136,000 after purchasing an additional 15,061 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 63,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 6.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 43,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,419 shares during the last quarter. 56.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com raised National HealthCare from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 16th.

National HealthCare Stock Performance

Shares of NHC opened at $93.70 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $103.26 and a 200 day moving average of $117.55. National HealthCare Co. has a 12 month low of $87.03 and a 12 month high of $138.49.

National HealthCare Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. National HealthCare’s payout ratio is 30.58%.

Insider Activity at National HealthCare

In related news, insider Health Corp National sold 28,147 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.71, for a total transaction of $3,200,595.37. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,056,616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,147,805.36. This trade represents a 2.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Timothy J. Shelly sold 614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.44, for a total value of $74,564.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 13.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.