National HealthCare Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) Short Interest Up 21.7% in March

National HealthCare Corporation (NYSEAMERICAN:NHC) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 581,372 shares, an increase of 21.7% from the February 26th total of 477,852 shares. Approximately 4.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 93,385 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.2 days.

National HealthCare Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN:NHC opened at $159.70 on Wednesday. National HealthCare has a 52-week low of $89.14 and a 52-week high of $174.54. The stock has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.82 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $158.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.41.

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

National HealthCare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. National HealthCare’s dividend payout ratio is 59.12%.

Institutional Trading of National HealthCare

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NHC. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in National HealthCare by 38.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,038,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,407,000 after purchasing an additional 289,566 shares during the period. M Holdings Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in National HealthCare during the 3rd quarter worth about $56,283,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 75.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 364,687 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,995,000 after buying an additional 157,204 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 318,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,662,000 after buying an additional 2,361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National HealthCare by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 176,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,386,000 after buying an additional 29,246 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.44% of the company’s stock.

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.