Ellsworth Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 6,047 National HealthCare Co. (NYSE:NHC)

Ellsworth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in National HealthCare Co. (NYSE:NHC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 6,047 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $650,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Morgan Stanley Institutional Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in National HealthCare during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $98,156,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of National HealthCare by 3.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,022,033 shares of the company's stock valued at $110,788,000 after acquiring an additional 31,697 shares in the last quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in National HealthCare during the 2nd quarter worth $2,517,000. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in National HealthCare by 213.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 28,887 shares of the company's stock worth $3,633,000 after purchasing an additional 19,667 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its position in National HealthCare by 345.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 21,063 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,649,000 after purchasing an additional 16,336 shares in the last quarter. 56.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National HealthCare Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NHC traded up $2.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $100.77. The stock had a trading volume of 59,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 57,604. The company has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.63 and a beta of 0.46. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $114.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.65. National HealthCare Co. has a 1-year low of $87.03 and a 1-year high of $138.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

National HealthCare (NYSE:NHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The company reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $340.20 million for the quarter. National HealthCare had a return on equity of 6.87% and a net margin of 10.03%.

National HealthCare Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 30th. National HealthCare's payout ratio is 30.58%.

Insider Activity at National HealthCare

In other news, VP Timothy J. Shelly sold 614 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.44, for a total value of $74,564.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Health Corp National sold 28,147 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 13.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

National HealthCare Company Profile

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.