NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP (NHC)
Health Care · Long-term care facilities · NYSE American
A regional operator of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities providing long-term and rehabilitative care.
What NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP does
National HealthCare Corporation operates a network of skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and independent living communities. It provides a comprehensive range of health care services, including rehabilitation, memory care, and hospice care, primarily across the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. The company also derives revenue from home health and hospice agencies.
Themes: long-term care, post-acute care, senior housing, rehabilitation services, home health and hospice
Fundamentals
- Price$233.40 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$3.7B as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return+111.6% 2025-08-21 close $110.30 → 2026-08-21 close $233.40
- P/E24.82 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+9.0% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+39.5% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+12.9% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.00 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+6.9% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+11.8% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.63 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-08-11 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +3.1%; at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How NHC compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 203 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit margintop 25% 504 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 504 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginbottom 25% 384 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitytop 25% 576 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 402 covered Health Care peers
- indicated dividend yieldtop 25% 71 covered Health Care peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)top 25% 493 covered Health Care peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Health Care companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
NHC is in the Health Care Long-term Top 10.
Health Care Long-term Top 10 — since 18 Aug 2026
Long-term score
62.3 #134 of 987 scored · #6 of 57 in Health Care
Long-term trend 77th (over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 91.1 percentage points) and capital return 71st (consecutive years of dividend increases 5 years); weakest is profitability (36th, operating margin 9.3%, return on equity 12.9%).
Short-term score
47.7 #938 of 1,704 scored · #166 of 240 in Health Care
Trend 62nd: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day; momentum 60th: its RSI momentum gauge is in neutral territory; weakest is catalysts 27th: open-market insider buys in 90 days 3.
In this list since 18 Aug 2026 — currently 6th in the list (3 days)
- Entered 18 Aug 2026: first selection for this list at rank 7, score 57.8.
Scores as of 21 Aug 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 2.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, NHC's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 32%, free-cash-flow payout 26%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout32% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout26% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP looks technically
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP (NHC) is trading 36.9% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 243 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 20, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 60, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 4 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive). It made a new 20-day high about 2 trading days ago. It is 2.5% below its all-time high.
Trend
7
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 36.9% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +36.9% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $215.84 | $215.84 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $170.44 | $170.44 |
| Swing structure | its recent peaks and dips disagree — one of them is rising while the other is not, so there is no clean up or down pattern in the swings | mixed — one of the two is not confirming |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 16 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 16 sessions |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 243 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 243 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 20, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 19.5 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 60, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 60.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the top of its 14-day range ($202.74 to $239.29) — its "stochastic" reading is 84 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 83.9 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 4 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive) | 4 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $239.29 | $239.29 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 2.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -2.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 117.5% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +117.5% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 2.5% below its highest point of the past year | 2.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day high about 2 trading days ago | 2 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 2 trading days ago | 2 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $239.29 (set on 2026-08-20) | $239.29 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($107.76 to $236.75), and it has given back only a small part of its rise from last year’s low — 3% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $152.91 to $157.03. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 2.6% |
| From the all-time high | it is 2.5% below its all-time high | -2.5% |
| Nearest price level | it is sitting right on a support level at $232.46 — a price it turned at twice since 2026-07-20, most recently on 2026-07-29. Since 2024-08-21 it has 18 such levels below the current price and 0 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -0.4% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $29.97 (set on 2011-10-04) | $29.97 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 678.8% above its all-time low | +678.8% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 43rd percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $8.11 between its high and its low — about 3.5% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $8.11 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $210.76 and $238.99 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $210.76 – $224.88 – $238.99 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.5% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 3.5% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 7.8 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (36.9% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 7.8 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.84× |
|---|
Price gaps
2
| Open gap | it gapped 2.1% above the previous close 52 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 183.35 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +2.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 3.4% gap up opened on 2026-06-11 has been "filled" 45 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 3 sessions to close | 45 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed lower in its latest session, after a session that did not close lower — a single down day rather than a run | 1 session down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 2.4 percentage points (the stock gained 4.7% while the market gained 2.3%) | +2.4% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 16.0 percentage points (the stock gained 19.1% while the market gained 3.1%) | +16.0% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 36.8 percentage points (the stock gained 47.9% while the market gained 11.1%) | +36.8% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 91.1 percentage points (the stock gained 111.6% while the market gained 20.5%) | +91.1% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 6 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, a fresh 20-day high, MACD momentum is positive, outperforming the market over 6 months, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 6 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 1 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it is currently in a bearish state: near the top of its 14-day range (overbought) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 1 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 10% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is moderate, spanning 6.0% of the share price. | +10.1% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
1
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 26% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $185.57 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +25.8% |
|---|
Price levels it has turned at before
NHC last closed at $233.40 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 18 prices below its last close and 0 above; the 3 nearest below are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $232.46 | Support | 0.4% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-07-20 to 2026-07-29 |
| $202.34 | Support | 13.3% below the last close | turned there three times · 2026-05-19 to 2026-08-05 |
| $185.37 | Support | 20.6% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-04-22 to 2026-06-17 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
No Elliott-wave labelling currently fits its swings: the recent highs and lows do not satisfy the three rules a five-wave count has to obey, so there is no count to show rather than a count we are unsure about.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Near the 52-week high · Broke out to a new 20-day high · MACD just crossed bullish (12/26/9) · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · Near the all-time high | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout · all time high
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Heavy reliance on government reimbursement programs like Medicare and Medicaid.","Significant exposure to labor market tightness and rising costs for skilled nursing staff.","Potential for liability regarding patient care and regulatory compliance in healthcare facilities."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of NHC's 10-Q filed 2026-05-07 against the prior one filed 2025-11-06.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added page number '25' in newer filing (older filing showed page '28')
- Removed:
- Removed bullet point about 'the status of our lease with National Health Investors, Inc. ("NHI"), including allegations of non-monetary default by NHI and the expiration of the current term at December 31, 2026' (filed 2025-11-06)
- Reworded:
- Changed citation from 'Note 16 to Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-Q' (filed 2025-11-06) to 'Note 16: Contingencies, Commitments and Other Matters' (filed 2026-05-07)
- Notes:
- Both filings appear truncated at the end with incomplete sentences, limiting full assessment of the complete section
- The page number difference may reflect different document formatting rather than substantive content change
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
1 open-market purchase and 2 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 90 days1 buy ($174859) · 2 sells ($1M) — 1 buying, 1 selling insiders
- Last 180 days1 buy ($174859) · 4 sells ($3M) — 1 buying, 3 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-06-22. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about NHC's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding NHC as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 2,745,243
- Reported value $438,733,092
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 3 increased, 2 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
NHC had 747,974 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
NHC had 4.78% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 7.29 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 747,974
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 4.78%
- Prior settlement (shares) 713,058
- Reported change 4.9%
- Days to cover (reported) 7.29
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- The Ensign Group (ENSG)
- Genesis Healthcare
- Brookdale Senior Living (BKD)
- Capital Senior Living (CSU)
- Five Star Senior Living (FVE)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare NHC vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP (NHC) do?
National HealthCare Corporation operates a network of skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and independent living communities. It provides a comprehensive range of health care services, including rehabilitation, memory care, and hospice care, primarily across the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. The company also derives revenue from home health and hospice agencies.
What sector is NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP (NHC) in?
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP (NHC) is classified in the Health Care sector. Its industry is Long-term care facilities. It trades on NYSE American.
Does NHC pay a dividend?
Yes — NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP (NHC) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 3.07% and at least 5 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP's (NHC) competitors?
Notable peers of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP (NHC) include The Ensign Group, Genesis Healthcare, Brookdale Senior Living, Capital Senior Living and Five Star Senior Living. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP (NHC) overbought or oversold right now?
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE CORP (NHC) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 60, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on NHC come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.