National Health Investors (NYSE:NHI) Reaches New 52-Week High at $62.31

National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $62.31 and last traded at $62.02, with a volume of 4189 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $61.82.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on NHI. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded National Health Investors from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $55.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Wedbush increased their price objective on National Health Investors from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of National Health Investors from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of National Health Investors in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $69.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of National Health Investors from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $67.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, National Health Investors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.22.

National Health Investors Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $56.58 and a 200 day moving average of $54.23. The company has a quick ratio of 10.27, a current ratio of 10.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.71 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75 and a beta of 0.94.

National Health Investors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. National Health Investors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 115.02%.

Insider Activity at National Health Investors

In other National Health Investors news, Director Charlotte A. Swafford bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $58.69 per share, with a total value of $586,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 110,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,466,757.65. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 7.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Health Investors

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NHI. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National Health Investors by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,979 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in National Health Investors by 21.5% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 118,464 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,616,000 after buying an additional 20,971 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in National Health Investors by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 25,320 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,415,000 after buying an additional 910 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of National Health Investors by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 322,917 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $18,035,000 after acquiring an additional 11,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of National Health Investors by 254.0% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 68,940 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,850,000 after acquiring an additional 49,466 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.51% of the company’s stock.

About National Health Investors

Incorporated in 1991, National Health Investors, Inc (NYSE:NHI) is a real estate investment trust specializing in sale, leasebacks, joint-ventures, senior housing operating partnerships, and mortgage and mezzanine financing of need-driven and discretionary senior housing and medical investments. NHI's portfolio consists of independent living, assisted living and memory care communities, entrance-fee retirement communities, skilled nursing facilities, and specialty hospitals.