National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) Short Interest Up 19.1% in March

National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,479,704 shares, a growth of 19.1% from the February 26th total of 1,242,209 shares. Approximately 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 314,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.7 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NHI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of National Health Investors from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $85.00 price target on National Health Investors in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of National Health Investors in a report on Friday. Truist Financial upped their price objective on National Health Investors from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, National Bank Financial set a $85.00 price objective on National Health Investors in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.83.

National Health Investors Stock Down 1.9%

National Health Investors stock traded down $1.58 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $80.83. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 400,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 332,260. The company has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.65. National Health Investors has a 12 month low of $66.41 and a 12 month high of $91.38. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $84.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 6.90 and a current ratio of 6.90.

National Health Investors (NYSE:NHI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $105.82 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $95.12 million. National Health Investors had a return on equity of 9.56% and a net margin of 37.81%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. National Health Investors has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.940-4.990 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that National Health Investors will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

National Health Investors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. National Health Investors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 121.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Health Investors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NHI. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in National Health Investors by 0.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,498,414 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $516,624,000 after buying an additional 52,474 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of National Health Investors by 5.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,023,381 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $143,651,000 after buying an additional 95,812 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Health Investors by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,668,006 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $127,386,000 after acquiring an additional 30,968 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of National Health Investors by 34.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,613,051 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $128,238,000 after acquiring an additional 409,559 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Health Investors by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,262,657 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $96,443,000 after acquiring an additional 18,198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.51% of the company’s stock.

About National Health Investors

National Health Investors, Inc (NYSE: NHI) is a specialized real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on owning and financing high-quality healthcare and senior housing facilities in the United States. The company’s portfolio encompasses a diverse range of properties, including skilled nursing centers, assisted living and memory care communities, behavioral health facilities, dialysis clinics, and medical office buildings. NHI typically enters into long-term net-lease agreements with experienced healthcare operators, providing stable and predictable rental income streams while enabling its tenants to concentrate on delivering quality care.

Since its founding in 1991 and initial public offering later that year, National Health Investors has pursued a disciplined growth strategy centered on strategic acquisitions, joint ventures, and selective development.