National HealthCare Corporation (NHC) Stock Analysis
Range Bound setup
Healthcare · Medical Care Facilities
Sell if holding. Multiple concerning factors at $191.97: Leverage penalty (D/E 3.6): -1.5; Earnings expected to decline ~95% (cyclical peak).
National HealthCare Corporation operates skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, independent living, homecare/hospice, and behavioral health services across 9 states, primarily in the Southeast and Midwest. In fiscal 2025, 96.8% of net operating revenues came from... Read more
Sell if holding. Multiple concerning factors at $191.97: Leverage penalty (D/E 3.6): -1.5; Earnings expected to decline ~95% (cyclical peak). Chart setup: RSI 50 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Score 4.5/10, high confidence.
Passes 7/9 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 51d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Suitability: aggressive.
About National HealthCare Corporation
About National HealthCare Corporation
National HealthCare Corporation ran 80 skilled nursing facilities with 10,329 licensed beds, 26 assisted living facilities, 33 hospice agencies, and 34 homecare agencies across 9 states as of December 31, 2025—a post-acute and senior-care continuum primarily in the Southeast and Midwest. Overall occupancy at owned and leased SNFs reached 89.7% in 2025, up from 88.6% in 2024. Medicare and Medicaid together accounted for 61% of net patient revenues, with 62.5% of NHC's facilities rated 4 or 5 stars under CMS's Five-Star system versus a 38.6% industry average.
NHC earns revenue primarily through per-day Medicare payments under the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), which classifies patients by clinical diagnosis rather than therapy volume, alongside Medicaid cost-based reimbursements that vary by state and private-pay and managed care contracts. In fiscal 2025, 31% of net patient revenues came from Medicare, 30% from Medicaid, 12% from managed care, and 27% from private pay and other sources. Hospice and homecare segments—including wholly owned subsidiary Caris Healthcare operating 33 locations in Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia—receive Medicare per-diem or per-visit payments. NHC also generates 3.2% of net operating revenues from management, accounting, and insurance services to third-party operators at a 6% fee-of-revenue rate. Competition comes from not-for-profit operators with tax-exempt capital access and from larger for-profit chains.
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The most immediate structural risk in NHC's operating model through 2025 was its Master Agreement to Lease with National Health Investors, Inc. (NHI), under which a significant portion of skilled nursing and independent living facilities were leased. NHI formally alleged non-compliance with four non-monetary lease provisions in September 2025, threatening termination. In April 2026, the company disclosed via Form 8-K an agreement to purchase 32 skilled nursing facilities and three independent living facilities from NHI for $560 million, financed in part through a $475 million senior unsecured term loan with Bank of America, effectively converting the lease-default overhang into owned real estate.
See also: Healthcare · Medical Care Facilities
From National HealthCare Corporation's most recent 10-K filing, extracted June 11, 2026.
Recent developments
updated 2026-06-17Recent Developments — National HealthCare Corporation
Material events (past 30 days)
- 8K May 27, 2026 MEDIUM Item 1.01: NHC entered $475M senior unsecured term loan and $50M revolving credit facility with Bank of America to fund the $560M NHI property acquisition, maturing 5 years from funding date.
- 8K May 27, 2026 MEDIUM Item 1.02: Master Lease with NHI modified and to be terminated upon closing of the NHI facility purchase. Closing conditioned on funding of new credit facility.
Latest news
- NEWS Does 2026 Rent Reset And Activist Pressure With NHI Recast The Bull Case For National HealthCare (NHC)? - Yahoo Finance — Yahoo Finance positive
- NEWS Does 2026 Rent Reset And Activist Pressure With NHI Recast The Bull Case For National HealthCare (NHC)? - Yahoo Finance — Yahoo Finance UK positive
- NEWS NHC Foods Ltd is Rated Sell by MarketsMOJO - Markets Mojo — Markets Mojo negative
- NEWS Vest Financial LLC Purchases 12,759 Shares of National HealthCare Corporation $NHC - MarketBeat — MarketBeat neutral
- NEWS NHC Increases Quarterly Dividend to $0.555 Per Share for Q2 2026 - geneonline.com — geneonline.com positive
Generated 2026-06-17T08:56:48Z.
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Rating Breakdown
3 floor-breakers
Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static
No near-term catalyst priced in. Thesis progression will come from fundamentals grinding, not event reaction.static
Growth below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static
Price Targets
Position Sizing
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Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Sell if holding. Multiple concerning factors at $191.97: Leverage penalty (D/E 3.6): -1.5; Earnings expected to decline ~95% (cyclical peak). Chart setup: RSI 50 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Prior stop was $178.91. Score 4.5/10, high confidence.
Take-profit target: $200.96 (+4.7% upside). Prior stop was $178.91. Stop-loss: $178.91.
Earnings expected to decline ~95% (cyclical peak); Leverage penalty (D/E 3.6): -1.5; Consecutive earnings misses (4).
National HealthCare Corporation trades at a P/E of 24.9 (forward 454.9). TrendMatrix value score: 5.4/10. Verdict: Sell.
What does National HealthCare Corporation do?National HealthCare Corporation operates skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, independent living,...
National HealthCare Corporation operates skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, independent living, homecare/hospice, and behavioral health services across 9 states, primarily in the Southeast and Midwest. In fiscal 2025, 96.8% of net operating revenues came from healthcare services; Medicare provided 31% and Medicaid 30% of net patient revenues. The company is purchasing 32 skilled nursing and 3 independent living facilities from NHI for $560M, resolving a disputed Master Lease.