National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) has received an average rating of "Buy" from five brokerages, with one strong buy, three buy, and one hold rating assigned.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.90 to $0.92 per share, representing an annualized dividend payout of $3.68 and a yield of 4.7%.
• National Health Investors reported a quarterly EPS of $1.22, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.16, although revenue fell short of estimates at $70.27 million.

National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Buy" from the five analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $84.20.

NHI has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp raised shares of National Health Investors from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $80.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of National Health Investors from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of National Health Investors from $77.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Wedbush raised shares of National Health Investors to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd.

National Health Investors Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE NHI traded up $0.18 during trading on Friday, hitting $77.49. 171,292 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 210,573. National Health Investors has a 1 year low of $65.13 and a 1 year high of $86.13. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $73.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $73.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 10.91, a current ratio of 10.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

National Health Investors (NYSE:NHI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.06. National Health Investors had a net margin of 40.97% and a return on equity of 10.32%. The company had revenue of $70.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $86.46 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that National Health Investors will post 4.41 EPS for the current year.

National Health Investors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. This is a boost from National Health Investors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. National Health Investors's payout ratio is 115.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Health Investors

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of National Health Investors by 49.8% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 442 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in National Health Investors by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 925 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in National Health Investors by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,969 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its holdings in National Health Investors by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,217 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in National Health Investors by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 4,867 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. 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.