National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) Tries to Climb Back to 84.57 52-week High

Following recent trading activity on shares of National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI), we can see that the stock has been hovering near the $78.55 price level. Shareholders might be asking themselves whether now is a good time to buy or sell the stock. Over the previous 12 weeks, the stock has moved 3.72%. Looking back over the last month, shares have moved 0.67%. Over the previous week, the stock has changed -1.5%. Investors may also be watching the current price in relation to the 52-week highs/lows. After a recent scan, we note that the 52-week high is presently 84.57, and the 52-week low is 65.51.

Individuals invest in order to get a return on the investment. Nobody enters the equity markets with the hope of losing money. Returns on investments may come in different forms. With any stock investment, there may be some level of risk involved. Understanding the risk is important and should be considered very carefully. Of course, the stock may go up and become a winner, or shares could sour and turn into losers. Returns in the stock market may often mimic the amount of risk. Generally speaking, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. With the greater chance of reward comes the greater chance of losses. Keeping a balanced and diversified portfolio can help manage the risk associated with investing in the stock market.  

After a recent stock review, we can see that National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) currently has an average broker rating of 2.71. Based on analysts polled by Zacks Research, this rating lands on an easy to follow scale from 1 to 5 where a 1 would indicate a Strong Buy and a 5 would represent a Strong Sell recommendation. Sell-side analysts often provide recommendations for stocks that they regularly cover. Different institutions may use various terminologies for how they describe their ratings. Because individual analyst ratings can vary, investors may choose to follow the average in order to track the general sell-side sentiment. Looking a little further, we can see that 3 polled analysts currently have the stock rated as a Strong Buy or Buy.

Following some earnings data for National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI), we note that the current quarter EPS consensus estimate is 1.31. This EPS estimate is using data provided by 5 sell-side analysts polled by Zacks Research. This consensus estimate may vary from other data outlets providing consensus projections. Last quarter, the company reported a quarterly EPS of 1.35. Investors often pay extra close to the actual numbers when they are reported. If the actual comes in way under what the analysts were predicting, investors might want to take a deeper look to see what is going on with the stock. Investors may also be on the lookout for positive surprises on earnings beats. When a company reports actual earnings results, the surprise factor may cause the stock price to move sharply in either direction. Because it is difficult to gauge how a stock will react after the earnings report, investors may trade with increased caution during this period of time.

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Investors tracking shares of National Health Investors, Inc. (NYSE:NHI) may be closely following analyst price target estimates. Reviewing company shares, we can see that the current average target price is 78.14. Keeping track of all the day to day stock market happenings can sometimes be a burden, even for the most seasoned investors. Investors may use sell-side analyst target estimates to help figure out if their assumptions about the future direction of a particular stock price are shared. Of course, nobody can project the future stock price of a company with exact precision. Investors may use analyst target prices as a good starting point for comparing current stock prices and making educated projections themselves.

Investors are usually scouring the markets for that next great stock pick. Locating that special winner to jumpstart the portfolio may involve lots of diligent hard work. Filing through the massive amounts of data regarding public companies can be an overwhelming task. Many successful investors will approach the equity markets from various sides. This may include keeping a close eye on the fundamentals as well as the technical data. This may also include following sell-side analyst opinions and tracking what the big money institutions are buying or selling.