NHI NATIONAL HEALTH INVESTORS INC

NYSE Real Estate Investment Trusts MD CIK: 0000877860
AI RATING
SELL
75% Confidence

Investment Thesis

NHI demonstrates fundamental weaknesses despite headline growth, with negative free cash flow of -$56M unsustainable without external capital raises. The company's 369% revenue growth fails to translate into proportional net income growth, and extremely poor returns (ROE 2.6%, ROA 1.4%) suggest operational challenges. While strong interest coverage (10.7x) provides near-term stability, the severe cash generation deficit and low equity returns indicate deteriorating financial quality.

Strengths

  • + Strong interest coverage ratio of 10.7x provides substantial debt service cushion
  • + Moderate leverage at 0.85x debt-to-equity is acceptable for REIT sector
  • + High net profit margin of 34.8% indicates pricing power and cost control in core operations

Risks

  • ! Critical negative free cash flow of -$56M; capital expenditures of $109.4M far exceed operating cash generation of $53.4M, indicating reliance on external financing and unsustainable cash burn
  • ! Extremely poor returns with ROE of only 2.6% and ROA of 1.4% despite high margins suggest inefficient capital deployment and value destruction
  • ! Abnormal disconnect: 369% revenue growth coupled with only 0.1% net income growth and operating income exceeding revenue signals potential one-time asset sale gains masking operational deterioration
  • ! Low cash position of $24.9M inadequate relative to $109.4M annual capex and $1.3B debt obligations

Key Metrics to Watch

Financial Metrics

Revenue
115.1M
Net Income
40.1M
EPS (Diluted)
$0.82
Free Cash Flow
-56.0M
Total Assets
2.9B
Cash
24.9M

Profitability Ratios

Gross Margin N/A
Operating Margin 140.1%
Net Margin 34.8%
ROE 2.6%
ROA 1.4%
FCF Margin -48.6%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity

Current Ratio
N/A
Quick Ratio
N/A
Debt/Equity
0.85x
Debt/Assets
47.0%
Interest Coverage
10.72x
Long-term Debt
1.3B
Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI based on publicly available SEC EDGAR filings. It does not include stock price data and should not be considered financial advice. All fundamental data is sourced from SEC public domain filings. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.
Data Source: SEC EDGAR | Analysis Date: 2026-05-06T20:40:51.423123 | Data as of: 2026-03-31 | Powered by Claude AI