First Trust Portfolios L.P., First Trust Advisors L.P., and The Charger Corporation filed an amended Schedule 13G on October 30, 2026, disclosing beneficial ownership of 713,812 shares of National HealthCare Corporation common stock as of September 30, 2026.

Key Highlights

  • Aggregate beneficial ownership: 713,812 shares of National HealthCare Corporation common stock, representing 4.56% of the class.
  • Three joint filers: First Trust Portfolios L.P. (broker-dealer), First Trust Advisors L.P. (investment adviser), and The Charger Corporation (holding company), all organized in Illinois.
  • Shared dispositive power: All three reporting persons share dispositive power over 713,812 shares; sole dispositive and sole voting power are each reported as 0.
  • Shared voting power: First Trust Advisors L.P. and The Charger Corporation each report shared voting power over 703,067 shares; First Trust Portfolios L.P. reports shared voting power of 0.
  • Unit investment trust structure: Shares held in unit investment trusts sponsored by First Trust Portfolios L.P. are voted by the trustee, not by the reporting persons, according to the filing.
  • Beneficial ownership disclaimed: Each of the three reporting persons "disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of the issuer identified in this filing," as stated in the document.

First Trust Entities Disclose Combined 713,812-Share Position in National HealthCare

According to the amended Schedule 13G filed October 30, 2026, with a triggering event date of September 30, 2026, three affiliated Illinois entities jointly reported a 4.56% stake in National HealthCare Corporation (CUSIP 635906100). The filing is Amendment No. 1 and was submitted jointly by First Trust Portfolios L.P., First Trust Advisors L.P., and The Charger Corporation, all headquartered at 120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.

The filing explains the structural relationship among the three entities: The Charger Corporation serves as general partner of both First Trust Portfolios L.P. and First Trust Advisors L.P. First Trust Portfolios L.P. acts as sponsor of certain unit investment trusts that hold shares of National HealthCare Corporation, with the total shares held by those trusts reflected in its shared dispositive power figure of 10,745. First Trust Advisors L.P. acts as portfolio supervisor of those same unit investment trusts and also serves as investment adviser or sub-adviser for other registered investment companies, pooled investment vehicles, and separately managed accounts that hold the issuer's shares.

The filing notes that neither First Trust Portfolios L.P., First Trust Advisors L.P., nor The Charger Corporation holds voting power over shares in the unit investment trusts. According to the document, those shares "are voted by the trustee of such unit investment trusts so as to insure that the shares are ordinarily voted as closely as possible in the same manner and in the same general proportion as are the shares held by owners other than such unit investment trusts." The filing further states that the securities "were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer."

What Was Disclosed

Three affiliated First Trust entities filed an amended Schedule 13G reporting combined beneficial ownership of 713,812 shares, or 4.56%, of National HealthCare Corporation common stock as of September 30, 2026, with all three parties disclaiming beneficial ownership of the reported shares.