Nursing home operator National HealthCare Corp. has increased its position in hospice provider Caris Healthcare, according to SEC filings.

At the close of last year, the company acquired another 7.5 percent interest in Knoxville-based Caris from CEO Norman McRae for $7.5 million. Caris provides its services at 17 facilties in Tennessee and western Virginia.

Additionally, Murfreesboro-based NHC traded its membership interest in its South Carolina-based Solaris Hospice division to Caris for an additional 2.7 percent interest in the latter. All told, that brought the company's stake in Caris up to 67.1 percent.

In its filing, NHC also mentioned that it has an option to purchase agreement with McRae to buy up another 7.5 percent limited partnership interest for the same price at some point during the next year.

Shares of NHC (Ticker: NHC) are up 2.6 percent Tuesday afternoon to $42.18. They're up about 25 percent in the past three months.