Nuveen Asset Management LLC Has $16.66 Million Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lessened its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG – Get Rating) by 6.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 209,511 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,467 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.38% of The Ensign Group worth $16,657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 51.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 402 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 14,322 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.7% in the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.5% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 34,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,554,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.8% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Oppenheimer increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.60.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Lee A. Daniels sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.20, for a total transaction of $190,400.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 47,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,522,380.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 16,991 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total value of $1,631,136.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 210,754 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,232,384. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lee A. Daniels sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.20, for a total value of $190,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 47,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,522,380.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,253 shares of company stock worth $1,846,841 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $91.45 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.15, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $92.78 and a 200-day moving average of $90.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $70.29 and a 1-year high of $99.52.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.08. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 7.43%. The company had revenue of $809.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $802.31 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.33 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 31st. Investors of record on Saturday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.058 per share. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 29th. This represents a $0.23 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.82%.

The Ensign Group Profile

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The Ensign Group, Inc engages in providing skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative care services. It operates through the Skilled Services and Standard Bearer segments. The Skilled Services segments includes the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services. The Standard Bearer segment refers to the leasing to skilled nursing and senior living operations.