The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Bought by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 195.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,775 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,468 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,097,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ENSG. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Connable Office Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.0% in the third quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 3,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.6% in the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 4,654 shares of the company’s stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 28,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,677,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $6,844,775.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,380,739.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 84,782 shares of company stock worth $10,048,943. 4.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.20.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.8 %

ENSG stock opened at $119.28 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.14 and a 12 month high of $127.57. The firm has a market cap of $6.79 billion, a PE ratio of 32.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 17.84%. The business had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.13 million. Equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st will be given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.56%.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services. It operates through two segments: Skilled Services and Standard Bearer. The company's Skilled Services segment engages in the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services for patients with chronic conditions, prolonged illness, and the elderly; and offers nursing facilities including specialty care, such as on-site dialysis, ventilator care, cardiac, and pulmonary management, as well as standard services comprising room and board, special nutritional programs, social services, recreational activities, entertainment, and other services.