Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Acquires 884 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,017 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 884 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,032,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Natixis acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Carmel Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 117.7% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 381 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total transaction of $1,269,648.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 147,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,328,344. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.67, for a total transaction of $718,020.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 31,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,754,646.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total transaction of $1,269,648.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 147,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,328,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of ENSG opened at $117.82 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.14 and a 52 week high of $127.57. The firm has a market cap of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $122.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $112.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.13 million. On average, analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.