Strs Ohio Boosts Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Strs Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,700 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $751,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,000,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,020,000 after buying an additional 121,432 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in The Ensign Group by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 788,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,275,000 after buying an additional 61,127 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 750,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,734,000 after buying an additional 23,215 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 25.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,379,000 after buying an additional 147,698 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 30.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 332,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,863,000 after buying an additional 77,511 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total value 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total value 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $117.29 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $121.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.33. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.14 and a 1 year high of $127.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 6.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ENSG shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. Finally, Oppenheimer raised 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group 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.