California Public Employees Retirement System Buys 4,021 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 278,902 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,021 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $31,296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 43.3% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $113,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 29.6% during the 3rd quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock opened at $117.25 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.14 and a 1 year high of $127.57. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $121.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.51.

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, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. On average, equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.56%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total transaction of $1,216,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total transaction of $1,216,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 shares were 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 $17,328,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

About The Ensign Group

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.