Yousif Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 28,517 shares of the company’s stock after selling 411 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,200,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 25.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,379,000 after buying an additional 147,698 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth about $13,578,000. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 13.8% in the third quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,000,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,020,000 after purchasing an additional 121,432 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 51.1% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 274,881 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,545,000 after purchasing an additional 93,003 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 30.4% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 332,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,863,000 after purchasing an additional 77,511 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target 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 given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $6,844,775.10. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at $18,380,739.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the firm’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 value of $6,844,775.10. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 155,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,380,739.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the company’s 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 directly owns 147,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,328,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $117.25 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.14 and a 52-week high of $127.57. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $121.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.63.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.17. The company had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 17.84%. As a group, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 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.