First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Takes Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. bought a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 2,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $266,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth $30,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at $113,000. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 29.6% in the third 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 during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of ENSG opened at $117.95 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.14 and a fifty-two week high of $127.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $121.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.80. The firm has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.04, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.32%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 147,400 shares in the company, valued at $17,328,344. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,263 shares of company stock valued at $3,735,086. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.60.

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.