Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $8.12 Million Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,345 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,342 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $8,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased 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 valued at $93,020,000 after purchasing an additional 121,432 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 788,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,275,000 after purchasing an additional 61,127 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 25.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,379,000 after acquiring an additional 147,698 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.4% in 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. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. 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 reissued 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 upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,994.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,263 shares of company stock worth $3,735,086 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of ENSG opened at $117.95 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.14 and a fifty-two week high of $127.57. 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $121.08 and its 200 day moving average is $114.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 31.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

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.