The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Purchased by UMB Bank n.a.

UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 109.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 822 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $106,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $90,747,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 14,683.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 338,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,770,000 after purchasing an additional 335,964 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,167,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,613,000 after purchasing an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,777,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $530,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 39,209 shares in the company, valued at $5,881,350. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total value of $290,794.53. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. The trade was a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $151.24 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $137.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.58. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $117.91 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The stock has a market cap of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Macquarie lowered their price objective on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.50.

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.