Yousif Capital Management LLC Has $2.62 Million Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Yousif Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,242 shares of the company’s stock after selling 439 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,619,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 15,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,099,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 105,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,068,000 after acquiring an additional 12,454 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 61.9% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 5,552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $738,000 after purchasing an additional 2,123 shares in the last quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $955,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Mexico Educational Retirement Board bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at $1,541,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Macquarie lowered their target price 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $151.24 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.60, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $118.56 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $138.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.54.

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

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 24,926 shares in the company, valued at $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $530,850.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 39,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,881,350. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.