KBC Group NV Has $324,000 Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 10.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,506 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,630,000 after purchasing an additional 159,691 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,701,000 after buying an additional 86,676 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,613,000 after buying an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $90,747,000. Finally, Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 461,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,295,000 after acquiring an additional 19,821 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the sale, the director directly owned 24,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. The trade was a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 38,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,995,245. This trade represents a 10.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 10,957 shares of company stock worth $1,660,526. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $150.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $8.63 billion, a PE ratio of 28.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.03. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.73 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $146.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.56.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 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 Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.73%.

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.