Brown Advisory Inc. Acquires New Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Brown Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 39.0% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 467 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 109.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $139.85 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $148.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.09. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.73 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The company has a market capitalization of $8.04 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total transaction of $107,436.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 27,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,274,724.96. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total value of $1,241,851.59. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,971,051.32. This represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,336 shares of company stock worth $2,902,377. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.