The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Bought by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,659 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $635,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at $1,639,000. Guidance Capital Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 2,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $574,000. DeDora Capital Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 4,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 512 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 22.8% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 8,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $750,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ENSG. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $119.20.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $6,844,775.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,380,739.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $6,844,775.10. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at $18,380,739.15. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.9 %

ENSG opened at $117.23 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a PE ratio of 32.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $121.99 and its 200-day moving average is $113.11. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $87.14 and a one year high of $127.57.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 17.84%. The company had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.13 million. On average, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.56%.

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.