Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Makes New $211,000 Investment in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Carmel Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $30,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $113,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.9% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $6,844,775.10. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at $18,380,739.15. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total transaction of $1,269,648.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 147,400 shares in the company, valued at $17,328,344. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was 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 approximately $18,380,739.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $118.64 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.14 and a 52-week high of $127.57.

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

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

About The Ensign Group

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.