Strs Ohio Buys 500 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Strs Ohio grew its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,700 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $751,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 43.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $113,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $117.29 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $121.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a PE ratio of 32.07, a PEG ratio of 1.59 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 17.84%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective 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. Oppenheimer increased their price objective 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, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.67, for a total transaction of $718,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 31,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,754,646.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862 in the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.