Opal Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $36,000 in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,630,000 after acquiring an additional 159,691 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $276,701,000 after acquiring an additional 86,676 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,613,000 after acquiring an additional 197,865 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $90,747,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 557,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,098,000 after acquiring an additional 42,184 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $152.63 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $138.87 and its 200-day moving average is $135.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.56 and a 12-month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for 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 17.07%. The business’s revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.73%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total value of $290,794.53. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,625,985.22. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $530,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 39,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,881,350. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.