The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Holdings Decreased by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. reduced its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,971 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,777 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. owned about 0.07% of The Ensign Group worth $5,576,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 74.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 63,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,179,000 after acquiring an additional 27,140 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 62.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 699 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth about $228,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Macquarie lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of ENSG opened at $127.12 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $135.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.27 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. Analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710 in the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.