Duality Advisers LP Cuts Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Duality Advisers LP lowered its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,781 shares of the company’s stock after selling 119 shares during the quarter. Duality Advisers LP’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,000,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,020,000 after buying an additional 121,432 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 788,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,275,000 after purchasing an additional 61,127 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 750,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,734,000 after buying an additional 23,215 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 25.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,379,000 after buying an additional 147,698 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 30.4% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 332,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,863,000 after buying an additional 77,511 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $118.62 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $121.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.14 and a 12-month 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, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.13 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share 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 given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 is currently 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.