Vanguard Group Inc. Has $743.04 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,621,886 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 310,182 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.68% of The Ensign Group worth $743,042,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 29.1% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,271,000 after purchasing an additional 3,085 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 17.4% in the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 31,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,885,000 after acquiring an additional 4,593 shares during the period. Paralel Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.3% in the third quarter. Paralel Advisors LLC now owns 20,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,862,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $472,000. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $894,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total transaction of $40,764.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,329,632.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total value of $40,764.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at $2,329,632.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,813 shares of company stock worth $808,203. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on ENSG. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.60.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG opened at $121.04 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $88.79 and a 1 year high of $127.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $118.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.42.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.67% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Sunday, June 30th will be given 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 of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

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.