Ethic Inc. Has $465,000 Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Ethic Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 101.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,499 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,766 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $465,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.1% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.6% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $80,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ENSG. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie lowered their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.50.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $530,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 39,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,881,350. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,238 shares of company stock valued at $912,050 in the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG traded down $2.34 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $146.81. 32,888 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 441,300. The company has a market cap of $8.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The firm's fifty day moving average is $131.31 and its 200 day moving average is $135.38. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.23 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The company's revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.73%.

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.