Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd Invests $370,000 in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,784 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $370,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.6% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $80,000. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $104,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,238 shares of company stock valued at $912,050. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie lowered their price objective 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 issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.9%

The Ensign Group stock traded up $1.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $147.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 347,119 shares, compared to its average volume of 445,872. The company has a market capitalization of $8.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $117.41 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $133.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.