Deutsche Bank AG Purchases 15,868 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 48.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 48,795 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,868 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.08% of The Ensign Group worth $6,483,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company's stock worth $464,630,000 after acquiring an additional 159,691 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company's stock worth $276,701,000 after acquiring an additional 86,676 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company's stock worth $125,430,000 after acquiring an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock worth $124,613,000 after acquiring an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $90,747,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $144.55. 263,034 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 443,858. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.33. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.23 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.29, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.50.

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.