LVZ Inc. Makes New $374,000 Investment in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

LVZ Inc. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $374,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company's stock valued at $464,630,000 after buying an additional 159,691 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,701,000 after acquiring an additional 86,676 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew 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 valued at $124,613,000 after acquiring an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $90,747,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 557,717 shares of the company's stock worth $74,098,000 after purchasing an additional 42,184 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ ENSG traded down $1.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $152.52. The company had a trading volume of 258,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 451,650. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a market capitalization of $8.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The firm's 50 day moving average is $142.41 and its 200 day moving average is $136.09.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 6.99%. The company'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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.73%.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the company'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 value of $530,850.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares in the company, valued at $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 10,257 shares of company stock worth $1,553,090. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Macquarie decreased their target price on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.50.

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.