Nomura Holdings Inc. Purchases New Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 7,537 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,001,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 150.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $80,000. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $104,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie cut their target price 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 30,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This trade represents a 2.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,625,985.22. The trade was a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,238 shares of company stock worth $912,050 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $144.55. The stock had a trading volume of 263,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 445,007. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.23 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $132.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The stock 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 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The Ensign Group's revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group's dividend 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.