The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Sold by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada lessened its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 127,947 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,268 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.22% of The Ensign Group worth $16,999,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $90,747,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $36,167,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 197,865 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $22,777,000. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 159,691 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of The Ensign Group 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 39,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,881,350. The trade was a 8.28% 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 valued at $912,050 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of ENSG traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $146.38. The stock had a trading volume of 250,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 443,925. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $133.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.32. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.23 and a 12-month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released 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 Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.