Ameriprise Financial Inc. Buys 9,433 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 80,025 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 9,433 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned about 0.14% of The Ensign Group worth $10,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.1% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 150.6% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth $80,000. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth $104,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock traded down $0.10 during 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 firm has a market cap of $8.31 billion, a PE ratio of 28.29, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $132.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.19. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.23 and a 52 week high of $158.45.

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

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens reaffirmed 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 target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One equities research 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 stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $163.50.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the company's 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 sale, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 39,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,881,350. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,238 shares of company stock valued at $912,050. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

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.