Nuveen Asset Management LLC Buys 24,956 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 227,007 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 24,956 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.40% of The Ensign Group worth $30,160,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in 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 raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,701,000 after buying an additional 86,676 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,430,000 after buying an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,613,000 after buying an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $90,747,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 24,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,238 shares of company stock valued at $912,050 in the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 2.0%

The Ensign Group stock traded up $2.91 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $147.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 235,453 shares, compared to its average volume of 444,169. The company has a 50 day moving average of $132.95 and a 200-day moving average of $135.25. The stock has a market cap of $8.48 billion, a PE ratio of 28.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $116.23 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. The Ensign Group's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm 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 of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie decreased their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.