Voloridge Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 28,962 The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 28,962 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,848,000. Voloridge Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of The Ensign Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company's stock valued at $464,630,000 after purchasing an additional 159,691 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company's stock worth $276,701,000 after buying an additional 86,676 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its position 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 worth $125,430,000 after buying an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock worth $124,613,000 after buying an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $90,747,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. Macquarie cut 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG traded up $1.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $147.82. The stock had a trading volume of 347,119 shares, compared to its average volume of 444,940. The firm has a market cap of $8.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.95 and a twelve month high of $158.45. 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 company's 50 day moving average price is $133.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.29.

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

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $530,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 39,209 shares in the company, valued at $5,881,350. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now owns 30,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,238 shares of company stock worth $912,050 in the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Company 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.