World Investment Advisors Buys Shares of 2,516 The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $326,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,972,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $36,167,000. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 754.8% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,026 shares of the company's stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 2,672 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 16,201 shares of the company's stock worth $2,152,000 after purchasing an additional 2,774 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 57.0% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,188 shares of the company's stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.48, for a total value of $107,436.00. Following the sale, the director owned 27,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,274,724.96. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,336 shares of company stock valued at $2,902,377. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $1.70 during trading on Monday, hitting $145.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 151,998 shares, compared to its average volume of 442,216. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $147.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.96. The company has a market capitalization of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 27.54, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 6.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Macquarie reduced their target price 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.