Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $11.87 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 22.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 89,312 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,288 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.16% of The Ensign Group worth $11,866,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Wasatch Advisors LP grew 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 buying an additional 159,691 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 86,676 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,430,000 after purchasing an additional 7,542 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,613,000 after purchasing an additional 197,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth $90,747,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ENSG shares. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie dropped 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,413,299.50. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG traded up $0.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $136.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 78,237 shares, compared to its average volume of 430,099. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $115.79 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $135.93. The stock has a market cap of $7.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.17 billion during 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.