The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) VP Beverly B. Wittekind Sells 4,719 Shares

The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 38,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,995,245. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of The Ensign Group stock traded down $2.82 during trading on Friday, reaching $153.54. 638,294 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 452,495. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $8.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.03. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The stock's fifty day moving average is $140.99 and its 200 day moving average is $135.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.90% 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 period last year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Macquarie decreased 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

Institutional Trading of The Ensign Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 61.9% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 5,552 shares of the company's stock worth $738,000 after purchasing an additional 2,123 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 32.1% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 202,398 shares of the company's stock worth $26,891,000 after purchasing an additional 49,191 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 4,699 shares of the company's stock worth $624,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 17,372 shares of the company's stock worth $2,308,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 152,355 shares of the company's stock worth $20,242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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