Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc Boosts Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 66.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,500 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the quarter. Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $202,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $731,445.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 38,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,995,245. This trade represents 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 link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total value of $290,794.53. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,257 shares of company stock worth $1,553,090. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Macquarie decreased their target price on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $152.17 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.77, a PEG ratio of 1.78 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $141.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.86.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 16.90% and a net margin of 6.99%. The Ensign Group’s revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.73%.

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.