Dakota Wealth Management Acquires 454 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Dakota Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 21.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,572 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 454 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss National Bank increased its position in The Ensign Group by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 112,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,920,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $690,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 23,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,134,000 after acquiring an additional 4,755 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 7,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,057,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 1,055 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was 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. The trade was a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,336 shares of company stock valued at $2,902,377. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $138.85 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $148.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.90%. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Macquarie reduced their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.50.

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.