D.A. Davidson & CO. Has $5.58 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

D.A. Davidson & CO. reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 41,971 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,777 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $5,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $151,827,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 54.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,449,000 after purchasing an additional 229,586 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $18,843,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $127.12 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.10. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.88, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. Sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Macquarie increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,254,710 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.