James Investment Research Inc. Makes New Investment in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

James Investment Research Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $151,827,000. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after acquiring an additional 593,779 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,449,000 after acquiring an additional 229,586 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $18,843,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 a total of 40,486 shares of company stock valued at $5,995,390 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG opened at $128.01 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.38. The firm has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.05, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $158.45. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued 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 (DPR) is currently 4.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.