Values First Advisors Inc. Purchases 976 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Values First Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,854 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 976 shares during the quarter. The Ensign Group makes up about 2.0% of Values First Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Values First Advisors Inc. owned 0.05% of The Ensign Group worth $3,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Natixis bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Carmel Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 117.7% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total value of $1,269,648.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 147,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,328,344. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total transaction of $1,269,648.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 147,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,328,344. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 84,782 shares of company stock valued at $10,048,943 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG traded down $1.20 during trading on Friday, hitting $124.42. The stock had a trading volume of 418,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 252,724. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $121.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.72. The firm has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $87.14 and a one year high of $127.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The business had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 6.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.20.

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.