Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. Sells 328 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. trimmed its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,337 shares of the company’s stock after selling 328 shares during the quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $262,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 295,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,481,000 after acquiring an additional 30,184 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 24.9% during the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 201,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,692,000 after purchasing an additional 40,050 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 8.0% during the third quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 12,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,150,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 17.4% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 31,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,885,000 after purchasing an additional 4,593 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $2,520,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $6,844,775.10. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at $18,380,739.15. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was 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 $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.0 %

The Ensign Group stock traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $118.64. The stock had a trading volume of 257,363 shares, compared to its average volume of 266,870. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.14 and a fifty-two week high of $127.57. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $122.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 32.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.56%.

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.