Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $5.05 Million Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund trimmed its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,043 shares of the company’s stock after selling 522 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.08% of The Ensign Group worth $5,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 25.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,379,000 after acquiring an additional 147,698 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $13,578,000. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,000,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,020,000 after buying an additional 121,432 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 274,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,545,000 after buying an additional 93,003 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 30.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 332,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,863,000 after buying an additional 77,511 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $118.64 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.14 and a twelve month high of $127.57. The company has a 50 day moving average of $122.02 and a 200-day moving average of $113.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 17.84%. The business had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total transaction of $1,216,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.