SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Increases Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 333.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 576 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 443 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $65,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 25.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,379,000 after purchasing an additional 147,698 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth $13,578,000. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 13.8% in the third quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,000,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,020,000 after acquiring an additional 121,432 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 51.1% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 274,881 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,545,000 after acquiring an additional 93,003 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 77,511 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at $18,380,739.15. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 147,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,328,344. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $6,844,775.10. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 155,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,380,739.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $116.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.14 and a 52-week high of $127.57. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $121.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.39.

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, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The company had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.67% and a return on equity of 17.60%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, March 31st were paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.21%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

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.