Virtu Financial LLC Invests $567,000 in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,057 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $567,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 10,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,228,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 9.2% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total value of $40,764.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,329,632.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,813 shares of company stock valued at $808,203 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $122.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.99. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $88.79 and a 1 year high of $127.57. The business’s fifty day moving average is $118.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $118.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 5.67%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.60.

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.