State of Alaska Department of Revenue Sells 489 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,241 shares of the company’s stock after selling 489 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue owned about 0.06% of The Ensign Group worth $4,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,621,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,042,000 after purchasing an additional 310,182 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,620,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $294,031,000 after purchasing an additional 221,838 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,211,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,905,000 after purchasing an additional 36,587 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 732,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,156,000 after purchasing an additional 7,110 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,050,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $126.41 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $119.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.26. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $88.79 and a one year high of $128.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market cap of $7.20 billion, a PE ratio of 33.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 5.67%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now 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 at the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now 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 at the SEC website. Also, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the firm’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 sale, the director now directly owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,329,632.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,813 shares of company stock valued at $808,203. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ENSG. Macquarie began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 target price on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.17.

The Ensign Group 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.