Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Buys 19,821 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 461,353 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,821 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. owned about 0.80% of The Ensign Group worth $61,295,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 260.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 107,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,430,000 after purchasing an additional 77,514 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $200,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 314,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,522,000 after acquiring an additional 42,072 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 27,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,702,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 10,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,333,000 after acquiring an additional 1,730 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $137.00 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.81, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $115.79 and a one year high of $158.45. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $128.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $136.00.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. The Ensign Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Macquarie decreased their target price on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.50.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.