Graham Capital Management L.P. Takes Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 22,483 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,987,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.6% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $80,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

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

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $136.68 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.23 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $128.85 and a 200-day moving average of $135.74. The firm has a market cap of $7.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Macquarie decreased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.50.

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.