Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Acquires 46,910 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 36.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 176,957 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 46,910 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned approximately 0.31% of The Ensign Group worth $22,898,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 150.6% during the fourth 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. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth about $80,000. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth about $104,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Macquarie cut their target price on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of ENSG opened at $151.24 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.60, 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 1-year low of $117.91 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $137.74 and a 200 day moving average of $135.58.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total value of $290,794.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. The trade was a 7.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $530,850.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 39,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,881,350. This trade represents a 8.28% 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 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.