LVZ Inc. Invests $374,000 in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

LVZ Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $374,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 39.0% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Macquarie reduced their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $153.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $118.73 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $140.99 and its 200 day moving average is $135.85. The firm has a market cap of $8.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS 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 16.90%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $530,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 39,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,881,350. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,257 shares of company stock valued at $1,553,090. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.