Bessemer Group Inc. Has $31.44 Million Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 19.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 242,940 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 38,936 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 0.42% of The Ensign Group worth $31,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,630,000 after purchasing an additional 159,691 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $276,701,000 after purchasing an additional 86,676 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,613,000 after buying an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $90,747,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 557,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,098,000 after buying an additional 42,184 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Macquarie lowered their price objective on shares of 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. One equities 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $152.52 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.09. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $8.77 billion, a PE ratio of 28.83, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.03. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 6.99%. 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 prior year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $530,850.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 39,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,881,350. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 24,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,257 shares of company stock valued at $1,553,090 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.