Dakota Wealth Management Raises Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Dakota Wealth Management grew its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 21.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,572 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 454 shares during the quarter. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. 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 worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 109.2% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock opened at $138.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.03. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.73 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.13.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.18%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 8,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.21, for a total transaction of $1,241,851.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 269,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,971,051.32. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $290,794.53. Following the sale, the director owned 24,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,336 shares of company stock valued at $2,902,377 in the last quarter. Corporate 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.