Nomura Holdings Inc. Acquires Shares of 7,537 The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 7,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 260.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 107,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,430,000 after purchasing an additional 77,514 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 10,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 1,730 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth $263,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 130,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,278,000 after purchasing an additional 11,830 shares during the period. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 5,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $734,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie decreased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $149.75 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.23 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.61 billion, a PE ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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.