Yousif Capital Management LLC Sells 411 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,517 shares of the company’s stock after selling 411 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC owned about 0.05% of The Ensign Group worth $3,200,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $99,000. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 278,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,296,000 after acquiring an additional 4,021 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.4% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 11,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,000 after acquiring an additional 3,100 shares during the period. Carmel Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 661.6% in the 4th quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 2,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total transaction of $1,216,500.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,994.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total value of $1,216,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $117.25 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a PE ratio of 32.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $121.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.63. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.14 and a 1 year high of $127.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. The business had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $975.13 million. Equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.56%.

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.