Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Purchases 659 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 19,649 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 659 shares during the quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,611,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 202,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,891,000 after buying an additional 49,191 shares in the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,541,000. DeDora Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $955,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $80,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 61.9% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 5,552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $738,000 after buying an additional 2,123 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 40,486 shares of company stock valued at $5,995,390 in the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG opened at $128.01 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a PE ratio of 25.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $136.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.36.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.89%.

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.