California Public Employees Retirement System Acquires 4,021 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 278,902 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,021 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.49% of The Ensign Group worth $31,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,639,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $574,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 8,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $750,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. HGK Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. HGK Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $494,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction 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 firm’s 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 sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $6,844,775.10. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at $18,380,739.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on ENSG shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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 boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.0 %

ENSG stock opened at $117.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a PE ratio of 32.04, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.14 and a 1-year high of $127.57. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $121.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.51.

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

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be given 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 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.