Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 9,321 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 22.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 32,654 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,321 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned about 0.06% of The Ensign Group worth $3,664,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 13,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,567,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $266,000. Intrust Bank NA lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 4,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $487,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 79,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,870,000 after purchasing an additional 2,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $99,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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 price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.60.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the sale, 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 at the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total transaction of $1,269,648.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 147,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,328,344. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 89,245 shares of company stock valued at $10,579,862. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $116.89 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $121.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.14 and a 52-week high of $127.57.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.67% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The company had revenue of $980.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.13 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st were issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

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.