First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Takes $266,000 Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 2,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $266,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ENSG. Intrust Bank NA boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.7% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $99,000. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its position in The Ensign Group by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 278,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,296,000 after buying an additional 4,021 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 38.4% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 11,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,000 after buying an additional 3,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of ENSG opened at $117.95 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market cap of $6.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.95. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.14 and a 1-year high of $127.57. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $121.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.80.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st were paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens reiterated 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,263 shares of company stock worth $3,735,086. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.