Graham Capital Management L.P. Takes $2.99 Million Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 22,483 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,987,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $464,630,000 after buying an additional 159,691 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,701,000 after acquiring an additional 86,676 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,430,000 after purchasing an additional 7,542 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.7% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,613,000 after purchasing an additional 197,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $90,747,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $136.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.23 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The company’s fifty day moving average is $128.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.74.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.73%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 26,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,413,299.50. The trade was a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Macquarie dropped their price target on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.50.

About The Ensign Group

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.