Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc Purchases 1,400 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 66.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,500 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Yorktown Management & Research Co Inc’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $453,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ENSG. Sheets Smith Wealth Management grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.0% during the first quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 5,743 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 70.1% in the 1st quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 9,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,174,000 after buying an additional 3,740 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,074,000 after buying an additional 1,564 shares during the last quarter. LVZ Inc. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter worth approximately $374,000. Finally, Advisor Resource Council purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at $702,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Macquarie dropped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. One 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.9%

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $152.17 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.75 billion, a PE ratio of 28.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $141.43 and a 200 day moving average of $135.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.73 and a 1-year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.90%. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $530,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 39,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,881,350. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total transaction of $290,794.53. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares in the company, valued at $3,625,985.22. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,257 shares of company stock valued at $1,553,090. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.