Gotham Asset Management LLC Invests $476,000 in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Gotham Asset Management LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 3,585 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $476,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth $80,000. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth $104,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 3,539 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $530,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 39,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,881,350. The trade was a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,238 shares of company stock valued at $912,050 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Macquarie reduced their target price 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. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG opened at $147.70 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.90, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $130.84 and a 200 day moving average of $135.29. 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 fifty-two week low of $116.23 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45.

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

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.73%.

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.