Moody National Bank Trust Division Makes New Investment in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Moody National Bank Trust Division bought a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG – Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $749,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Wasatch Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors Inc. now owns 6,409,214 shares of the company’s stock valued at $576,893,000 after acquiring an additional 288,585 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 9,635,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $765,984,000 after acquiring an additional 277,052 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,307,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,423,000 after acquiring an additional 134,749 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $10,032,000. Finally, Riverbridge Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,677,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $133,393,000 after acquiring an additional 109,908 shares during the last quarter. 88.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $90.28 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $91.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $70.29 and a twelve month high of $99.52. The company has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.02.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.08. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 19.30% and a net margin of 7.43%. The company had revenue of $809.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $802.31 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st will be given a $0.058 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. StockNews.com downgraded The Ensign Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Lee A. Daniels sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.20, for a total value of $190,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 47,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,522,380.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Suzanne D. Snapper sold 16,991 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.00, for a total transaction of $1,631,136.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 210,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,232,384. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Lee A. Daniels sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.20, for a total value of $190,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 47,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,522,380.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 19,253 shares of company stock worth $1,846,841. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Profile

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The Ensign Group, Inc engages in providing skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative care services. It operates through the Skilled Services and Standard Bearer segments. The Skilled Services segments includes the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services. The Standard Bearer segment refers to the leasing to skilled nursing and senior living operations.