SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Buys 443 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 333.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 576 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $65,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 25.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 725,056 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,379,000 after buying an additional 147,698 shares in the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $13,578,000. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 1,000,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,020,000 after acquiring an additional 121,432 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 51.1% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 274,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,545,000 after purchasing an additional 93,003 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 30.4% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 332,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,863,000 after purchasing an additional 77,511 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $116.89 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.14 and a 52 week high of $127.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.39. The firm has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.67% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.13 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st were issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 10,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.56, for a total transaction of $1,269,648.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 147,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,328,344. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.