Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Buys 2,091 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 79,046 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,091 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $8,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,639,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $574,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 8,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $750,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,616,000. Finally, HGK Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. HGK Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $494,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.0 %

The Ensign Group stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $117.25. The stock had a trading volume of 159,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 265,089. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.14 and a 52-week high of $127.57. The company has a fifty day moving average of $121.92 and a 200 day moving average of $113.35. The firm has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Sunday, March 31st will be paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.56%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total value of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 32,250 shares in the company, valued at $3,836,460. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.65, for a total transaction of $1,216,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 37,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,994.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862 in the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group 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.