Duality Advisers LP Trims Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Duality Advisers LP cut its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,781 shares of the company’s stock after selling 119 shares during the quarter. Duality Advisers LP’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $985,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 295,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,481,000 after acquiring an additional 30,184 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 24.9% during the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 201,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,692,000 after purchasing an additional 40,050 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.0% in the third quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 12,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,150,000 after buying an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 31,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,885,000 after acquiring an additional 4,593 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,520,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the topic of several research reports. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective 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, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $118.62 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.14 and a 12-month high of $127.57. The business’s 50 day moving average is $121.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.94.

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

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $6,844,775.10. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,380,739.15. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the business’s 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $6,844,775.10. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 155,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,380,739.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862. 3.90% of the stock is owned by 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.