Man Group plc Grows Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Man Group plc boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,544 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Man Group plc’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,630,000 after buying an additional 159,691 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,701,000 after acquiring an additional 86,676 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,430,000 after acquiring an additional 7,542 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in The Ensign Group by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 937,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,613,000 after acquiring an additional 197,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at $90,747,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,215.80. The trade was 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 at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total value of $290,794.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 24,926 shares in the company, valued at $3,625,985.22. This trade represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,238 shares of company stock worth $912,050. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $144.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.23 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $132.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.33.

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

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie cut their price objective on The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.50.

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.