Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $5.05 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund trimmed its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 45,043 shares of the company’s stock after selling 522 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $5,054,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 43.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $113,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in The Ensign Group by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.60.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $118.64 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 32.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.14 and a 1 year high of $127.57. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $122.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.29.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.84% and a net margin of 5.61%. 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 will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.56%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

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

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.