Retirement Systems of Alabama Invests $9.19 Million in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Retirement Systems of Alabama purchased a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 69,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,193,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned approximately 0.12% of The Ensign Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,538,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,598 shares of the company's stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Macquarie upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 40,486 shares of company stock valued at $5,995,390 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The Ensign Group stock traded down $2.96 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $126.12. The stock had a trading volume of 350,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 463,792. 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 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The firm's fifty day moving average is $136.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.59. The company has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 24.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. On average, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.89%.

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.