Central Pacific Bank Trust Division Increases Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,180 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 80 shares during the quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $157,000 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 added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 5.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,181,000 after buying an additional 66,314 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 2.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,577,000 after buying an additional 35,862 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the third quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,740,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares during the period. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth $151,827,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $132.50 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.71 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.08, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93. The business’s 50 day moving average is $143.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.26.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.05%.

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.