The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stake Reduced by First Hawaiian Bank

First Hawaiian Bank trimmed its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,469 shares of the company’s stock after selling 106 shares during the quarter. First Hawaiian Bank’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $151,827,000. FMR LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 54.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,449,000 after buying an additional 229,586 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at about $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth about $18,843,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $133.18 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $110.71 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $142.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.48. The firm has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

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

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.