The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock Holdings Decreased by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC lowered its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 40.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,263 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,661 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,180,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $664,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. DeDora Capital Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $955,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,413,299.50. The trade was a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,254,710 in the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 5.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $135.90 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $134.30 and a 200-day moving average of $142.84. The firm has a market cap of $7.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $158.45. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.0625 dividend. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on ENSG. UBS Group began 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 for the company. Macquarie boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

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.