The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 51.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 336 shares of the company’s stock after selling 363 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $45,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. FMR LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $196,181,000 after purchasing an additional 66,314 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $151,827,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,430,000 after buying an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $132.87 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 26.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.78. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. On average, equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ENSG. UBS Group started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.