The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 48.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 150,649 shares of the company’s stock after selling 144,143 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.26% of The Ensign Group worth $21,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after acquiring an additional 593,779 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in 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 last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,322,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,577,000 after purchasing an additional 35,862 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $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 during the 3rd quarter worth $151,827,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $134.72 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $110.71 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.72 billion, a PE ratio of 32.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $146.09 and a 200-day moving average of $141.66.

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

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.05%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

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. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.