Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 316,258 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,170,950 shares of the company’s stock after selling 316,258 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.74% of The Ensign Group worth $819,872,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 59,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,612,000 after acquiring an additional 12,114 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 164.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $639,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 105.1% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 66,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,592,000 after purchasing an additional 34,172 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 593,779 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 39,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,669,000 after purchasing an additional 7,400 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ENSG shares. 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 dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report 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 Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.2 %

ENSG stock opened at $128.74 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $132.31 and its 200 day moving average is $140.07. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The stock has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115 over the last ninety days. Corporate 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.