Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Has $14.07 Million Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 13.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 105,881 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,454 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned 0.18% of The Ensign Group worth $14,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Davidson Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,051,000 after purchasing an additional 1,138 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 15,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,099,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Services raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 7,665 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,018,000 after buying an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company's stock valued at $664,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitlin John LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 15,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,058,000 after buying an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on ENSG. UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. 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 note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Macquarie lifted 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG traded down $1.13 on Friday, hitting $126.34. 342,975 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 444,458. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.26 billion, a PE ratio of 24.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $134.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. On average, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. This is an increase from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.