The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Bought by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 54.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 252,294 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 88,643 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned about 0.44% of The Ensign Group worth $33,520,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased 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 worth $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company's stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company's stock worth $955,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report 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 for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Macquarie increased their target price 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 given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.17.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value 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. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 3.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $4.70 during trading on Monday, hitting $124.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 794,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 421,855. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $131.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a market capitalization of $7.16 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its 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 net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.89%.

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.