Axiom Investors LLC DE Has $20.84 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Axiom Investors LLC DE boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,844 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,650 shares during the quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE owned about 0.27% of The Ensign Group worth $20,838,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ENSG. FMR LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd 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 period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised 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 valued at $196,181,000 after acquiring an additional 66,314 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company's stock worth $125,430,000 after purchasing an additional 7,542 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $90,747,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company's stock worth $93,449,000 after purchasing an additional 229,586 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented 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. 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. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $0.87 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $133.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 184,823 shares, compared to its average volume of 416,637. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $131.82 and a 200-day moving average of $139.59. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group 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.