Baillie Gifford & Co. Has $130.82 Million Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Baillie Gifford & Co. decreased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 984,609 shares of the company's stock after selling 71,068 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned approximately 1.72% of The Ensign Group worth $130,815,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 190.1% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $80,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock traded down $1.13 on Friday, hitting $126.34. 342,975 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 444,458. The stock has a market cap of $7.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.27 and a 1-year 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $134.65 and a 200-day moving average of $142.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 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%. On average, analysts forecast 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders 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 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.