Bank of New York Mellon Corp Increases Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 557,717 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 42,184 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.97% of The Ensign Group worth $74,098,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $151,827,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $287,061,000 after acquiring an additional 593,779 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at about $18,843,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities 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 research report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective 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. Macquarie raised their target price 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, UBS Group started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $1.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $130.06. The company had a trading volume of 109,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 442,665. The stock has a market cap of $7.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.32. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend 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.