Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Purchases 11,830 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 130,047 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 11,830 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned 0.23% of The Ensign Group worth $17,278,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $54,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth about $49,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The Ensign Group stock traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $137.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 186,723 shares, compared to its average volume of 369,171. The firm has a market cap of $7.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.33, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.93. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $110.71 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $139.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.27. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This is a boost from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is currently 6.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ENSG. UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. 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. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.83.

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.