Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 102,782 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 32.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 417,482 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 102,782 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.73% of The Ensign Group worth $55,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.7% during the fourth 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 period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company's stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company's stock worth $664,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company's stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company's stock valued at $955,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,413,299.50. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business'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 directly owns 30,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,251,714. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG traded down $3.44 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $125.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 41,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 423,994. The business's 50 day moving average price is $130.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.54. 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 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 cap of $7.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.63, 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 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%. On average, analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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