Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC Raises Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 61.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,752 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,719 shares during the quarter. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.12% of The Ensign Group worth $9,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.0 %

ENSG stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $128.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 138,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 424,630. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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 given 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 is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.17.

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.