New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 12,411 The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 12,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,649,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 90.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,931 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 67.9% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,038,000 after buying an additional 5,632 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,595,000 after buying an additional 78,570 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 70,896 shares of the company's stock worth $10,201,000 after acquiring an additional 3,657 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 39,419 shares of the company's stock worth $5,669,000 after acquiring an additional 7,400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Macquarie lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,258,536.96. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG traded down $4.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $129.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 809,768 shares, compared to its average volume of 419,652. 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 $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The business's 50 day moving average price is $131.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.42. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

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.