11,600 Shares in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Bought by New Mexico Educational Retirement Board

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 11,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,541,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the third 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. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company's stock valued at $196,181,000 after purchasing an additional 66,314 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company's stock worth $159,740,000 after purchasing an additional 10,221 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth $151,827,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company's stock worth $125,430,000 after purchasing an additional 7,542 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.3 %

ENSG traded up $0.35 on Thursday, hitting $127.47. 406,554 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 447,535. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $135.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.10. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.94.

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 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 analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.89%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction 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. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.