Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 144,143 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 48.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 150,649 shares of the company's stock after selling 144,143 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.26% of The Ensign Group worth $21,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the first quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at about $49,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $162.20.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of ENSG stock traded down $2.69 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $146.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 117,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 378,841. 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 one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $158.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.95. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $149.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $136.64.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were paid a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold 11,118 shares of company stock worth $1,660,200 over the last three months. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

About The Ensign Group

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.