Rhumbline Advisers Buys 49,191 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 32.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 202,398 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 49,191 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.35% of The Ensign Group worth $26,891,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 190.1% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the 3rd 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. CWM LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth $80,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,254,710. Insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of ENSG traded down $1.32 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $126.15. The stock had a trading volume of 129,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 437,986. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.27 and a 1-year high of $158.45.

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 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. This is an increase from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial lowered their target price on 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Macquarie increased their price target 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, UBS Group assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $165.17.

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.