Stevens Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 4,127 The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,127 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $548,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 150.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $80,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The Ensign Group stock traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $128.74. The company had a trading volume of 305,417 shares, compared to its average volume of 414,691. The company has a 50 day moving average of $132.31 and a 200-day moving average of $140.15. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

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, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Macquarie boosted 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 note on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value 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 represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115 in the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Company 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.