Teacher Retirement System of Texas Buys 7,124 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 11.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,014 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,124 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned about 0.12% of The Ensign Group worth $9,169,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,944 shares of the company's stock valued at $523,000 after buying an additional 1,055 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 7,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,057,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 23,591 shares of the company's stock worth $3,134,000 after purchasing an additional 4,755 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $690,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on ENSG. Macquarie boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 30,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was 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 directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. 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 ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $1.22 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $128.79. The company had a trading volume of 433,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 393,404. The stock has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.47. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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