The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Stake Lowered by Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky cut its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 6.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,760 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,677 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned approximately 0.11% of The Ensign Group worth $8,472,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in The Ensign Group by 90.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,102,000 after acquiring an additional 6,931 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company's stock worth $54,595,000 after purchasing an additional 78,570 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at $1,099,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 130,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,278,000 after purchasing an additional 11,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 339.6% in the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 10,305 shares of the company's stock worth $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 7,961 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Macquarie boosted their target price 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, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 target price 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 issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,251,714 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG traded up $0.73 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $124.87. 369,974 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 428,747. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $128.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $137.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its 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%. 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.89%.

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.