The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Sold by Everence Capital Management Inc.

Everence Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 80.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,550 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,460 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at $151,827,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company's stock valued at $93,449,000 after acquiring an additional 229,586 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $18,843,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ENSG. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of 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 upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock traded up $2.34 during trading on Thursday, reaching $133.18. The company had a trading volume of 334,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,719. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $110.71 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The firm's fifty day moving average is $142.11 and its 200-day moving average is $142.48. The company has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The business's revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.