Vontobel Holding Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 61.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,552 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,123 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 90.2% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,931 shares during the period. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 210.9% during the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,648 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,388,000 after buying an additional 6,545 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,038,000 after buying an additional 5,632 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $159,740,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,595,000 after buying an additional 78,570 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value 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 represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,258,536.96. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Macquarie lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Oppenheimer boosted 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. 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 report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG traded down $1.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $126.03. 129,857 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 437,986. The company has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a PE 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 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $134.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.99. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend 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 currently 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.