Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC Cuts Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,016 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,992 shares during the quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,619,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at about $151,827,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the third 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 stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company's stock worth $93,449,000 after acquiring an additional 229,586 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth approximately $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth approximately $18,843,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on ENSG. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial cut 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. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Stephens lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. One 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.7 %

ENSG stock traded down $2.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $130.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 360,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 433,289. The company has a market cap of $7.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.92. The business's 50 day moving average price is $141.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.71 and a 12 month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

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

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.