Bessemer Group Inc. Raises Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 25.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 182,144 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,342 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.32% of The Ensign Group worth $22,662,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,661,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $828,834,000 after purchasing an additional 39,695 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,620,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,031,000 after acquiring an additional 221,838 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,211,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,905,000 after acquiring an additional 36,587 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 732,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,156,000 after acquiring an additional 7,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $65,050,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total transaction of $1,015,365.76. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,756,620.16. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other The Ensign Group news, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total transaction of $1,015,365.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at $5,756,620.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total value of $40,764.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at $2,329,632.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,968 shares of company stock valued at $1,714,703. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.8 %

ENSG traded up $2.52 during trading on Thursday, hitting $139.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 42,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 291,945. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $89.79 and a twelve month high of $142.01. The stock has a market cap of $7.92 billion, a PE ratio of 35.95, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $123.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.60% and a net margin of 5.67%. The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. On average, analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.95 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Sunday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ENSG. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Truist Financial raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Macquarie began coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.83.

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.