Sheets Smith Wealth Management Raises Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Sheets Smith Wealth Management raised its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,524 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Sheets Smith Wealth Management’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $734,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $706,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,826,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This trade represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial reduced 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. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $139.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $110.71 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The stock has a market cap of $7.98 billion, a PE ratio of 33.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.18%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.05%.

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.