The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Purchased by Arizona State Retirement System

Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,566 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $664,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $955,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ENSG. Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

Insider Activity

In other 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 directly owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $130.30 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The firm has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.21.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend 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.