Copeland Capital Management LLC Lowers Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Copeland Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 936,535 shares of the company’s stock after selling 98,352 shares during the period. The Ensign Group accounts for 2.3% of Copeland Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Copeland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $134,692,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ENSG. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter worth $792,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 294.7% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 9,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,203,000 after buying an additional 7,262 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.4% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 52,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,486,000 after buying an additional 6,583 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth about $3,500,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,599,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ENSG. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $133.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Macquarie began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 target price for the company. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.00, for a total transaction of $507,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,788,820. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,118 shares of company stock valued at $2,053,620. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $147.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $147.89 and a 200 day moving average of $132.83. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.69 and a 52-week high of $154.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 6.32%.

About The Ensign Group

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.