Prudent Investors Network Inc. Invests $212,000 in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Prudent Investors Network Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after buying an additional 593,779 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 5.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,181,000 after buying an additional 66,314 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the third quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,740,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at $151,827,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,430,000 after buying an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 2.2 %

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $139.66 on Monday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $138.30 and a 200-day moving average of $143.70. The company has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a PE ratio of 33.82, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $110.71 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.18%. 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 presently 6.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. 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 assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.