Riverbridge Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Riverbridge Partners LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,128,576 shares of the company’s stock after selling 75,391 shares during the period. The Ensign Group accounts for 2.0% of Riverbridge Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Riverbridge Partners LLC owned approximately 1.97% of The Ensign Group worth $149,943,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. CWM LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Equitable Trust Co. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $706,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group 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 directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ENSG. Stephens increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $136.81 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $139.02 and a 200-day moving average of $143.27. The company has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS 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 business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. 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.