Vestcor Inc Boosts Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Vestcor Inc boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 100.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,893 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,455 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 90.2% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,931 shares in the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 210.9% during the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,388,000 after buying an additional 6,545 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 67.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,038,000 after buying an additional 5,632 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,740,000 after acquiring an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,595,000 after acquiring an additional 78,570 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $125.40 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.73. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Macquarie upped 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 reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. 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 target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.