West Coast Financial LLC Boosts Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

West Coast Financial LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,146 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 748 shares during the quarter. West Coast Financial LLC owned approximately 0.06% of The Ensign Group worth $4,537,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 10,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 1,730 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 27,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,702,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings 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 valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,595,000 after purchasing an additional 78,570 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.8 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $135.70 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 32.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $140.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $142.88. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.71 and a 12 month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.18%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective 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. Stephens boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. One 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.83.

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.