State of Alaska Department of Revenue Trims Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue reduced its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 6,490 shares of the company’s stock after selling 110 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitlin John LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 15,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,058,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $9,193,000. Prudent Investors Network Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $212,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 7,542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $217,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $129.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 25.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $136.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.59. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 40,486 shares of company stock worth $5,995,390. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. Macquarie upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 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 note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

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.