Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,170,950 shares of the company’s stock after selling 316,258 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.11% of The Ensign Group worth $819,872,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 25.4% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 59,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,612,000 after acquiring an additional 12,114 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 164.9% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $639,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in The Ensign Group by 105.1% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 66,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,592,000 after purchasing an additional 34,172 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 23.1% during the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 39,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,669,000 after buying an additional 7,400 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $128.74 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.07. 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 one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

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

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

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.