Federated Hermes Inc. Lowers Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Federated Hermes Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,826 shares of the company’s stock after selling 404 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,837,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 336,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,939 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 67,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,925,000 after buying an additional 4,082 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Bryce Point Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $471,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 181.6% during the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 63,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,374,000 after acquiring an additional 40,648 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,413,299.50. The trade was a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,251,714 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on ENSG. Macquarie raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial cut 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $127.96 on Monday. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $129.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its 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%. Analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

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.