Ieq Capital LLC Sells 321 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Ieq Capital LLC lessened its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,671 shares of the company’s stock after selling 321 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $488,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,538,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $664,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $955,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 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, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,254,710. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $132.87 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 26.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.78.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

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

The Ensign Group Company 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.