Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 2,774 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 20.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,201 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,774 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,152,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Macquarie boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial lowered 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 research report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.1 %

ENSG opened at $125.40 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.54, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $133.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.48.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

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.