Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Reduces Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P reduced its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 22.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 283,101 shares of the company’s stock after selling 81,532 shares during the quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned 0.49% of The Ensign Group worth $37,613,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 90.2% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,102,000 after buying an additional 6,931 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 67.9% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,038,000 after purchasing an additional 5,632 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,595,000 after purchasing an additional 78,570 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 25.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 59,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,612,000 after purchasing an additional 12,114 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.4% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 70,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,201,000 after purchasing an additional 3,657 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $128.44 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.14, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company’s 50 day moving average is $132.47 and its 200 day moving average is $140.31.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be 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 is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of several research reports. Macquarie boosted their price objective 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. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. One equities 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, the company currently has a consensus 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.