NewEdge Advisors LLC Purchases 524 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,818 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 524 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,032,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 260.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 107,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,430,000 after buying an additional 77,514 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth $1,507,000. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at $21,744,000. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $200,000. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 90.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,931 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,413,299.50. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This trade represents a 2.28 % decrease in their position. 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 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $127.98 on Monday. 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 stock has a market cap of $7.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $128.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.58. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Macquarie boosted their price target 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 set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered 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 given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

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.