Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Lowers Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lessened its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 76.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,435 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,093 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $90,747,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,167,000. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,630,000 after acquiring an additional 159,691 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $21,744,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 417,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,467,000 after acquiring an additional 102,782 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie increased 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. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $127.07 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $128.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.68. The stock has a market cap of $7.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,251,714 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.