Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 20.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,016 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,992 shares during the period. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,619,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 12.2% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 4,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the period. Choreo LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $501,000. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 3.5% during the second quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 82,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,199,000 after buying an additional 2,772 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in The Ensign Group by 10.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 68,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,515,000 after acquiring an additional 6,550 shares during the period. Finally, BOKF NA boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 111.5% during the 2nd quarter. BOKF NA now owns 4,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $525,000 after acquiring an additional 2,237 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.83.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $133.18 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $142.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.71 and a 52-week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.81%.

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.