Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Acquires 33,411 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 82.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 73,739 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,411 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $8,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Natixis bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 117.7% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on ENSG. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.20.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $117.82 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.19, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $87.14 and a one year high of $127.57. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $122.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $112.42.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The firm had revenue of $980.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $975.13 million. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 17.84%. As a group, analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 31st will be paid a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total value of $6,844,775.10. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,380,739.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 57,982 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.05, for a total transaction of $6,844,775.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 155,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,380,739.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 4,463 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.96, for a total transaction of $530,918.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 32,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,836,460. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 89,245 shares of company stock worth $10,579,862 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Company 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.