Cerity Partners LLC Reduces Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Cerity Partners LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 23.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,420 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,022 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $491,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,082,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $276,701,000 after buying an additional 86,676 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,430,000 after purchasing an additional 7,542 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $90,747,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 557,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,098,000 after buying an additional 42,184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 417,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,467,000 after buying an additional 102,782 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

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 Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,251,714. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 6.3 %

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $119.93 on Tuesday. 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 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The stock has a market cap of $6.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.41.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

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.