Renaissance Group LLC Buys 2,804 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Renaissance Group LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 10.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,457 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,804 shares during the period. Renaissance Group LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,781,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $664,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $955,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ENSG shares. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Macquarie boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $123.75 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $130.64 and a 200-day moving average of $138.76. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714. 3.90% of the stock is owned by 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.