State of Tennessee Department of Treasury Decreases Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

State of Tennessee Department of Treasury reduced its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 10.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,871 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,146 shares during the period. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 150.6% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth $80,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ENSG. Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $127.07 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $128.44 and a 200 day moving average of $136.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.87, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

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%. As a group, sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

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.