Secured Retirement Advisors LLC Buys 234 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Secured Retirement Advisors LLC raised its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,276 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,365,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $151,827,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in The Ensign Group by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,449,000 after purchasing an additional 229,586 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $18,843,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer lifted their target price 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. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 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.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 40,486 shares of company stock worth $5,995,390 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock opened at $128.01 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a PE ratio of 25.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average of $136.15 and a 200-day moving average of $143.36. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This is an increase 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 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

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.