Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 74.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,750 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,146 shares during the quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $233,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth about $471,000. Creative Planning raised its position in The Ensign Group by 74.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 63,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,179,000 after acquiring an additional 27,140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 175.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 3,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, 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 at this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 40,486 shares of company stock valued at $5,995,390 in the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $129.08 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $137.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.72. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $158.45.

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

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ENSG. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial decreased 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

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.