Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Decreases Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,757 shares of the company’s stock after selling 104 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,828,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ENSG. Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $228,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,547 shares of the company’s stock worth $798,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 51.7% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 26,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,753,000 after acquiring an additional 8,891 shares during the last quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth $603,000. Finally, Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial reduced their target price on 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 raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $130.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.32. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.27 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results 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%. 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 declared 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 represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. The trade was a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.