California Public Employees Retirement System Buys 82 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

California Public Employees Retirement System increased its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 0.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 256,985 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $34,143,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $196,181,000 after buying an additional 66,314 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,430,000 after acquiring an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth about $90,747,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.6% during 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. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 557,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,098,000 after purchasing an additional 42,184 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

The Ensign Group Stock Up 1.4 %

ENSG opened at $132.25 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $131.89 and its 200 day moving average is $139.63.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be 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 is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $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 currently owned by corporate 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.