Bridgewater Associates LP Has $797,000 Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Bridgewater Associates LP trimmed its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 30.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,996 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,671 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 3,694 shares of the company's stock worth $491,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the period. Mariner LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 9,149 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,216,000 after buying an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 149,182 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,820,000 after purchasing an additional 41,894 shares during the last quarter. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC now owns 67,752 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,002,000 after buying an additional 25,719 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,463 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.6 %

ENSG stock traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $125.58. 69,534 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 446,686. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.22 billion, a PE ratio of 24.58, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $128.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.08. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. Equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on ENSG. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie boosted 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. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. 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 owned by corporate 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.