Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $157.42 Million Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,184,849 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,783 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.06% of The Ensign Group worth $157,420,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company's stock worth $1,538,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company's stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,524 shares of the company's stock worth $202,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company's stock worth $664,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of several research reports. Macquarie lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.17.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This trade represents a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ ENSG traded up $0.87 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $128.99. The company had a trading volume of 482,360 shares, compared to its average volume of 431,035. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $128.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.57. The company has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.89%.

About The Ensign Group

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.