Copeland Capital Management LLC Sells 22,810 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Copeland Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 921,267 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,810 shares during the period. The Ensign Group comprises approximately 2.4% of Copeland Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned approximately 1.60% of The Ensign Group worth $119,212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Truist Financial Corp lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 2,401 shares of the company's stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 592 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 557,717 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,098,000 after acquiring an additional 42,184 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 11,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $777,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,972,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 38,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,995,245. This represents a 10.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total value of $290,794.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,625,985.22. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,257 shares of company stock worth $1,553,090. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG traded down $0.44 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $153.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 566,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 450,368. The business's fifty day moving average is $143.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.16. The stock has a market cap of $8.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.99, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.03. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $118.73 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 6.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The Ensign Group's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 4.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Macquarie cut their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $159.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.50.

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.