The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Bought by Van Berkom & Associates Inc.

Key Points

• Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 14.1%, owning 800,108 shares worth approximately $103.5 million, making it the firm's 5th largest holding.
• The stock price of The Ensign Group has risen 8.9%, with shares trading at $150.06 recently, and it has a market cap of $8.63 billion.
• The Ensign Group declared a quarterly dividend of $0.0625 per share, which reflects a 0.17% yield, and its payout ratio stands at 4.73%.

Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 14.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 800,108 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 99,147 shares during the period. The Ensign Group comprises 3.3% of Van Berkom & Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. owned about 1.39% of The Ensign Group worth $103,534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,524 shares of the company's stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the company's stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 585 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the company's stock worth $754,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,384 shares of the company's stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

The Ensign Group stock traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $151.30. 90,220 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 429,922. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $118.73 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market cap of $8.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.03. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $147.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.72.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 16.92%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. The Ensign Group's payout ratio is 4.54%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,999 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.47, for a total value of $290,794.53. Following the sale, the director owned 24,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,625,985.22. The trade was a 7.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 4,719 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $731,445.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 38,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,995,245. The trade was a 10.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,336 shares of company stock worth $2,902,377 in the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ENSG shares. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Macquarie lowered 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 research report on Friday, May 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $167.67.

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.