Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys 32,489 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 359.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,525 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,489 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.07% of The Ensign Group worth $5,521,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG traded up $4.21 during trading on Friday, hitting $132.32. 493,804 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 431,295. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.89, 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 200 day moving average price of $136.43.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. The company's revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. Equities research 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on ENSG shares. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie cut their price target 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. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.50.

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.