Northern Trust Corp Acquires 197,865 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 26.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 937,930 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 197,865 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.63% of The Ensign Group worth $124,613,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 460.7% in the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 13,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,830,000 after purchasing an additional 11,315 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 87.9% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 977 shares of the company's stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at $7,703,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 13,178 shares of the company's stock worth $1,751,000 after buying an additional 1,879 shares during the period. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 58.6% during the fourth quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 304,309 shares of the company's stock worth $40,430,000 after buying an additional 112,481 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 41,786 shares of company stock valued at $6,154,778 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie lowered their target price 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. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One equities research 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $131.78. 456,919 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 430,873. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $128.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.01. The company has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.79, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 $115.38 and a twelve month high of $158.45.

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

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.73%.

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.