State of Tennessee Department of Treasury Has $2.37 Million Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

State of Tennessee Department of Treasury cut its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,871 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,146 shares during the period. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury's holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $90,747,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $36,167,000. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,497,137 shares of the company's stock valued at $464,630,000 after purchasing an additional 159,691 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth $21,744,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 32.7% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 417,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,467,000 after buying an additional 102,782 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on ENSG. Truist Financial dropped 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Macquarie decreased 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,251,714 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of ENSG stock traded up $4.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $132.32. 493,804 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 431,204. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $114.88 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $128.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.32.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued 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 is 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.