Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD Reduces Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD reduced its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 696,061 shares of the company's stock after selling 105,556 shares during the quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD owned about 1.21% of The Ensign Group worth $92,480,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 150.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $80,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Macquarie reduced 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 note on Friday. Truist Financial reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 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 has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $163.50.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of ENSG traded up $4.21 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $132.32. The company had a trading volume of 493,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 430,768. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $115.38 and a one year high of $158.45. The company's fifty day moving average price is $128.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.22.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 4.73%.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

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.