The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Acquired by Sheets Smith Wealth Management

Sheets Smith Wealth Management increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,524 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $734,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.3% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,826,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $139.33 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $139.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.32. The stock has a market cap of $7.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.74, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.93. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $110.71 and a 12-month high of $158.45. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The business’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 6.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial reduced their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Stephens increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $161.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This trade represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.