Prudent Man Advisors LLC Sells 177 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Prudent Man Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,705 shares of the company’s stock after selling 177 shares during the quarter. Prudent Man Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $227,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after acquiring an additional 593,779 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $196,181,000 after acquiring an additional 66,314 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,740,000 after acquiring an additional 10,221 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth $151,827,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,430,000 after acquiring an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $129.15 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $134.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. Research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ENSG. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,413,299.50. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710 in the last 90 days. 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.