The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Sold by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Moody National Bank Trust Division lowered its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 8,645 shares of the company’s stock after selling 537 shares during the quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth approximately $151,827,000. 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 valued at $287,061,000 after buying an additional 593,779 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,449,000 after buying an additional 229,586 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at $18,843,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.1 %

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $132.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.04, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $141.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.79. 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 52 week low of $110.71 and a 52 week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 6.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.