By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG – Free Report) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 272,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,167,000.
Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $664,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $955,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity
In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages have weighed in on ENSG. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. 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 note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on ENSG
The Ensign Group Price Performance
Shares of ENSG opened at $125.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The business’s 50-day moving average is $133.34 and its 200-day moving average is $141.84.
The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. Equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.
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.
Further Reading
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