Handelsbanken Fonder AB Grows Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 32.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,967 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,200 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,254,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 7,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,062,000 after purchasing an additional 1,585 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $244,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 150.6% during 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 period. Finally, Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 32.7% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 2,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $319,000 after acquiring an additional 592 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the sale, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial cut their price objective 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. UBS Group started coverage on 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, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 2.2 %

ENSG stock opened at $129.09 on Tuesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.27 and a 1-year 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.26, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.88.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. 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 ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 4.89%.

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.