Victory Capital Management Inc. Lowers Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 239,463 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,862 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.42% of The Ensign Group worth $31,815,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.8% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,547 shares of the company’s stock worth $798,000 after buying an additional 355 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.3% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $706,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 17.5% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 31,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,551,000 after buying an additional 4,707 shares during the period. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth about $1,213,000. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.2% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 271,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,073,000 after buying an additional 3,186 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Macquarie increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group began 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 analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $130.33 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $133.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.21. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $158.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.50, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a 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 is presently 4.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the 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 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 the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115 over the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is 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.