Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Buys 229 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,677 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 229 shares during the quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $488,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 150.6% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $80,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on ENSG. 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 report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. 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 report on Monday, January 6th. 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 3.4 %

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $129.33 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $131.63 and a 200-day moving average of $139.33.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This trade represents a 2.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714. Company 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.