The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Shares Acquired by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 0.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 69,754 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 354 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $10,760,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ENSG. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 23.2% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after buying an additional 1,564 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 10.7% in the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 36,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,727,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 1.0% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 153,881 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,912,000 after purchasing an additional 1,526 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $326,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial set a $190.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $180.25.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG opened at $180.10 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $118.73 and a 52-week high of $188.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $174.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.67. The company has a market cap of $10.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 4.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.06, for a total value of $120,442.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 27,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,654,567.12. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group 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.