Westover Capital Advisors LLC Sells 261 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Westover Capital Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,820 shares of the company’s stock after selling 261 shares during the quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after buying an additional 593,779 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $196,181,000 after buying an additional 66,314 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,740,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth $151,827,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,430,000 after buying an additional 7,542 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ENSG. UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial dropped their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Macquarie increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. 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 Price Performance

The Ensign Group stock opened at $129.87 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $7.46 billion, a PE ratio of 25.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $134.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.65.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued 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 net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. Analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.