King Luther Capital Management Corp Boosts Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 48,883 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,071 shares during the quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $6,495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,181,000 after buying an additional 66,314 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the third quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,740,000 after buying an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth about $151,827,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,430,000 after acquiring an additional 7,542 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on ENSG. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Macquarie lifted 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. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $128.35 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $133.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.09. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a PE ratio of 25.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

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.