Rhumbline Advisers Has $26.89 Million Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 32.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 202,398 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,191 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.35% of The Ensign Group worth $26,891,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,363,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,181,000 after purchasing an additional 66,314 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $151,827,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,430,000 after purchasing an additional 7,542 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Macquarie lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. The trade was a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $127.12 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $7.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $135.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 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%. Equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s 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.