The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Acquired by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 39.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,263 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $301,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 90.2% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,102,000 after buying an additional 6,931 shares in the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 210.9% in the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,388,000 after purchasing an additional 6,545 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 67.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,038,000 after purchasing an additional 5,632 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,740,000 after acquiring an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,595,000 after purchasing an additional 78,570 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of 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. 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 research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $142.42 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $138.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.74. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $8.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.48, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $158.45.

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 issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.18%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 6.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.