Principal Securities Inc. Grows Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,699 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $624,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWM LLC grew its holdings in The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,538,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $664,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $955,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on ENSG. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial cut their price target 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 initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Macquarie upped their price target 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. 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.3 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $127.47 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $134.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results 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%. As a group, 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. 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 yield of 0.20%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.89%.

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.