Venturi Wealth Management LLC Raises Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 150.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 208 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $28,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its stake 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 valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $955,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 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. Insiders sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ENSG. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Macquarie boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 2.2 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $132.87 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $134.23 and a 200 day moving average of $142.78. 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 stock has a market cap of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 26.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly 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, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

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