Equitable Trust Co. Has $664,000 Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Equitable Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,998 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $664,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caitlin John LLC raised its position in The Ensign Group by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 15,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,058,000 after buying an additional 576 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $9,193,000. Prudent Investors Network Inc. purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $217,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG opened at $129.23 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $137.45 and a 200-day moving average of $143.81. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $158.45. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share 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 research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on ENSG shares. UBS Group started coverage on 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. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Macquarie boosted their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now 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. Insiders sold a total of 40,486 shares of company stock worth $5,995,390 in the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.