DeDora Capital Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

DeDora Capital Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,188 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. DeDora Capital Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $955,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $151,827,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,061,000 after buying an additional 593,779 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 54.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,449,000 after purchasing an additional 229,586 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the third quarter worth $18,843,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 40,486 shares of company stock valued at $5,995,390. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $128.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.37.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

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.