Riverbridge Partners LLC Has $149.94 Million Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Riverbridge Partners LLC lessened its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,128,576 shares of the company’s stock after selling 75,391 shares during the period. The Ensign Group makes up 2.0% of Riverbridge Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Riverbridge Partners LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $149,943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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. Stephens increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.8 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $136.81 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.27. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $110.71 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The Ensign Group’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.18%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.05%.

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.