Xponance Inc. Acquires 265 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,954 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 190.1% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 150.6% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in The Ensign Group by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at $80,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the subject of several research reports. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial decreased 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 note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Macquarie increased their price objective on 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $128.24 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $132.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.76. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $158.45. 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 firm has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 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.