Sciencast Management LP Takes Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Sciencast Management LP bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 16,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,203,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter valued at $433,000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 12,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,670,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 69,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,169,000 after purchasing an additional 7,124 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $523,000 after purchasing an additional 1,055 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 7,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,057,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total value of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,413,299.50. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on ENSG shares. Stephens reaffirmed 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 lowered their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Macquarie upped their target price on shares of 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 given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $128.24 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $132.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.87. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.89%.

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.