Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Sells 2,094 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd cut its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 18.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,107 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,094 shares during the quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 67,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,925,000 after purchasing an additional 4,082 shares in the last quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,677 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $471,000. Trexquant Investment LP raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 181.6% in the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 63,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,374,000 after buying an additional 40,648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 32.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 417,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,467,000 after buying an additional 102,782 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,881,215.80. This represents a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,251,714 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $129.33 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $131.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.33. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $113.27 and a 1-year high of $158.45. 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 company has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.31, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial lowered their target price 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. Finally, Macquarie upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

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.