Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Sells 4,677 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky reduced its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,760 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,677 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned 0.11% of The Ensign Group worth $8,472,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 190.1% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 150.6% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 4th quarter worth $80,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on ENSG. Truist Financial lowered their price objective 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. 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. Finally, Macquarie lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. This trade represents a 7.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,251,714. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

ENSG stock opened at $119.93 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year high of $158.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $128.78 and a 200 day moving average of $137.41. The company has a market cap of $6.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.47, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.91.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.21%. 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.