Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Reduces Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lowered its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 22.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 283,101 shares of the company’s stock after selling 81,532 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $37,613,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 415,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,257,000 after acquiring an additional 36,294 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 201.4% in the fourth quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 7,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,031,000 after purchasing an additional 5,187 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 299,832 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,836,000 after purchasing an additional 10,410 shares during the last quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 77,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,271,000 after purchasing an additional 5,790 shares during the period. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $548,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG opened at $128.44 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $132.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.31. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.27 and a 1 year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted 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 research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. The trade was a 2.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115 over the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial decreased 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 restated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Macquarie increased their price target 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

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.