11,600 Shares in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Bought by KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 11,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,542,000.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total value of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, 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 dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. This trade represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Macquarie boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $128.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $132.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $140.15. The firm has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. Equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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 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 presently 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.