Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Acquires 856 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,864 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,702,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Alliance lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Stephens lifted their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on 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. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.83.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG stock opened at $130.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.50 billion, a PE ratio of 31.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.93. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $141.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.41. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $110.71 and a 1-year high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. This is a positive change from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.05%.

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.