Stevens Capital Management LP Takes Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $548,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 90.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,931 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 67.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,038,000 after purchasing an additional 5,632 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,740,000 after purchasing an additional 10,221 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,595,000 after purchasing an additional 78,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $18,843,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,413,299.50. The trade was a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This trade represents a 2.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Macquarie lifted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $128.24 on Monday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $132.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.76. The company has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. Sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 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.