Parkside Financial Bank & Trust Sells 214 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Parkside Financial Bank & Trust reduced its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,897 shares of the company’s stock after selling 214 shares during the quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $252,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $80,000. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $104,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares in the company, 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 have sold 42,486 shares of company stock valued at $6,254,710 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ENSG shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial cut 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. Macquarie boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 2.6 %

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $129.15 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $134.08 and its 200 day moving average is $142.63. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The stock has a market cap of $7.42 billion, a PE ratio of 25.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued 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 return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. Research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 4.89%.

The Ensign Group 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.