Harfst & Associates Inc. Raises Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Harfst & Associates Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,821 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,748 shares during the quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth $151,827,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after acquiring an additional 593,779 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,449,000 after acquiring an additional 229,586 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth $21,744,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth $18,843,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Macquarie upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities 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 company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total transaction of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % 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 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $132.87 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $134.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.78. 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 market cap of $7.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.00, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.