Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Buys 100 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,600 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,541,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 4,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $664,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, DeDora Capital Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 7,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $955,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $259,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,254,710. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of 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, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $129.15 on Friday. 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 moving average price is $134.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.94. 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 (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.19%. This is a positive change 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 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.