Crewe Advisors LLC Reduces Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Crewe Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 98.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,426 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,090,266 shares during the quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $2,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 6,931 shares in the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 210.9% in the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,388,000 after acquiring an additional 6,545 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 67.9% during the third 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 period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew 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 worth $54,595,000 after acquiring an additional 78,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 289,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,625,000 after purchasing an additional 7,123 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.17.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,862,292.28. This represents a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at $4,116,582.36. This trade represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 40,486 shares of company stock valued at $5,995,390. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG opened at $148.86 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a PE ratio of 36.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.85. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $113.27 and a 52-week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. Equities research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.0625 dividend. This is a boost from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 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.