WCM Investment Management LLC Sells 9,559 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

WCM Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 261,574 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,559 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $34,732,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 190.1% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. 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 report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial cut their price target on 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. Finally, Macquarie upped 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.17.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 3.6 %

Shares of ENSG opened at $131.00 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $137.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.76. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.53 billion, a PE ratio of 25.64, a PEG ratio of 1.62 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 EPS 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.89%.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % 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 business’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 completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 40,486 shares of company stock worth $5,995,390 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.