Sawgrass Asset Management LLC Sells 258 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Sawgrass Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,783 shares of the company’s stock after selling 258 shares during the quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $237,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 190.1% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 62.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 2.7 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $129.57 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 25.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $113.27 and a one year high of $158.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $136.76 and a 200 day moving average of $143.59.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted 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 6.99% and a return on equity of 17.07%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ENSG. Macquarie upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial lowered their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at $4,258,536.96. This represents a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 40,486 shares of company stock worth $5,995,390 over the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.