Stevens Capital Management LP Takes Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $548,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 48.0% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 28,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,782,000 after buying an additional 9,230 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 339.6% during the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 10,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 7,961 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,542,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 303,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,282,000 after purchasing an additional 6,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 48.4% during the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 32,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,366,000 after purchasing an additional 10,717 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of ENSG opened at $128.24 on Monday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $132.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.76. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $113.27 and a twelve month high of $158.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its 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 return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. On average, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ENSG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Macquarie increased their price target 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. Truist Financial cut their price target 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, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $259,320.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 26,325 shares in the company, valued at $3,413,299.50. This represents a 7.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares in the company, valued at $4,116,582.36. This represents a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 43,186 shares of company stock worth $6,345,115 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by 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.