Peterson Wealth Services Cuts Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG

Peterson Wealth Services lowered its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 81.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,372 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,853 shares during the quarter. Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $237,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 27.6% in the third quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth $549,000. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 16,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,932,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 192.3% during the third quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 3,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $657,000 after buying an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Director Daren Shaw sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.57, for a total transaction of $178,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 24,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,308,179.82. This trade represents a 3.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 8,400 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.48, for a total transaction of $1,474,032.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 32,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,752,058.92. This trade represents a 20.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 49,934 shares of company stock valued at $8,953,443 over the last quarter. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $173.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $177.19 and a 200 day moving average of $173.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.06, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.88. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $118.73 and a fifty-two week high of $193.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 16.77% and a net margin of 6.80%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $0.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ENSG has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $205.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Stephens boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target (up from $177.00) on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.40.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc is a diversified provider of post-acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a network of skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, home health and hospice care centers. The company’s model emphasizes integrated care by employing multidisciplinary teams—including nursing staff, therapists and physicians—to deliver personalized rehabilitation and long-term care services for seniors and other patients recovering from injury, illness or surgery.

Through its owned and managed centers, The Ensign Group offers a broad spectrum of rehabilitation services such as physical, occupational and speech therapy.