The Ensign Group, Inc. $ENSG Position Lessened by Van Berkom & Associates Inc.

Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 0.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 747,897 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,251 shares during the period. The Ensign Group comprises approximately 3.7% of Van Berkom & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Van Berkom & Associates Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $129,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 732 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 7.3% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 6.4% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,193 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 4.1% in the third quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $313,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,366,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $173.60 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.88. 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 Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $118.73 and a one year high of $193.99. The company’s 50-day moving average is $177.19 and its 200 day moving average is $173.10.

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

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, VP Beverly B. Wittekind sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $360,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 32,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,220. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.59, for a total value of $121,513.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,652 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,105,750.68. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 49,934 shares of company stock worth $8,953,443. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Profile

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.