KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $1.54 Million in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 11,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,542,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ENSG. Synovus Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 90.2% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 14,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,931 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 13,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,038,000 after buying an additional 5,632 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 379,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,595,000 after acquiring an additional 78,570 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 25.4% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 59,877 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,612,000 after acquiring an additional 12,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.4% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 70,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,201,000 after acquiring an additional 3,657 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Stock Performance

ENSG opened at $128.74 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.15. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $113.27 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share 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, equities analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors 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 (DPR) is presently 4.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ENSG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Macquarie increased their price target 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. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’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 sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,258,536.96. The trade was a 2.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

About The Ensign Group

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.