WINTON GROUP Ltd Acquires 5,187 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 201.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,763 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,187 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,031,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,167,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,449,000 after buying an additional 229,586 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $21,744,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 26.1% during the third 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.2 %

ENSG opened at $128.74 on Friday. 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 has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $113.27 and a 12 month high of $158.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $132.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.07.

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

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENSG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on 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. Finally, Macquarie lifted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.17.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 12,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group 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 sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 43,186 shares of company stock valued at $6,345,115 in the last three months. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.