Bridge City Capital LLC Trims Stock Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Bridge City Capital LLC lessened its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 6.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,553 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,907 shares during the quarter. The Ensign Group accounts for approximately 2.6% of Bridge City Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Bridge City Capital LLC owned about 0.10% of The Ensign Group worth $5,494,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 37.3% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 6,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $608,000 after acquiring an additional 1,839 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 52,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,725,000 after purchasing an additional 4,140 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter valued at $957,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.5% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 28,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,535,000 after buying an additional 9,942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 5.1% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 136,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,330,000 after buying an additional 6,609 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.02% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In related news, EVP Chad Keetch sold 11,155 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.60, for a total transaction of $1,122,193.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 86,191 shares in the company, valued at $8,670,814.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, COO Spencer Burton sold 2,513 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.50, for a total value of $250,043.50. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 50,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,995,795.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chad Keetch sold 11,155 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.60, for a total value of $1,122,193.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 86,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,670,814.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,602 shares of company stock valued at $2,040,392. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ENSG. StockNews.com started coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Stephens raised their price target on The Ensign Group from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 27th. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Wednesday, September 13th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. Finally, Berenberg Bank started coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, September 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.40.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of ENSG stock traded up $1.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $107.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 298,269 shares, compared to its average volume of 276,804. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.01. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $85.50 and a one year high of $108.10. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $96.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $940.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $938.95 million. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 6.97% and a return on equity of 18.15%. Equities research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.35 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Saturday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.058 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 28th. This represents a $0.23 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is 5.30%.

About The Ensign Group

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services, as well as other ancillary services. It operates through Skilled Services and Standard Bearer segments. 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.