Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC Has $4.65 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 4.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,010 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,689 shares during the period. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC owned 0.06% of The Ensign Group worth $4,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 190.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter worth $54,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total transaction of $93,401.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of ENSG opened at $138.65 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.57, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.93. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $110.71 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $138.76 and a 200-day moving average of $143.54.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.18%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ENSG shares. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial decreased their price target on The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Profile

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.