Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Has $17.28 Million Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 130,047 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,830 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH owned about 0.23% of The Ensign Group worth $17,278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth $49,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ENSG shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Stephens raised their price objective on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. 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 analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, The Ensign Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.43, for a total value of $93,401.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $136.81 on Thursday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $110.71 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $139.02 and its 200 day moving average is $143.27. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

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

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.