Franklin Resources Inc. Increases Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

by · The Markets Daily

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG – Free Report) by 32.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 417,482 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 102,782 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.73% of The Ensign Group worth $55,467,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ENSG. Norges Bank purchased a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $90,747,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth $36,167,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.6% in the third 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 in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at $21,744,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 252,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,520,000 after buying an additional 88,643 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of 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, Macquarie raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.17.

Get Our Latest Report on The Ensign Group

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.15, for a total transaction of $90,405.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 30,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,881,215.80. This trade represents a 2.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.52, for a total transaction of $5,805,052.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 42,486 shares of company stock worth $6,251,714 over the last 90 days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 3.4 %

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $129.33 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $113.27 and a 52 week high of $158.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $131.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.42. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.89%.

About The Ensign Group

(Free Report)

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.

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