WCM Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG - Free Report) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 261,574 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,559 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC owned about 0.46% of The Ensign Group worth $34,732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caitlin John LLC boosted its stake in The Ensign Group by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Caitlin John LLC now owns 15,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,058,000 after buying an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama bought a new position in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $9,193,000. Prudent Investors Network Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $212,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 944,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,430,000 after purchasing an additional 7,542 shares during the period. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in The Ensign Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $217,000. Institutional investors own 96.12% of the company's stock.

In other news, Chairman Christopher R. Christensen sold 39,086 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 12,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,292.28. The trade was a 75.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.48, for a total value of $96,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 30,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,258,536.96. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 40,486 shares of company stock valued at $5,995,390 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

ENSG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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. UBS Group started coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $175.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price target 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. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.17.

Read Our Latest Research Report on ENSG

NASDAQ ENSG opened at $131.00 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $113.27 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The firm's 50 day moving average is $137.77 and its 200-day moving average is $143.76. The company has a market capitalization of $7.53 billion, a PE ratio of 25.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.94. 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 Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.47 by ($0.11). The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 6.99%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.19%. This is a boost from The Ensign Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The Ensign Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.89%.

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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