The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Acquired by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 105.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 66,691 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,172 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.12% of The Ensign Group worth $9,592,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 364,633 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,441,000 after buying an additional 20,772 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 79.7% in the 3rd quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 374.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 11,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,611,000 after purchasing an additional 8,841 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $18,843,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in The Ensign Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 1,110,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,740,000 after purchasing an additional 10,221 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Stephens increased their target price 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. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Ensign Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $144.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $8.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.98, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.92. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.18 and a 1 year 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $147.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.47.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. The Ensign Group’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

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.