The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,288 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $304,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ENSG. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted 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 worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 294.2% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $130.06 on Tuesday. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $110.71 and a fifty-two week high of $158.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $143.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.48. The stock has a market cap of $7.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.93.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This is an increase from The Ensign Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Barry M. Smith sold 700 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $4,116,582.36. The trade was a 2.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on ENSG. Oppenheimer increased their target price 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. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. 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 note on Monday. One 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.83.

The Ensign Group Company 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.