Blue Trust Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 62.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 699 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. F M Investments LLC acquired a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $14,370,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 11.7% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 571,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,693,000 after acquiring an additional 59,933 shares during the last quarter. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth about $5,167,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 306,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,862,000 after purchasing an additional 41,429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,661,581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $828,834,000 after purchasing an additional 39,695 shares during the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,125 shares in the company, valued at $4,127,303.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,057,400. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total value of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,127,303.75. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 16,118 shares of company stock valued at $2,363,620. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $156.91 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.56 and a 1-year high of $157.13. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.20. The firm has a market cap of $8.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.29, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The Ensign Group’s revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.15%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on ENSG. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Stephens boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.20.

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.