Bridgewater Associates LP Has $1.25 Million Stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Bridgewater Associates LP trimmed its position in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 75.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,667 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,377 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $1,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $151,827,000. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,995,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,061,000 after purchasing an additional 593,779 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $18,843,000. F M Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $14,370,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $9,565,000. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ENSG. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. 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. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $146.21 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $104.18 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The company has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.40, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $148.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.98.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. This represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

The Ensign Group 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.