The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 15.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 111,556 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,617 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $13,880,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Evoke Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,993,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth $792,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in The Ensign Group by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,621,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,042,000 after buying an additional 310,182 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in The Ensign Group by 102.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 64,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,274,000 after buying an additional 32,884 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 14.4% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 52,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,486,000 after acquiring an additional 6,583 shares during the period. 96.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ENSG. Macquarie initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of The Ensign Group in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on The Ensign Group from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.83.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total value of $40,764.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at $2,329,632.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Ann Scott Blouin sold 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.47, for a total value of $40,764.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,002 shares in the company, valued at $2,329,632.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Spencer Burton sold 7,519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.04, for a total transaction of $1,015,365.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 42,629 shares in the company, valued at $5,756,620.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,968 shares of company stock worth $1,714,703 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

The Ensign Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENSG opened at $142.80 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $89.79 and a fifty-two week high of $143.86. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.99.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.95 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 31st. Investors of record on Sunday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.32%.

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.