AlphaMark Advisors LLC Cuts Position in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

AlphaMark Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 11.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,275 shares of the company’s stock after selling 294 shares during the quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $327,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,621,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $743,042,000 after buying an additional 310,182 shares in the last quarter. F M Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at about $14,370,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 36.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 403,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,224,000 after purchasing an additional 107,317 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased 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 worth $70,693,000 after purchasing an additional 59,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Ensign Group during the 1st quarter worth about $5,167,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

The Ensign Group Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of The Ensign Group stock opened at $148.43 on Friday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $92.69 and a 1-year high of $154.93. 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 stock has a market cap of $8.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.30.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.02. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 5.68%. The company had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 4.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on The Ensign Group from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on The Ensign Group from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Macquarie began coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $134.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Ensign Group

In other news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,057,400. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other The Ensign Group news, Director Daren Shaw sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.71, for a total transaction of $283,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,127,303.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $842,700.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,057,400. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,118 shares of company stock worth $2,053,620 in the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.