Archer Investment Corp Acquires 250 Shares of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

Archer Investment Corp lifted its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 40.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 871 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY lifted its holdings in shares of The Ensign Group by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 3,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in The Ensign Group by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pitcairn Co. increased its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 5,684 shares of the company’s stock worth $707,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on ENSG. Stephens increased their target price on The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.20.

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In related news, CEO Barry Port sold 5,618 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $842,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,057,400. This trade represents a 9.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 11,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,660,200 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Stock Down 1.5 %

ENSG stock opened at $143.49 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.87. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $104.18 and a 52 week high of $158.45. 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 company has a market cap of $8.22 billion, a PE ratio of 34.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.95.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.84%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. The Ensign Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.06 per share. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s dividend payout ratio is 5.81%.

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.