The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Bought by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 79.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,889 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,281 shares during the quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in The Ensign Group by 294.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 9,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,203,000 after acquiring an additional 7,262 shares during the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of The Ensign Group by 210.9% in the third quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,388,000 after purchasing an additional 6,545 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,500,000. AXA S.A. lifted its position in The Ensign Group by 9.4% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 54,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,757,000 after buying an additional 4,684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BDF Gestion acquired a new position in The Ensign Group during the second quarter worth $1,577,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ENSG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial raised their target price on The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report 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 note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of ENSG stock opened at $146.34 on Wednesday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $104.18 and a 1-year high of $158.45. The firm has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a PE ratio of 35.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50-day moving average of $148.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $138.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. On average, analysts predict that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at The Ensign Group

In other The Ensign Group 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $8,057,400. This trade represents a 9.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About The Ensign Group

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.