The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) Shares Bought by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 44.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,385 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,623 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $3,076,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $151,827,000. FMR LLC grew its position in The Ensign Group by 42.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in The Ensign Group by 54.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 649,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,449,000 after purchasing an additional 229,586 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the third quarter valued at $18,843,000. Finally, F M Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Ensign Group in the second quarter worth $14,370,000. 96.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,716 shares in the company, valued at $8,325,980. This trade represents a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on ENSG. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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 boosted their price objective 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. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of The Ensign Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 target price for the company. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $164.33.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.5 %

The Ensign Group stock opened at $144.23 on Monday. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $158.45. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $147.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.00. 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 company has a market capitalization of $8.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.92, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.92.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Ensign Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.06 dividend. 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 (DPR) is currently 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.